Early elevated electric railway construction by JGR in Tokyo

[Densha]

Tokyo-Shimbashi-Hamamatsuchou in 1914: http://library.jsce.or.jp/Image_DB/j_railways/34553/34553.shtml (including maps and drawings)

Manseibashi-Tokyo in 1920: http://library.jsce.or.jp/Image_DB/j_railways/37910/37910.shtml (Manseibashi was a station located between present-day Kanda station and Ochanomizu station)

Tokyo-Ueno in 1925: http://library.jsce.or.jp/Image_DB/j_railways/34355/34355.shtml

 

For people trying to read the Japanese written on the maps and such: take note that some words and kanji were written in a different way at that time and that before WW2 horizontally written Japanese was written from right-to-left.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Densha

[kvp]

Great pictures! This is the map, clearly showing Tokyo station on the right, Shinbashi in the middle and the old Shinbashi station, later called Shiodome terminal below it. The original Tokyo station project was to connect all downtown terminals (Shinbashi, Manseibashi, Ueno) with a through station in the middle.

 

And this one is Manseibashi station on the Chuo line after it stopped being a terminal station. The station building is gone now, but the arcades and the platforms are still there. You can find it as this is the place where the Chuo line turns to meet the Yamanote towards Tokyo station after splitting from the Chuo-Sobu line.

[Sacto1985]

kvp,

 

Does that explain why the Chūō Main Line ends on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station on raised tracks, based on the photo you just showed?

[bikkuri bahn]

The station building is gone now, but the arcades and the platforms are still there.

 

Now been redeveloped by JR East as a retail/leisure property:

Edited July 14, 2015 by bikkuri bahn

[bikkuri bahn]

Does that explain why the Chūō Main Line ends on the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station on raised tracks, based on the photo you just showed?

 

I think yes.  The tracks are elevated throughout this area of Tokyo, due to the urban location where elevated tracks would not interfere with road traffic, and the soft, marshy nature of the land here, which required pillings to be driven into the ground, and then built upon that.  At this time, the Yaesu end of Tokyo station was a railway coach yard/maintenance area (evident in the map), and so passenger facilities were concentrated on the Marunouchi side.