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| SL D51 560 is exhibited in front of ex-Muroran station After enjoying the new volcano, "Showa-shinzan", we visited ex-Muroran railway station in Muroran City. Ex-Muroran station can be seen in the northern part of the downtown area. It was completed in 1912 as the first wooden station building in Hokkaido Island. Although the station was moved about 1 kilometer south in 1960, the old station building was preserved, and registered as tangible cultural properties by the Japanese government in 1999. It's currently utilized as a tourist information office, an exhibition space and a resting place. The old station building is of course a must-see spot for rail-fans, but one more important railway monument is seen in front of the building. It's a preserved steam locomotive (SL), D51 560. Class D51 was Japan's largest force of SL fleet. 1,115 units in total were built from 1935 to 1950. It's a 2-8-2 (Whyte notation) type SL that has a tender attached. Currently, only one unit is operated in Japan. D51 560 was built in 1940 at Naebo Works of Japanese Government Railways. Starting from Hakodate Depot, it was moved from one depot to the next on Hokkaido Island. Its mission had been to pull freight trains, specifically coal trains, as there used to be many coal mines on Hokkaido Island. D51 560 was retired from the tracks in 1974. It has been preserved in front of ex-Muroran station since 2019. The precious ex-station building and the preserved SL... Muroran is a must-visit city for rail-fans. |
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| Ex-Muroran station building |