Sakuma Rail Park to close

[bikkuri bahn]

The Mainichi has an extensive group of pictures of the rolling stock collection at the Sakuma Rail Park in Hamamatsu, which will be closing Nov. 1.  A portion of the collection will be moved and put on display at the JR Central Railway Museum, which is slated to open this coming spring, in Nagoya.  I never had the chance to visit this museum, being a bit off the beaten track on the Iida Line.  However, it's nice some of the collection will be preserved under a roof at the new Nagoya museum.  Take a look:

 

http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/graph/20091020/index.html

[Guest ___]

Terrible news. What is the reason for the closing?

[bikkuri bahn]

I think JR Central (which runs the rail park) wants to consolidate its collection at the new Nagoya Museum, which will have more interactive displays and showcase its Shinkansen technology.  Also, the new museum will be more centrally located, closer to potential visitors, and (perhaps most important) have plentiful parking, which is crucial in car-dominated Nagoya.

 

concept pics of the new museum:

 

http://jr-central.co.jp/news/release/_pdf/000005599.pdf