Total route length: 147.2km (91.5 Miles) Total number of Stations : 43 The Gonō Line (五能線, Gonō-sen) is a railway line in Japan linking Higashi-Noshiro Station in Akita Prefecture with Kawabe Station in Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Honshu. The line stretches 147.2 km (91.5 mi) along the Sea of Japan coast with a total of 43 stations. The Gonō Line is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station opened on November 1, 1901 as Noshiro Station (能代駅). It was renamed Hataori Station (機織駅) on November 1, 1909, and renamed Higashi-Noshiro Station on June 15, 1943. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on April 1, 1987, the station came under the control of JR East. The Gono Line runs between Kawabe Station in the Aomori Prefecture and Higashi Noshiro Station in Akita Prefecture. Measuring a total length of 147.2km and has 43 stations, it is well-known as a local line that people would love to ride. "Hirosaki Station" is the nearest station to access Hirosaki Castle, which is famous for its spring cherry blossoms. "Fukaura Station" is famous as a sunset spot. It also stops at "Wespa Tsubakiyama", which is located on the coast and is a starting point for visiting the hot springs known as "Furofushi Onsen", which overlooks the Sea of Japan. While we were on the move, I was pressed up against the car window looking at the abundance of scenic spots. Not only did I see the magnificent scenery along the sea, but I also caught a glimpse of the lives of the local people. There are regular trains on the Gono Line too, but if you would like to enjoy the view from the train windows, the sightseeing train "Resort Shirakami" is also popular. I haven't ridden it yet, but I heard that special products and souvenirs can be purchased in the train, and the ekiben (train lunch box) tastes wonderful! From Tokyo, take the JR Shinkansen to Shin-Aomori Station to "Kawabe" station, which is the starting point on the Aomori side. Then, change to the JR Ou Main Line, and arrive at Kawabe Station in about 30 minutes. The first section of the Gonō Line was opened by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) from Higashi-Noshiro to Noshiro in 1908. When every JGR railway line was assigned a line name on October 12, 1909, this short railway was named the Noshiro Line (能代線, Noshiro-sen). In 1926 it was extended to Iwadate and in 1932 extended to Mutsu-Iwasaki. The private Mutsu Railway (陸奥鉄道, Mutsu-tetsudō) began operations on September 25, 1918 linking Kawabe with Goshogawara. The line was extended to Mutsu-Morita on October 21, 1924 with the extension called the Goshogawara Line (五所川原線, Goshogawara-sen). The line was extended to Ajigasawa on May 15, 1925. The company was nationalized in 1927, with the Goshogawara Line being absorbed into the Mutsu Railway. The line was extended to Mutsu-Akaishi on November 26, 1929 and connected to the Gonō Line on July 30, 1936, at which time the entire line adopted its current name. A CTC system was installed in 1986. With the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (successor of JGR) on April 1, 1987, the Gonō Line came under the control of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). According to the video that Chris Tarrant is in (In the references) the Gono line was washed away on a regular basis until the 60s, they had to install artificial breakwaters to resolve the problem. Rollingstock: Kiha 40 series HB-E300 series "Resort Shirakami" GV-E400 series Hopefully this route gets incorporated into TSW2 soon and routes longer than 80+ miles References https://www.japan.travel/en/my/fascinating-suburb-japan/ride-tohoku-specialty-local-line-gono-line/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonō_Line
This route would be fairly fun to drive I think. The Kiha 50 series especially is unique looking. Now Length could be a problem. Other then Length this would be a good route.
Hopefully one day DTG will decide to break out of their comfort zone and do a Japanese route for TSW. Surprised they're not encouraging Union Workshop to have a go. And yes, this would be a lovely line to drive and experience.
Sooner or later we need to be getting longer routes for TSW2. Yeah the rolling stock is indeed unique and the route would be a fairly fun route to drive I'd think
Might have to contact Union Workshop and ask them to urge DTG to give them the tools to make this route for TSW2
They might be doing something for TSW in the future course... they had been experimenting with UE4 and a few other interesting stuff.
This is the sort of route that would really open up the "world" aspect of TSW. Something so far removed from yet another mundane British or German inter-urban line with the same old type of trains, that people would flock to buy it.
