Jomo Electric Railway Ogo Train Depot

About the Jomo Electric Railway Ogo Train Depot

The Jomo Electric Railway Ogo Train Depot (上毛電気鉄道大胡駅電車庫) is the single-storey timber train depot of 1928 at Ogo Station on the Jomo Electric Railway in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on July 31, 2007.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as a single-storey timber building with a slate roof and a building area of 588 square metres; registration number 10-0234, owned by the Jomo Electric Railway Co., Ltd. Eight structures at Ogo, the station building, depot, substation, four towers and the Aratogawa Bridge, were all registered on the same day (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Jomo Electric Railway Ogo Train Depot was registered as a structure that contributes to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency for Cultural Affairs regards it as one of the earliest surviving train depots in Japan.

What to Look For

The Ogo Train Depot lies about 200 metres west of the station. Its main body is a single-storey timber shed 32 metres by 11 metres made of two tall gabled (Kirizuma-zukuri) bays side by side, holding two sidings, with workshops attached. It is clad in clapboard, with king-post roof trusses (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

According to the Jomo Electric Railway, the trusses allow wide spans to house trains, and the V-shaped braces at the posts use techniques dating from the Meiji era. The twin gables have lean-to roofs on either side. Inside, the machine room and vintage cars such as the Deha 101 and 104 and the electric locomotive Deki 3021 are on display.

Visiting the Jomo Electric Railway Ogo Train Depot

Ogo is a working station on the Jomo Electric Railway, so the station building can be seen when using the line. Tours of the Ogo train depot are by advance reservation only, lasting about 30 minutes between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. The fee is 500 yen for adults, 400 yen for junior and senior high school students and 300 yen for primary pupils, paid by buying an old-style card platform ticket. Book by telephone or email by 3:00 p.m. on a weekday three days before (Jomo Electric Railway).

The substation and towers are operational equipment, so view them from outside. Enquiries go to the Jomo Electric Railway general affairs department (027-231-3597, weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.).