8/18/2023 0 Comments Japan steam train![]() Japan's first railway was opened in 1872 between Shimbashi in Tokyo and Yokohama. Japanese railways were built to follow such main roads, unlike in America where they crossed vast unpopulated prairies, etc. The regular passage of the daimyo with their many samurai and servants to and from Edo lead to inns, accommodations and villages springing up along the waysides. As a consequence, Edo became central to the nation's political and economic life with post roads radiating towards all corners of the country. The shogunate assured its central grip on power by obliging each daimyo to live with his family and retainers in an Edo residence every other year. Edo (today's Tokyo) was the seat of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and the centre of political and administrative power. Each of the some 200 regional fiefs was under the control of a daimyo or lord. It was divided into various social ranks, ranging from the higher-class samurai (warrior) caste to the lower-class farmers, artisans and merchants. Japan of 130 years ago was still a feudal society based on these types of communal activities. This communal concept remains deeply rooted in the Japanese psyche even today. The traditional agriculture is based on rice-paddy cultivation, which requires sharing of water resources and communal irrigation by villages. Volcanoes and earthquakes are common and typhoons in the summer and autumn cause widespread damage. The Japanese archipelago stretches across a wide range of latitudes it experiences great seasonal extremes of weather and some 40% of the country suffers from heavy winter snowfalls. Railways are deeply rooted in society and people's consciousness worldwide and they are also strongly influenced by the each nation's social, cultural and geographical climate. Many past accidents occurred because this concept was lacking. In other words, the interface between technologies is important and an overall view of different technologies is very important too. Each mode has a unique system of integrated technologies and even railways require a well-balanced combination of technologies to assure safe and punctual operations. In contrast, the automotive and shipping modes are two dimensional and the aviation mode is three dimensional. Railways can be considered to be a one-dimensional transport mode in which trains run along a fixed path. This article discusses how railway accidents are related to the technologies of the period and explains how safety can be improved even further by studying past railway accidents. These achievements are mostly based on development and combination of various new technologies and on improving employees' skills. The 130-year history of Japan's railways, especially on-time arrivals, accurate operations, and safety, has played a major role in the nation's social development. This forms a sharp contrast to today's Japanese railways with an extensive network of shinkansen serving most major cities with safe and punctual high-speed services. Accidents were prevented by telegraphic messages between stations and there were some mechanical signals too. Only the locomotive had steam brakes-the passenger carriages and freight wagons just had hand brakes. ![]() Speeds were limited to about 20 miles per hour. ![]() Train collisions were prevented by dispatching trains at fixed time intervals (headway) and fixed distance intervals. The first railways in Japan were single track and used steam locomotives to haul the carriages. Today's railway safety is based on the many bitter experiences of the past. And each time an accident occurred, further safety measures were taken. Despite these best efforts, accidents still occurred, shaking people's faith in safety. Following the opening of Japan's first railway in 1872, a great deal of attention and effort has been paid to making railway operations safe. ![]() Safety is the most important condition for railway companies worldwide. ![]() Japanese Railway Safety and the Technology of the Day Japanese Railway Safety and the Technology of the Day Japan Railway & Transport Review No. ![]()
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