Revisit to the Point of Interest in Kobe City

EMU Kobe Municipal Subway 6000 series arrives at Sannomiya station

I visited Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture for the first time in a while. It was a travel, which I tried to trace my memory.

Let me review Kobe City to start. Kobe is the main city of Hyogo Prefecture, about 600 kilometers west of Tokyo. The population is about 1.5 million. It was opened as a trading port city in 1868. After opening of Kobe Port, many foreigners migrated into this city, and generated Ijingai (a foreign settlement), which is the current popular sightseeing spot.

I revisited Kazamidori-no-yakata (Weathercock House) in Ijingai for the first time in 11 years. This mansion was built by German trading merchant, Gottfried Thomas in 1904. When I visited there in 2013, I saw many sightseers, but it was very quiet this time. Why? Because, the building was under renovation in order to boost the strength against earthquakes. I could observe a beautifully illuminated exterior instead, oh well.

To get to Weathercock House, the nearest railway station is Shin-Kobe on the Seishin-Yamate line of Kobe Municipal Subway. When I took this line in the past, the oldest model, namely the EMU 1000 series, was still being operated, but this time, I couldn’t find it anymore. I came across the latest model, the EMU 6000 series, instead. The 6000 series was commissioned in 2019 replacing the EMU 1000, 2000 series and the others. I didn't know any acquaintances on the Seishin-Yamanote line. I couldn't keep up with the flow of time.

Kazamidori-no-yakata (Weathercock House) near Shin-Kobe station

Preserved Locomotive in Nirasaki City

Electric locomotive JNR EF15 198 is preserved in Nirasaki Central Park

Happy New Year! The year 2025 has begun. I wish all railfans around the world health and happiness over this festive period and for 2025. At the opening of New Year, I’m going to show you a beautifully preserved locomotive in Nirasaki Central Park, Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture about 150 kilometers west of Tokyo.

The Class EF15 is a 1,500V direct current electric locomotive with an axis arrangement 1C+C1 (AAR wheel arrangement). It was developed by Ministry of Transport in 1947 for pulling freight trains. A total of 202 units were built, but currently only 4 units are preserved in the country. The EF15 is 17 meters long, and weighs 102 tons. The maximum speed was 75 kilometers per hour. Unit 198 (see the top photo) was built by Toyo Denki and Kisha Seizo in 1958. After operating for 28 years on the Japanese National Railways (JNR) lines, it was retired from the track in 1986 as the final survivor of the EF15. Its total driving distance was 2.12 million kilometers. Please compare with the Class EF57, which I showed you last November.

I’m not done yet. Please look at the photo below next. You can see 4 freight cars behind Unit 198. They are 3 open wagons named ToRa70000, and a caboose Yo5000.  ToRa70000 was JNR’s standard open wagon. A total of 5100 units were built, but currently only 13 units survive. ToRa701 and ToRa702 on the Mojiko Retro Sightseeing line are precious survivors of the JNR ToRa70000 after renovation.

Caboose JNR Yo5000 and open wagons JNR ToRa70000