Kyoto museum reopens – bigger and better

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THE well-known steam railway museum in the historic Japanese city of Kyoto reopened to the public on April 29.

Four locos outside the historic Umekoji roundhouse. From right to left: powerful 4-6-4 C62 1, built by Hitachi in 1948, and 4-4-2T Number 1080, built in Scotland by Dubs in 1901 as a 4-4-0 tender loco (rebuilt in 1926 to the current 4-4-2T design). Nearer the camera are two Kawasaki-built locos, 2-8-0 9633 (right), dating from 1914, and (left) 1935 vintage 2-6-4T C11 64. Between 1932 and 1947, 381 C11s were built. Fifty have been preserved, including five that are currently in working order. JAMES WAITE
Four locos outside the historic Umekoji roundhouse. From right to left: powerful 4-6-4 C62 1, built by Hitachi in 1948, and 4-4-2T Number 1080, built in Scotland by Dubs in 1901 as a 4-4-0 tender loco (rebuilt in 1926 to the current 4-4-2T design). Nearer the camera are two Kawasaki-built locos, 2-8-0 9633 (right), dating from 1914, and (left) 1935 vintage 2-6-4T C11 64. Between 1932 and 1947, 381 C11s were built. Fifty have been preserved, including five that are currently in working order. JAMES WAITE

The museum was closed for extensive refurbishment in 2015.

It now has much more display space, which has enabled the collection to be expanded to include examples of more important modern diesel and electric traction, including Shinkansen high-speed trains, the most recent of which dates from as far back as…1996!

Read more in the August issue of The RM

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