Wakasa Railway Rockfall Shed

Fourteen Arches Under a Blanket of Earth

Wakasa Railway Rockfall Shed (若桜鉄道落石覆, rakuseki-ōi) is a reinforced-concrete gallery covering the track along the foot of a mountainside at Mukaiyama, Yōro, in Yazu Town, Tottori Prefecture; it was completed in 1955 and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 July 2008.

It protects trains and track from stones falling off the slope. It sits 350 metres north of the snow shed, between Tampi and Wakasa stations, and runs 35 metres with a footprint of 413 square metres. A retaining wall at the north portal holds back loose rock.

Fourteen semicircular arches open along its side wall. The top, more than 2 metres above the rails, is packed with earth to cushion the blow when rock comes down.

Why It Was Registered

The registration cites its contribution to the historic landscape. Between Tampi and Wakasa the mountains press right down to the river, and the line threads along the foot of the slopes. Wakasa Railway Rockfall Shed was added here in 1955 and records, in concrete, how a mountain railway dealt with falling rock.

Putting soil on the roof to soak up impact follows directly from the task: something heavy is going to land on it. The Agency for Cultural Affairs describes it as a massive structure in pointed contrast to the snow shed.

What to Look For: The Arcade

The fourteen arches, evenly spaced along the side wall, define the shed. It does not close in like a tunnel; light and air pour through the openings, and from a passing train the valley flicks past in a series of framed views.

The snow shed 350 metres south is all slim columns and a thin sloping roof. Snow only needs to be shrugged off; rock has to be caught. See the two back to back and the difference in purpose shows up as a difference in mass.

Visiting

The shed sits on the running line, and the track is off limits. Trains between Tampi and Wakasa run straight through it. From outside it is viewed from the surroundings, but do not linger at the foot of slopes where rock can fall.

Keep well back from the rails and off private land. Travel to the line is covered on the Wakasa Railway page.