Amarube Viaduct
The is a railway bridge in the town of Kami, Mikata District, Hyōgo Prefecture, on JR West's Sanin Main Line between the stations of Yoroi and Amarube. The original steel trestle bridge opened in 1912, and was replaced with the current reinforced concrete bridge on 12 August 2010. Background Work began on the original bridge in December 1909, and it opened for service March 1, 1912. It was in length and tall, constructed at a cost of 331,535 yen. It had 11 vertical supports and 23 sections of girders and National Route 178 passed beneath it. The structure's unique design and bright color made it popular not only with rail fans but tourists as well. The closest station is Amarube Station, and the mountain behind it provides a popular point from which photographers take pictures of the bridge. From March 6, 2008, the bridge was closed periodically for the construction of its replacement. Construction The terrain along the Sea of Japan coast is very rugged between the towns of Kami and Shin'onsen, and it was necessary to lay the railbed amongst the mountains. However, due to the area's topography, it would also have to cross over villages between mountains. The route chosen incorporates large embankments and paths paralleling National Route 178. Although there was a plan for a concrete structure, it was dismissed as impractical, and an American engineer's opinion was sought. Taking that into consideration, Ministry of Railways engineer Seiichi Furukawa decided that it would be a trestle bridge. The steel for the piers was imported from the American Bridge Company's Pencoyd Iron Works via Kyūshū, and arrived in August 1910. Girders were made by Ishikawajima Shipworks (now IHI Corporation), and were sent from Kōbe in September 1911. Upon completion, its cost exceeded 330,000 yen and more than 250,000 people had worked on the project. Because of the tremendous danger involved with its construction, workers were covered by a 20,000 yen insurance plan. This bridge was the San'in Main Line's most difficult project after the Tokan Tunnel, one end of which begins at the bridge's east end. Following the structure's completion, it completed the rail link from Kyōto to Izumo. Over 90 years after its completion, it remained Japan's largest railway trestle and had great historical value as an early railway structure. Accident On December 28, 1986, around 1:25 pm, an out-of-service Miyabi train traveling from Kasumi Station was caught by strong winds from the Sea of Japan, and all seven passenger cars of the train were blown from the bridge, with only a few bogies remaining on the tracks. The locomotive's weight prevented its derailment. The cars fell directly below, landing on a fish-processing plant. Five women working at the plant and the train's conductor died in the accident. Five others in the plant and one food-service worker aboard the train were seriously injured. This was the first disaster since the opening of the bridge. The accident is attributed to human error. Although the winds activated warning devices,