Wakasa Railway Hatto River Bridge No. 3

The Last Big Crossing Before Wakasa

Wakasa Railway Hatto River Bridge No. 3 (若桜鉄道第三八東川橋梁, Hattō-gawa) is a 110-metre, seven-span steel girder bridge over the Hattō River at Tomieda in Yazu Town, Tottori Prefecture; it was completed in 1930 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 July 2008.

It lies 1.25 kilometres west of the rockfall shed, between Tampi and Wakasa stations. For trains heading up to the terminus, this is the last major crossing of the Hattō.

The span layout is what sets it apart. Over the low-water channel, where the river actually runs most of the year, three long girders of about 20 metres are used. Girders of 10 and 13 metres fill in on either side. As on the other Hattō bridges, these are deck plate girders.

Why It Was Registered

The registration cites its place in the historic landscape. Its girders are described as the Tatsu 540 standard type shared with Bridges No. 1 and No. 2, and according to the railway, maker's plates identify Kawasaki Sharyō and the Osaka works of the Yokogawa Bridge company as the fabricators.

A long steel structure striding across a mountain valley is a visible record of what the railway brought to this area in the early Shōwa years, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs singles out the landscape the bridge creates as a direct expression of the valley's modernisation.

What to Look For

Look at Wakasa Railway Hatto River Bridge No. 3 side-on and the three central spans stand out: the piers are farther apart there. Fewer piers in the main channel means less to catch the flow when the river rises. Compare the short girders over the gravel bars with the long ones over the water.

The maker's plates on the girder ends are worth a look. Set against the other bridges on the line, they show how one standard design was farmed out to different fabricators bridge by bridge.

Visiting

The bridge is in service, and the deck and track are closed. Trains cross it between Tampi and Wakasa. The same stretch also takes in Hosomi River Bridge, the rockfall shed, the snow shed and Wakasa River Bridge, so you can follow them one after another from the window. From outside, view it from nearby roads and the riverbank.

Stay well back from the rails and off private land when taking photographs. Travel to the line and tickets are covered on the Wakasa Railway page.