The Takasaki Light Railway

This August we went to Shizuoka ken.  There is a miniature railway within a large park with the railway linking two of the villages (England and Canada).  Locomotives were brought over from England.  There are ties with the Romney Hythe & Dimchurch Railway in the UK.

This is the loco that pulled our train.

Take a look inside the cab:

And here is inside the works shed:

And:

I will post a video of the highlights very soon (August-ish)

As a high school teacher I am required to go on school trips, usually once in three years.  This year we went to Hiroshima, Osaka and Kyoto which took 4 days.

Hiroshima was great as there are trams in the streets, some more than 60 years old.

I took this photo while crossing the street.  It dates back to before the 1950s.

Here is another tram, also about 60 years old.

There are newer ones too:

Hiroshima also has some wonderful shrines.  On the island of Miyajima we walked around one 'Itsukushima Shrine':

This is the famous gate or 'mon' with the inevitable deer searching for students' snacks.

I wasn't allowed to traverse this bridge, though what atmosphere!

I found some fantastic buildings. one with moss growing on the roof:

On the third day we had a free afternoon and I sneaked away to a great railway park.  They have 16 live steam locos, four of which are in regular use.

The engine shed or 'roundhouse' has space for all the locos.

I even found some small steamers in a case in the museum part:

With this lovely tram engine:

Of course it wasn't all railway sightseeing:

Fancy a trip to Japan?

Meijimura is a theme park with a difference.  It is based on the 'Meiji' period, which roughly translates to victorian times.  The buildings and related attractions are truly fascinating, no rides but culture abounds.  However, this all pales in comparison to the railway related attractions.  A day gives enough time to fully appreciate everything, only if your feet are willing to transport you to every location.  Enter the railways.  I say railways, because there are two distinct lines.

This is the MEIJIMURA website in English.  It explains much more succinctly than I about the village.

So fat there are three photos.  Come back later for more!!!

Here we see the driver and fireman turning the loco on the turntable at the end of the track.  The loco runs round the carriages to join the front for the return journey, all of five minutes.

Here is the cab:

And the driver's view:

This is the station just before the turntable.  I plan to make a 1/19th scale model of this for the Daruma Line.  Isn't it full of character.

And a closer look at the signal:

This is the tram we rode on.  Built in 1895!  Watching them pulling the electric cable arm from one end to the other before the return journey gives you the feeling you are right back in time.  Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!

And here is the tram coming up the hill to the station:

And changing the pole direction for a return journey: