You did it again, Joetsu. Just when I thought we had run out of interesting places, you reveal anoth

You did it again, Joetsu. Just when I thought we had run out of interesting places, you reveal another historical treasure, just around the corner. Kubiki Rail Park houses eight narrow-gage train cars, shipped from Germany more than 100 years ago. Since 1914, these diesel and steam locomotives carried rice as well as people from the rice fields of Uragawara through ten stations to the sea at Kuroi. Both of these towns are now part of Joetsu City, which speaks for the area of the city.
When I arrived at dusk this evening, the “rail park” was closed, but a notice on the wall directed me to Mr. Nishiyama, caretaker and head of the “Preserving Treasures of Kubiki” NPO.
Mr. Nishiyama rushed right over to open the museum and give me a bit of a history lesson. When operations ceased in 1971, a locomotive enthusiast preserved the train cars in a tunnel in Kobe. In 2004 the cars were discovered and donated to the Rail Park in Kubiki. Transporting the rail cars and locomotives across the country was apparently quite an undertaking. These days, the train cars and locomotives have been restored to their original appearance, and actually run on tracks around the park once a month starting in spring. All this was about a 2 minute car drive from where my son plays soccer. Thank you Mr. Nishiyama, thank you Joetsu! #visitjoetsu #joetsu #train #locomotive #kubiki #kubikirailpark #localhistory (at くびきのお宝のこす会)
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