Kyoto Railway Museum
Introduction The  (formerly the  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.The museum is owned by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and is operated by Transportation Culture Promotion Foundation.
Exhibition zones The museum is divided into the following exhibition areas, including the 20-track roundhouse built in 1914. * Promenade* Main Hall* Twilight Plaza* Roundhouse* Former Nijō StationFile:Kyoto railway museum promenade rolling stock.JPG|The Promenade area in May 2016===Main Hall===This is a three-storey building completed in April 2016.File:KYOTO RAILWAY MUSEUM Main building Main Space 20160508.jpg|Exhibits in the main hall in May 2016File:Kyoto railway museum main building 1F 20160508.jpg|The Main Hall viewed from the second floor in May 2016===Roundhouse===Roundhouse of the Kyoto Railway MuseumThe 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 Japan.File:Kyoto railway museum Steam Locomotive depot.JPG|The roundhouse in May 2016===Former Nijo Station===Nijo Station buildingThis two-storey structure was formerly part of Nijō Station in Kyoto until March 1996, and was subsequently moved to the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum where if formed the entrance building, housing the museum shop.File:Umekoji SL museum 001 JPN.jpg|The former Nijo Station building in February 2006
Exhibits  a total of 53 rolling stock items are on display at the museum.===Steam locomotives===8620 steam locomotive 8630 on the Umekoji Locomotive turntableB20 10 in February 2006C11 64C61 2D50 140 Type  Number  Manufacturer  Year built  Exhibition area JGR Class 7100  7105  HK Porter (USA)  1880  Roundhouse JGR Class 1800  1801  Kitson & Company (UK)  1881  Main hall JGR Class 1070  1080  Dübs & Company (UK)  1901  Roundhouse JGR Class 230  233  Kisha Seizo  1903  Main hall JGR Class 8620  8630  Kisha Seizo  1914  Roundhouse JNR Class 9600  9633  Kawasaki  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  1935  Roundhouse JNR Class C55  C55 1  Kawasaki  1935  Roundhouse JNR Class D51  D51 1  Kawasaki  1936  Roundhouse JNR Class C57  C57 1  Kawasaki  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  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  1948  Promenade===Diesel locomotives===DE10 1156DD54 33 on display in October 2016 Type  Number  Manufacturer  Year built  Exhibition area  Remarks Class DD54  DD54 33  Mitsubishi  1971  Promenade   Class DD51  DD51 756  Hitachi  1972  Main hall   Class DE10  DE10 1156 Hitachi  1972  Promenade  Class 912  912-63    Main hall  Front end only===Electric locomotives===EF58 150 (left) and EF81 103 (right) in the Twilight Plaza zone in May 2016 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  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===100 series car 122-5003 in the Main Hall in October 2016 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===80 series EMU car KuHa 86001 in May 2016 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  1963  Promenade  Vermillion orange livery 581 series  KuHaNe 581-35  Hitachi  1968  Main Hall   489 series  KuHa 489-1  Tokyu Car  1971  Main Hall  ===DMUs===KiHa 81 series DMU car KiHa 81-3 in the Main Hall in April 2016 Type  Number  Manufacturer  Year built  Exhibition area KiHa 81 series  KiHa 81-3  Kinki Sharyo  1960  Main Hall===Coaches===Former ''Twilight Express'' generator van KaNi 24-12 and lounge car OHa 25-551 in the Main Hall in May 2016 Type  Number  Manufacturer  Year built  Exhibition area  Remarks SuShi 28  SuShi 28 301  Nippon Sharyo  1933  Promenade  Brown livery MaRoNeFu 59  MaRoNeFu 59 1  Kisha Seizo  1955  Main Hall  Brown livery OHa 46  OHa 46 13  Nippon Sharyo  1933  Promenade  Brown livery 20 series  Nashi 20 24  Nippon Sharyo  1970  Promenade  Blue livery 24 series  ORoNe 24 4  Hitachi  1972  Twilight Plaza  Blue livery 50 series  OHaFu 50 68   (also known as Niigata Tekko)  1977  Roundhouse  Red livery 24 series  Sushi 24-1   1988  Twilight Plaza  ''Twilight Express'' livery 24 series  SuRoNeFu 25-501   1989  Twilight Plaza  ''Twilight Express'' livery 24 series  OHa 25-551   1989  Main Hall  ''Twilight Express'' livery 24 series  KaNi 24-12   1975  Main Hall  ''Twilight Express'' livery===Freight wagons===Brake van Yo 5008 in October 2016 Type  Number  Manufacturer  Year built  Exhibition area  Remarks WaMu 3500  WaMu 7055  Nippon Sharyo  1917  Main Hall  Black livery Yo 5000  Yo 5008  Kawasaki Sharyo  1959  Main Hall  Light green livery
History As early as 1967 plans were being made to make 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 museum was opened by Japanese National Railways (JNR) on October 10, 1972 commemorating the centennial of the railway in Japan. 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. It was announced on 18 December 2013 that the enlarged museum would be renamed the Kyoto Railway Museum. The construction cost was 7.0 billion yen.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 Modern Transportation Museum closed on 6 April 2014, and the exhibits housed there were subsequently moved to the new railway museum in Kyoto.
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
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