Nippon Tetsudo
Nippon Tetsudō ( Japanese 日本 鉄 道 , "Japan Railway", English Nippon Railway ) was Japan's first private railway company that used steam locomotives . Founded in 1881, the company opened its first route between Ueno and Kumagaya in 1883 , which became the centerpiece of its route network around Tokyo . Until the nationalization in 1906 there were connections to Maebashi , Nikkō , Mito and Aomori ; the later Yamanote line and the Tōhoku main line use much of the route network of the Nippon Tetsudō.
The literature often describes the Nippon Tetsudō as the oldest private railway company in Japan. But the also private Tōkyō Basha Tetsudō ( 東京 馬車 鉄 道 ) was founded in 1880 and began operating a horse-drawn tram in downtown Tokyo in 1882 . It was later bought by the City of Tokyo and is now part of the Tokyo Prefecture Transportation Office .
Locomotives
The state railway series in brackets:
| Tank locomotives | Tender locomotives |
|---|---|
Web links
- JR Higashi-Nihon : 鉄 道 の 歴 史: 明治, History of the Railroad in the Meiji Period (Japanese)
- Japan Railway & Transport Review: Japanese Railway History (English)