Number 2 SL is exhibited at Kaya Steam Locomotive Square in Kyoto Prefecture
Kaya Railway was a small local private railway in Kyoto Prefecture. It was unfortunately abolished in 1985 due to a decreasing number of passengers, but part of the facility was retained as a museum named Kaya Steam Locomotive Square and is located in Yosano Town of Kyoto Prefecture, about 650 kilometers west of Tokyo.
The most precious exhibition in the museum is the number 2 steam locomotive (SL), which was built by Robert Stephenson & Company in 1873. As you know, Stephenson & Company was the first locomotive builder in the world, established in 1823. The original number of this SL was 12 of the Imperial Government Railway of Japan, but it was changed to number 123 of Class 120 in 1912. It was then renamed number 2 when Kaya Railway purchased this SL from Hikami Railway in Shimane Prefecture. Number 2 SL was operated until 1956 on the track.
Number 2 SL is a 2-4-0 type (Whyte notation) small tank locomotive. It is 8.225 meters long, 2.248 meters wide, and it weighs 23 tons. The driving wheel diameter is 1,346 millimeters, and the gauge size is 1,067 millimeters. It is preserved in good condition under a special roof.
On June 9th, 2005, number 2 SL was designated as a National Important Cultural Property. Along with Class 150 SL in the Railway Museum, it is one of Japan's oldest SLs imported from the UK. I hope that this precious SL will be maintained in good condition.
Side view of number 2 SL