International Railroad Discussion > Visiting the Kyoto Railway Museum, Part 5

Notable noses of JR.  First is what I call a "second-generation" Shinkansen from the 90s, then a Kuroshio passenger express cab-car from the 50s and an electric dual-purpose locomotive from the 70s.

Soon, for those who have had patience with this series so far, I'll post some steam locomotive pictures.

John

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One thing from these series of pictures is that most of these display units are tied down. Meaning cables fro the ground to stop movement. Must be for an earthquke.

usmc1401 Wrote:
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> One thing from these series of pictures is that
> most of these display units are tied down. Meaning
> cables fro the ground to stop movement. Must be
> for an earthquke.

Preparing for earthquakes is a good idea in Japan.  During the 1995 Kobe earthquake, one of my bookcases fell on my head (ouch) even though it was secured to the wall.  Wood screws ripped right out of the wall.

John

John and group,

The museum finally got around to an english language version of their website.  I wonder if the museum guide book also made it into english?  When I visited, it was only available in japanese.

http://www.kyotorailwaymuseum.jp/en/

The museum is really well worth a visit for anyone considering a trip to Kyoto or Osaka.  Allow yourself at least 4 hours but it can easily turn into a whole day depending on if you wish to ride the outdoor exhibit train and see the diorama.  It is walkable (about 1 mile) from Kyoto JR Station. 

Attached are pictures from my last visit to the museum nearly 2 years ago.  The DE10-1118 had been recently acquired by the museum.  It is a 1350 hp diesel hydraulic locomotive built by Nippon Sharyo with an unusual C-B wheel configuration.  The 1000 group were equipped with steam generators for passenger service.  Many (around 130) are still in service around Japan.  This one is still fully operational.  The plan was to use it in rotation with other locomotives on the outdoor train ride.

The day I was there, a true antique was pushing and pulling happy museum visitors in the park.  8630 is a 2-6-0 built by Kisha Seizo in 1914.  672 were built between 1914 and 1929.  8630 is one of only 3 that remain in operable condition.  20 are preserved around the country including the 3 that are operational.

The signal garden inside the museum is truly amazing. 

daniel



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/18 20:21 by 251F.

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Korigaoka1811 Wrote:
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> and an electric dual-purpose locomotive from the
> 70s.

That's the first generation EF66, which is also on display at The Railway Museum in Saitama (near Tokyo). I've posted the significance of that locomotive in a report last year:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,4328612

JR Freight just retired EF66-30 this year, so there's only one left in revenue service (EF66-27). I caught #30 in my report, and I caught it again (twice) earlier this year when I did some "Precision Scheduled Foaming" by catching #27 in Kawasaki at dawn, then caught the #30 twice near Kyoto then Nagoya later on the same day.

I challenge the Japan railfans on TO to catch the #27 before it's too late. EF66-27 is assigned to the Suita Locomotive District (Osaka), and often runs from there to Tokyo on the Tokaido Line. EF66 is DC only, so that limits where it can run - won't go to Kyushu, Japan Sea side, or Tohoku Region, since they are AC.

signal garden described perfectly!