Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum
Coordinates: 34°59′13.98″N 135°44′35.24″E / 34.9872167°N 135.7431222°E
| Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum | |
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| 梅小路蒸気機関車館 | |
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| Established | 1972 |
| Location | Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan |
| Type | Railway museum |
| Public transit access | Tambaguchi Station, JR West Sagano Line |
| Nearest car park | Umekoji Park (charged, the parking fee is at a discount after pursuasing a parking ticket) |
| Website | www.mtm.or.jp/uslm/eng/ |
Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum (梅小路蒸気機関車館 Umekōji Jōkikikansha-kan) is a railway museum located in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Opened in 1972, the locomotive depot preserves 19 steam locomotives.
The museum is owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and is operated by Transportation Culture Promotion Foundation.
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[edit] Facility
At the center of the museum is a 20-track roundhouse built in 1914. It was built surrounding a turntable and houses and exhibits the preserved locomotives. The roundhouse is an Important Cultural Property designated by the government of Japan as the oldest reinforced concrete-made car shed extant in Japan.[1]
Exhibition of other historical materials is in a two-story wooden building adjacent to the roundhouse. This is the former station building of Nijō Station in Kyoto. The building was built in 1904 and was moved to the museum ground in 1997.[2]
There is also a short "exhibition operation" track to operate trains. Steam train hauled by either C62, C61, D51 or 8620 class locomotive operates three times a day and makes a round trip on the track in about 10 minutes. Visitors can ride the train for 200 yen (adult) charge.[3]
[edit] History
The museum was opened by Japanese National Railways (JNR) on October 10, 1972 commemorating the centennial of the railway in Japan.[4] When JNR was divided into regional companies in 1987, the museum was inherited by JR West.
[edit] Exhibits
The following 19 locomotives are on display.[5]
- JNR Class 1070 – No. 1080
- JNR Class 8620 – No. 8630
- JNR Class 9600 – No. 9633
- JNR Class B20 – No. B20 10
- JNR Class C11 – No. C11 64
- JNR Class C51 – No. C51 239
- JNR Class C53 – No. C53 45
- JNR Class C55 – No. C55 1
- JNR Class C56 – No. C56 160
- JNR Class C57 – No. C57 1
- JNR Class C58 – No. C58 1
- JNR Class C59 – No. C59 164
- JNR Class C61 – No. C61 2
- JNR Class C62 – Nos. C62 1 and C62 2
- JNR Class D50 – No. D50 140
- JNR Class D51 – Nos. D51 1 and D51 200
- JNR Class D52 – No. D52 468
Among these locomotives, No. 1080 of Class 1070 was added to the exhibits in 2009 accepting donation by Nittetsu Mining.[6]
C56 160 and C57 1 are occasionally operated out of the museum, especially on the semi-regular service on the Yamaguchi Line.
[edit] Access
Umekōji-kōen-mae bus stop is located adjacent to the museum and served by frequent city bus routes (Routes 205, 208, 33) from Kyoto Station.
The nearest railway station is Tambaguchi Station on the Sagano Line (San'in Main Line), about 15 minutes walk from the museum.
[edit] See also
Media related to Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum at Wikimedia Commons
[edit] References
- ^ Official website of the museum. Retrieved on August 29, 2009. (Japanese)
- ^ Official website of the museum. Retrieved on August 29, 2009. (Japanese)
- ^ Official website of the museum. Retrieved on August 30, 2009. (Japanese)
- ^ Japan Railfan Magazine October 1993 issue, p. 20
- ^ Official website of the museum. Retrieved on August 29, 2009. (Japanese)
- ^ Official website of the museum. Retrieved on January 16, 2010. (Japanese)
