Kyoto Railway Museum
Railway museum in Kyoto, Japan
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The Kyoto Railway Museum (京都鉄道博物館, Kyōto Tetsudō Hakubutsukan) (formerly the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum (梅小路蒸気機関車館, Umekōji Jōkikikansha-kan) until 2016) is a railway museum in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The original Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum opened in 1972, but was expanded and modernized in 2016, becoming the Kyoto Railway Museum.
- October 10, 1972 (as Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum)
- April 29, 2016 (as Kyoto Railway Museum)
京都鉄道博物館 | |
The museum entrance in October 2016 | |
  Location of the museum  Kyoto Railway Museum (Japan) | |
| Former name | Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum |
|---|---|
| Established |
|
| Location | Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan |
| Coordinates | 34°59′14″N 135°44′33″E |
| Type | Railway museum |
| Owner | JR West |
Public transit access | Umekōji-Kyōtonishi Station, JR West Sagano Line |
| Parking | Umekoji Park |
| Website | www |
The museum is owned by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and operated by the Transportation Culture Promotion Foundation.
Exhibition zones
The museum is divided into the following exhibition areas, including the twenty-track roundhouse built in 1914.
- Promenade
- Main hall
- Twilight Plaza
- Roundhouse
- Former Nijō Station
The Promenade area in May 2016
Main hall
This is a three-storey building completed in April 2016; it is the main exhibit area.
Exhibits in the Main hall in May 2016
The Main hall viewed from the second floor in May 2016
Roundhouse
The 1914 roundhouse was built surrounding a turntable. It is an Important Cultural Property designated by the Government of Japan as the oldest reinforced-concrete car shed extant in the country.[1]
The roundhouse in May 2016
Former Nijo Station
This two-storey structure was formerly part of Nijō Station in Kyoto until March 1996, and subsequently demolished and rebuilt at the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum, where it formed the entrance building. From April 2016 onwards, it acts as the museum exit and hosts the museum shop.[2]
The former Nijo Station building in February 2006
Exhibits
As of April 2026[update], a total of 54 rolling stock items are on display at the museum.[3][2]
Steam locomotives
| Type | Number (and name if applicable) | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area | Operational |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JGR Class 7100 | 1/7105 Yoshitsune | H.K. Porter (USA) | 1880 | Roundhouse | * |
| JGR Class 1800 | 40/1801 | Kitson & Company (England) | 1881 | Main hall | |
| JGR Class 1070 | 1080 | Dübs & Company (Scotland) | 1901 | Roundhouse | |
| JGR Class 230 | 233 | Kisha Seizo | 1903 | Main hall | |
| JGR Class 8620 | 8630 | Kisha Seizo | 1914 | Roundhouse | * |
| JNR Class 9600 | 9633 | Kawasaki Dockyard | 1914 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class D50 | D50 140 | Hitachi | 1926 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C51 | C51 239 | Kisha Seizo | 1927 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C53 | C53 45 | Kisha Seizo | 1928 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C11 | C11 64 | Kawasaki Sharyo | 1935 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C55 | C55 1 | Kawasaki Sharyo | 1935 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class D51 | D51 1 | Kawasaki Sharyo | 1936 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C57 | C57 1 | Kawasaki Sharyo | 1937 | Roundhouse | * |
| JNR Class D51 | D51 200 | JNR Hamamatsu | 1938 | Roundhouse | * |
| JNR Class C58 | C58 1 | Kisha Seizo | 1938 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C56 | C56 160 | Kawasaki Sharyo | 1939 | Roundhouse | * |
| JNR Class B20 | B20 10 | Tateyama | 1946 | Roundhouse | * |
| JNR Class D52 | D52 468 | Mitsubishi | 1946 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C59 | C59 164 | Hitachi | 1946 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C62 | C62 1 | Hitachi | 1948 | Roundhouse | |
| JNR Class C62 | C62 2 | Hitachi | 1948 | Roundhouse | * |
| JNR Class C61 | C61 2 | Mitsubishi | 1948 | Roundhouse | * |
| JNR Class C62 | C62 26 | Kawasaki Sharyo | 1948 | Promenade |
Diesel locomotives
| Type | Number | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class DD54 | DD54 33 | Mitsubishi | 1971 | Promenade | The sole survivor of the class. |
| Class DD51 | DD51 756 | Hitachi | 1972 | Main hall |
Electric locomotives
| Type | Number | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class EF52 | EF52 1 | Hitachi | 1928 | Main hall | Brown livery |
| Class EF58 | EF58 150 | Tokyo Shibaura Denki | 1958 | Twilight Plaza | Blue livery |
| Class EF65 | EF65 1 | Kawasaki Sharyo/Kawasaki Denki Seizo | 1965 | Twilight Plaza | Blue livery |
| Class EF81 | EF81 103 | Hitachi | 1974 | Twilight Plaza | Twilight Express green livery |
| Class EF66 | EF66 35 | Toyo Denki/Kawasaki | 1974 | Main hall | Blue livery |
Shinkansen
| Type | Number | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 series | 21-1 | Nippon Sharyo | 1964 | Promenade |
| 0 series | 16-1 | Nippon Sharyo | 1964 | Promenade |
| 0 series | 35-1 | Nippon Sharyo | 1964 | Promenade |
| 0 series | 22-1 | Nippon Sharyo | 1964 | Promenade |
| 100 series | 122-5003 | Hitachi | 1989 | Main hall |
| 500 series | 521-1 | Kawasaki Heavy Industries | 1996 | Main hall |
EMUs
| Type | Number | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 series | KuHa 86001 | Hitachi | 1950 | Promenade | Orange/green Shonan livery |
| 80 series | MoHa 80001 | Hitachi | 1950 | Promenade | Orange/green Shonan livery |
| 103 series | KuHa 103-1 | Nippon Sharyo | 1964 | Promenade | Vermillion orange livery |
| 581 series | KuHaNe 581-35 | Hitachi | 1968 | Main hall | JNR beige livery |
| 489 series | KuHa 489-1 | Tokyu Car | 1971 | Main hall | JNR beige livery |
DMUs
| Type | Number | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KiHa 81 series | KiHa 81-3 | Kinki Sharyo | 1960 | Main hall | JNR beige livery |
Coaches
| Type | Number | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SuShi 28 | SuShi 28 301 | Nippon Sharyo | 1933 | Promenade | Brown livery |
| MaRoNeFu 59 | MaRoNeFu 59 1 | Takatori Factory | 1938 | Promenade | Brown livery |
| OHa 46 | OHa 46 13 | Kisha Seizo | 1955 | Railway vehicle factory | Brown livery |
| 20 series | NaShi 20 24 | Nippon Sharyo | 1970 | Promenade | Blue livery |
| 24 series | ORoNe 24 4 | Nippon Sharyo | 1973 | Twilight Plaza | Blue livery |
| 50 series | OHaFu 50 68 | Niigata Engineering (also known as Niigata Tekko) | 1977 | Roundhouse | Red livery, used as a resting spot |
| 24 series | SuShi 24-1 | Kinki Sharyo | 1972 | Twilight Plaza | Twilight Express livery |
| 24 series | SuRoNeFu 25-501 | Fuji Heavy Industries | 1975 | Twilight Plaza | Twilight Express livery |
| 24 series | OHa 25-551 | Fuji Heavy Industries | 1977 | Railway vehicle factory | Twilight Express livery |
| SuHa 32 | MaITe 49-2 | Ministry of Railways Oi Factory | 1938 | Railway vehicle factory | Brown livery |
Freight wagons
| Type | Number | Manufacturer | Year built | Exhibition area | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WaMu 3500 | WaMu 3500-7055 | Nippon Sharyo | 1917 | Main hall | Black livery |
| Yo 5000 | Yo 5000-5008 | Kawasaki Sharyo | 1959 | Main hall | Light green livery |
History
As early as 1967, plans were being made to turn the round-house at Umekoji depot, Kyoto into a live museum where good-order examples of Japanese steam locomotives could be displayed and also steamed and run. The Opening-eve ceremony was held on October 9, 1972 from 1:00 p.m. At the beginning, JNR president Mr. Isozaki planted a memorial young black pine tree. The opening ceremony was conducted in front of the Symbol-Zone. The ceremony invited the Kyoto prefectural governor, Kyoto city mayor, and successive Umekoji depot directors, and one hundred and thirty other celebrities as well as eighty JNR members. After the JNR president's congratulatory speech, the naming ceremony was done. It was named "The Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum (Umekoji Jyoki Kikansha Kan)." The dedicated monument embodied the driving wheel from a C57 88 (Retired at 1 May 1972). There is an original English epitaph on the monument, as follows;
May the glory of steam locomotives over the past century be remembered and their gallant sight preserved here forever.
10 October 1972 Japan National Railways.
At the end of the ceremony, a special ceremonial train was run by the C62 2. 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.
Expansion plans
On 19 December 2012, JR West officially announced its plans to modernize and expand the Umekoji museum.[5] It was announced on 18 December 2013 that the enlarged museum would be renamed the Kyoto Railway Museum.[6] The construction cost was 7.0 billion yen.[7][5]
Once the expansion was complete, the new museum exhibit space covered 31,000 square meters, becoming the largest railway museum in Japan both in terms of floor space and the number of trains exhibited, and surpassing JR East's Railway Museum in Saitama and JR Central's SCMaglev and Railway Park in Nagoya.
The expansion became necessary due to the aging facilities of the Modern Transportation Museum in Osaka. The MTM closed on 6 April 2014, and the exhibits housed there were subsequently moved to the new railway museum in Kyoto.[8]
Access
The museum is approximately 3 minutes on foot from Umekōji-Kyōtonishi Station.
See also
- JR East Railway Museum, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture
- JR Central SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture
