Hitoyoshi City Railway Museum in Kumamoto Prefecture

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Hitoyoshi Station, located in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, is home to a railroad museum named “Mozoca Station”.
The steam locomotive “SL Hitoyoshi”, which was in service until March 2024, has been on display here since November 17, 2024.
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Yg2totaW5Xd7UTrm9 

On weekends, my wife and I used to watch the SL Hitoyoshi from the window of our house as it ran, whistling its whistle and belching smoke.
When we heard that the retired SL Hitoyoshi was now on display at a museum, we went to see it together on a trip.
 
The locomotive number was “58654” and it was indeed that SL Hitoyoshi.

The following is a video (in Japanese) of the SL Hitoyoshi taken in September 2023, when the train was in active service.

The driver's crew was very service-oriented and waved at us as we took pictures with our cameras.
  
The wheel looks the opposite of a modern machine combined with delicate electronic components. It is precisely because of such a robust structure that it has been able to maintain a life span of 100 years.

Seeing the SL Hitoyoshi in front of me, it must have been very difficult to display this in the plaza.
This SL Hitoyoshi tells us that it takes a fair amount of effort to preserve the past for the future.

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When you get off at Hitoyoshi Station, you will see the SL Hitoyoshi, and in front of it you will see old and new buildings.

The old building is an engine house made of stone; JR Kyushu restored it in February 2017 as it was in 1911. It is a very attractive structure. 

 The new building is a railroad museum called “MOZOCA Station.”
"MOZOCA” is a dialect word from the Hitoyoshi region meaning ‘small’ or ”cute. 

When we went to see the museum, a small, cute miniature train was coming out of the museum carrying customers. I guess people in Hitoyoshi region are called “mozoka” for these small things.

Although it was a very cold day, there were many customers and MOZOCA Station appears to be a popular spot.
The national treasure Aoi Aso Shrine is also located very close to the station.
　

Location: 日本、熊本県人吉市

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