Former JNR Shihoro Line Horoka Station Platform

The Platform of a Mountain Station

The Former JNR Shihoro Line Horoka Station Platform (旧国鉄士幌線幌加駅プラットホーム) is a station platform of 1939 in Kamishihoro, Kato District, Hokkaido, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 28, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a concrete platform 61 metres long; registration number 01-0152.

A Station on Level Ground in the Hills

The Former JNR Shihoro Line Horoka Station Platform belonged to Horoka Station, opened in 1939 when the line was extended to Tokachi-Mitsumata (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The station sat on a patch of level ground among the hills.

The concrete platform is 61 metres long, 2.3 metres wide and 0.8 metres high, with ramps at both ends (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Was Registered

The Agency notes it as a railway relic that recalls how busy the station once was, and it was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. It is the only station structure among the nine registered Shihoro Line properties.

Nippon Tabi Magazine describes Horoka as a station that served as a base for hauling out timber.

What to Look For

Look at the low platform, only 0.8 metres high, and the ramps at each end. It sits much lower than a modern platform, a reminder that passengers climbed aboard from close to the ground.

Nippon Tabi Magazine and Hokkaido Fan Magazine say that part of the track and a set of points survive beside the platform, along with a replica station sign put up by a preservation group.

Visiting

Hokkaido Fan Magazine says the station site lies behind the Horoka snow-clearing station. Nippon Tabi Magazine warns that this is brown bear habitat and visitors should take care.