Hara Model Railway Museum

Approximately 1,000 items from Hara's private collection of more than 6,000 model railway items are on display. The centrepiece of the museum is a 30-metre x 10 metre diorama called which features "1 gauge" (45 mm gauge) model trains from around the world, and has approximately 450 metres of track. The layout features working overhead lines to power trains via their pantographs. The collection also includes the original models of Thomas the Tank Engine and several of the other characters from the production of Thomas & Friends prior to 2009 when the show was switched to CGI animation, some of which occasionally operate on the layout. Exhibits on display include models in 1 gauge (45 mm gauge, 1/32 scale), 0 gauge, and H0 gauge. ==History==

The museum was unveiled to the news media on 20 June 2012 ahead of its public opening on 10 July. ==Nobutaro Hara==

The owner of the collection, Nobutaro Hara, was born in Tokyo on 4 April 1919, After World War II, Hara worked as a development engineer for the office equipment company . ==Access==

The museum is located on the second floor of the Yokohama Mitsui Building in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, and is a two-minute walk from Shin-Takashima Station on the Minatomirai Line, and a five-minute walk from Yokohama Station. Address 1-1-2 Takashima, Nishi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken ==References==