Wakasa Railway Iwabuchi River Bridge

A Short Skew Bridge With Borrowed Girders

Wakasa Railway Iwabuchi River Bridge (若桜鉄道岩淵川橋梁, Iwabuchi-gawa) is a 19-metre, two-span steel girder bridge over the lowest reach of the Iwabuchi River, a tributary of the Hattō, at Higashi in Yazu Town, Tottori Prefecture; its girders were made in the mid-Meiji era and modified and moved here in 1930, and it was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on 8 July 2008.

It lies 650 metres west of Hatto River Bridge No. 2, between Hattō and Tampi stations. The bridge meets the stream at an angle rather than square on, a layout engineers call a skew bridge.

Each of its two girders is 9.8 metres long. They began life as 40-foot girders of the so-called Osaka Railway type, cut down and strengthened to fit this crossing.

Why It Was Registered

Of the line's six registered bridges, only two, this one and Hosomi River Bridge, were registered on the grounds that they would be difficult to reproduce. The girders themselves record their history: Meiji-era steel taken from another railway, shortened and reinforced for a new job. That history cannot be built again.

The stiffeners are unusual too. These vertical members brace the girder web, and on Wakasa Railway Iwabuchi River Bridge J-shaped stiffeners and straight ones alternate almost one for one. The mix most likely reflects strengthening added at different times, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs picks it out as a distinctive feature.

What to Look For

Look at the side of the girders. Stiffeners with a hooked, J-shaped foot alternate with plain straight ones. The J form is typical of Meiji girders, so you are effectively reading old and added parts side by side.

The skew shows in the abutments, set off from one another to follow the line of the stream. It is a short bridge with a surprisingly awkward plan.

Visiting

The bridge is in service, and the deck and track are closed. Trains cross it between Hattō and Tampi, but at 19 metres it is over in a moment from the window. To see the stiffeners you need to look from nearby roads or the streamside.

Keep clear of the rails and do not cross farmland or private property for photographs. Travel to the line and tickets are covered on the Wakasa Railway page.