Japan's oldest railway station preserved to this day

This is a D51 type steam locomotive, a famous steam locomotive known by the nickname “Degoichi”. To be continued in the blog.

This is a freight train passing by the oldest railway station building.

Looking back at the history of railways in Japan, the first railway line was opened between Tokyo and Shinbashi in 1872.

After that, the railway continued to expand and in 1882, Nagahama Station was opened as a connecting station for a steamship on Lake Biwa and as the starting point for the Hokuriku Line. This first Nagahama Station has been preserved until today in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan.  

However, the railway ferry service was discontinued in 1889 due to the completion of the new railway line and this station closed in 1902 after only 20 years of operation. 

In 1958, it was designated a railway monument as the oldest existing station building, and in 2005 it was designated the Shiga Prefectural Tangible Cultural Property.

By the way, the Tokyo Station building famous for the historic red brick building opened originally in 1914.

Behind the old Nagahama station building, there are two museums concerning the railway. To put together all the three facilities, we call Nagahama railway square. The real steam locomotive and electric locomotive are displayed in the museum. Please see the first photo. This is a D51 type steam locomotive, the most produced locomotive in Japan. And it is a famous steam locomotive known by the nickname “Degoichi”. 

Station Hall that was also used as the waiting room for the third-class passengers. 

Ticket booth and passengers at that time.  Timetable and fare table are raised. On the second floor, there was the department that was in charge of supervising the railway affairs.

The entrance to the waiting room for the first- and second-class passengers.

The first-class passengers sitting on a velvet long chair. Probably they were waiting for a steamship on Lake Biwa.  It’s luxurious, isn't it?  At that time, the lake shore existed next to the station building.

Stationmaster's Office. The photo frame shows the first station master. There was the fireplace in each room.　

This is the current JR Nagahama station building using the older station as a motif.　The oldest Railway station is just 3 minutes' walk from the west exit of JR Nagahama Station.