鷲別機關區, Railway depot in Washibetsu, Noboribetsu, Japan.
Washibetsu Railway Depot was a large facility located east of Washibetsu Station on the Muroran Main Line, designed for servicing and maintaining diesel locomotives. The depot had extensive repair workshops and maintenance areas that supported freight train operations across the region.
The facility was established in 1944 as a locomotive maintenance depot under Muroran administration and became independent in 1947. It continued freight train support operations on Hokkaido until all functions were transferred to Goryokaku Depot in 2014.
The depot stands as a symbol of Japanese railway engineering excellence, where numerous DF200 diesel locomotives maintained the freight operations across Hokkaido.
The site is no longer in operation and cannot be visited, though some building structures remain visible from the surrounding area. Visitors interested in railway history can view the location from nearby roads and get a sense of the former infrastructure from outside.
At its peak, the depot managed 48 DF200 diesel locomotives, operating across the Hakodate and Muroran main lines throughout Hokkaido.
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