Hara Model Railway Museum
Museum entrance, July 2012 | |
| Established | 10 July 2012 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1-2 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan |
| Type | Railway museum |
| Director | Nobutaro Hara |
| Owner | Mitsui Fudosan |
| Public transit access | Shin-Takashima Station, Yokohama Station |
| Website | www |
The Hara Model Railway Museum (Yuan Tie Dao Mo Xing Bo Wu Guan , Hara Tetsudo Mokei Hakubutsukan) is a model railway museum in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan, which opened on 10 July 2012. Managed by Mitsui Fudosan, the museum houses the extensive collection of model trains built and amassed by the Japanese model railway enthusiast Nobutaro Hara (Yuan Xin Tai Lang , Hara Nobutaro).[1] The museum covers an area of approximately 1,700 m2, with the display area covering an area of approximately 1,200 m2.[2]
Exhibits
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Approximately 1,000 items from Hara's private collection of more than 6,000 model railway items are on display.[3] The centrepiece of the museum is a 30-metre x 10 metre diorama called "Ichiban Tetsumo Park" (ichibantetsumopa-ku) which features "1 gauge" (45 mm gauge) model trains from around the world, and has approximately 450 metres of track. The layout features working overhead lines to power trains via their pantographs.[4] The collection also includes the original models of Thomas the Tank Engine and several of the other characters from the production of Thomas & Friends prior to 2009 when the show was switched to CGI animation,[5] some of which occasionally operate on the layout.[6][7]
Exhibits on display include models in 1 gauge (45 mm gauge, 1/32 scale), 0 gauge, and H0 gauge.[4]
History
[edit]The museum was unveiled to the news media on 20 June 2012 ahead of its public opening on 10 July.[8]
Nobutaro Hara
[edit]The owner of the collection, Nobutaro Hara, was born in Tokyo on 4 April 1919,[2] and built his first model train at the age of 13.[1] He studied mechanical engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.[9] After World War II, Hara worked as a development engineer for the office equipment company Kokuyo [ja].[4] In his spare time, he continued to build and collect model trains,[1] travelling to some 380 (?) different countries and building up a collection of over 6,000 items.[2] Over the years, he received a number of invitations from museums to exhibit his models, but always refused. He finally agreed to lend part of his collection to Mitsui Fudosan because the museum was located in Yokohama, the terminal of Japan's first railway, from Shimbashi in Tokyo.[9] Hara died on 5 July 2014 at the age of 95.[10]
Access
[edit]The museum is located on the second floor of the Yokohama Mitsui Building in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, and is a two-minute walk from Shin-Takashima Station on the Minatomirai Line, and a five-minute walk from Yokohama Station.[4]
Address
[edit]1-1-2 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Konagai, Maaya (22 June 2012). "Model train buff brings out his toys for everyone". The Japan Times. Japan: The Japan Times Ltd. p. 14. ISSN 0289-1956.
- ^ a b c Yuan Tie Dao Mo Xing Bo Wu Guan toha [Hara Model Railway Museum Overview] (in Japanese). Japan: Hara Model Railway Museum. 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "Model train museum shows off huge diorama". Asia & Japan Watch. Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. 3 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d Ikeguchi, Eiji (September 2012). "Yuan Tie Dao Mo Xing Bo Wu Guan " [Hara Model Railway Museum]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 52, no. 617. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. pp. 130-133.
- ^ Berman, John; Milberger, Michael (September 13, 2009). "Thomas the Tank Engine Speaks". Good Morning America. ABC News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
- ^ Heng Bang Shi noYuan Tie Dao Mo Xing Bo Wu Guan de[kikanshiyato-masusupeshiyarugiyarari-] Kai Cui ["Thomas the Tank Engine Special Gallery" held at the Hara Model Railway Museum in Yokohama]. Thomas & Friends (in Japanese). Japan: HIT Entertainment. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Yuan Tie Dao Mo Xing Bo Wu Guan [kikanshiyato-masu supeshiyarugiyarari- in Summer] Kai Cui nooZhi rase [Announcement of Hara Railway Model Museum "Thomas the Tank Engine Special Gallery in Summer"]. Thomas & Friends (in Japanese). Japan: HIT Entertainment. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Railway museum featuring one of world's biggest dioramas to open in Yokohama". Mainichi jp. Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. 24 June 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-02-18. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ a b Orii, Yuka (24 July 2012). "Full steam ahead for 93-year-old model train builder". Asia & Japan Watch. Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. Archived from the original on 2012-07-25. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ^ Yuan Xin Tai Lang sanSi Qu Tie Dao Mo Xing Zhi Zuo *Shou Ji 6Qian Liang [Model railway builder and collector Nobutaro Hara dies]. Asahi Shimbun Digital (in Japanese). Japan: The Asahi Shimbun Company. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
External links
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- Official website (in Japanese)
35deg27'47''N 139deg37'29''E / 35.46306degN 139.62472degE / 35.46306; 139.62472