The Railway Museum is located in Omiya Sakuzu, Tokyo. It is Japan’s first museum to display all aspects of railway travel. It exhibits railroad equipment, memorabilia, railway maps and antique railway cars. The museum has been credited with preserving some of the country’s important records and documents. The Railway Museum was created by Japanese railway authorities as a centennial historical park to celebrate the tremendous growth and development of railways in Japan during the Meiji Period (1890 – 1904), the golden age of rail travel in the country.
The Railway Museum was created by the Central Japan Railway Museum. It was created as a result of the efforts of the Japanese government to commemorate the century-old railway system that connecting Tokyo to Edo. The museum was opened in October 2021 as the centerpiece of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Japanese railways. The main museum was completed in July 2021, and the rest of the building has been fully redesigned as well. This multi-purpose national collection is perfect for anyone who is interested in rail travel in Japan.
The main exhibition area of the museum is located in the north area of Omiya Sakuzu. The focus of this section of the museum is the railway era, and it displays replicas of the cars, wagons and other railway equipment that existed during this time. One section of this section of the museum showcases the engine room of a gauge steam train, a recreation of the great Tokyo Subway’s engines from the period of the Great Railway Revolution. The Museum also features a section on the development of the railway, which includes the development of the gauge clock, the shakuhachi crane, and various models of the railway carriages.
The engine room exhibits several major artifacts of the railway era. In addition to the engine pieces, the museum also features model railroading accessories. There are also several major paintings that can be viewed within the galleries of this section. Several of these are viewable in high definition, along with prints. A section on the history of steam locomotives is also available to visitors, which focuses on the development of this type of locomotive.
Several trains that were used for transporting goods are on display in this section. Each train is featured with a booklet detailing its service life. There are also a number of prototype steam locomotives that are on display. This section provides an insight into the development of steam locomotives, as well as information on the working conditions of workers and the environment in which they were manufactured. The railway engineer is also featured. Visitors are able to obtain any previously owned locomotive that they may be interested in.
The Tokyo Sky Museum is a two-story circular structure located in the grounds of the former Meiji shrine. The circular structure houses many former railway companies, including the Meiji railway companies, as well as Toho, the legendary engineering and construction company. This section of the museum displays one of each of the last seven prototype steam locomotives that were produced by Meiji. Many of these locomotives have been displayed in various railway stations around Japan, as well as the world.
