was the first private railway company in the history of Japan. The company built trunk lines connecting Tokyo with the Tōhoku region to the northeast. Most of its lines came under the control of Japanese Government Railways following nationalization in 1906, and many are now operated by East Japan Railway Company.

Outline The company was incorporated in 1881 as the first privately funded railway company in Japan, where the railways had been built only by the imperial government since early 1870s. If, however, the definition of "railway" includes horsecars, Nippon Railway is behind Tokyo Bashatetsudō, established in 1880 as the first private railway in Japan.

Major investors to the company were kazoku, led by the highest-class court noble Iwakura Tomomi. The company, incorporated to help expansion of national railway network in line with the national policy, received strong support from the government, both technically and financially.

The first of the railway, between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Kumagaya Station in Kumagaya, Saitama, opened on July 28, 1883.Ishino, p. 323, vol. I The mainline to Aomori was completed in 1891.Free, Early Japanese Railways 1853–1914: Engineering Triumphs That Transformed Meiji-era Japan, Tuttle Publishing, 2008 ()

The company expanded the railway by means of both construction and acquisition of other companies. As of 1906, it operated of railways including the present-day Tōhoku Main Line, Jōban Line, Takasaki Line and Yamanote Line.

On November 1, 1906, the entire operation of the company was purchased by the government of Japan under the Railway Nationalization Act. Consequently, the company was dissolved.

List of lines +Operation of Nippon Railway as of October 31, 1906Ishino, p. 324, vol. IEndpointsLength(kilometers)Line names(designated after nationalization)Notes – 735.3Tōhoku Main Line – 1.3Jōban Line – 84.5Takasaki Line, Ryōmō Line – 81.9Ryōmō Line – 50.5Mito Line – 343.8Jōban Line – 5.3Yamanote Line – 20.9Yamanote Line, Akabane Line – 40.2Nikkō Line – Shiogama6.9Shiogama LineShiriuchi (present-day ) – Minato8.2Hachinohe Line – 1.9Tōhoku Main LineFreight – 3.2Jōban LineFreight – Nakagawa1.3Jōban LineFreightTotal1,385.3

Rolling stock

+Fleet of Nippon RailwayWakuda, p. 64YearSteamlocomotivesPassengercarsFreight cars etc.WagonsTrucks18905415876319002868241,6461,95719053568572,3453,386

+Nippon Railway Steam LocomotivesClassRoad numbersWheelarrangementTotalBuilderBuild yearWorks numbersJGR Class and numbers (1909) B3/5 501-503 2-6-2T 3 Baldwin 1893 13776, 13777, 13780 Class 3250 3250-3252 504 1 13781 Class 3390 3390 505 1 13782 Class 3250 3253Bbt2/5 506-529 4-4-2 24 Baldwin 1897 15175-15198 Class 6600 6600-6623Bt4/5 576-587 2-8-0 12 Baldwin 1906 28914-28917，28946-28947，28960-28965 Class 9300 9300-9311Bt4/6 530-549 2-8-2 20 Baldwin 1897 15203-15222 Class 9700 9700-9719 D2/4 37-39 0-6-0T 3 Dübs 1888 2356-2358 Class 500 500-508 66-71 6 1892 2874-2879 D3/3 25-30 0-6-0T 6 Dübs 1887 2275-2280 Class 1850 1864-1881 87-92 6 1894 3081-3086 117-122 6 1896 3324-3329D3/4 60-65 0-6-2T 6 Dübs 1891 2771-2776 Class 2100 2106-2111Db3/6 201-204 4-6-2T 4 Dübs 1898 3653-3655, 3659 Class 3800 3800-3803 Dbt2/4 4-15 4-4-0 12 Dübs 1883 ? Class 5230 5230-5241 205-206 2 1898 3657-3658 Class 5830 5830-5831Dt3/4 326-331 0-6-2 6 Dübs 1902 4304-4309 Class 7050 7050-7055H3/5 825-830 2-6-2T 6 Hanomag 1903 3046-3051 Class 3170 3170-3175HS3/5 831-832 2-6-2T 2 Henschel 1904 6480-6481 Class 3240 3240-3241M3/3 甲1 0-6-0T 1 Manning Wardle 1881 815 Class 1290 1292Ma2/2+2/2 701 0-4-4-0 1 Maffei 1903 2314 Class 4500 4500N3/3 105-116 0-6-0T 12 Neilson 1894 4776-4787 Class 1960 1960-1971Nbt2/4 72-76 4-4-0 5 Neilson 1893 ? Class 5630 5636-5640Nt3/4 77-86 2-6-0 10 Neilson 1893 4658 - 4665，4656，4657 Class 7750 7750-7759NB3/4 833-844 0-6-2T 12 North British 1905 17021-17022, 17043-17052 Class 2120 2366-2377NBt3/4 332-337 0-6-2 6 North British 1903 15951-15956 Class 7050 7056-7061O3/3 401-406 0-6-0T 6 Ōmiya Works 1904 ? Class 1040 1040-1045Obt2/4 3 4-4-0 1 Ōmiya Works 1901 1 Class 5270 5270 P3/3 123-128 0-6-0T 30 Dübs 1896 3802-3807 Class 1900 1900-1924 129-152 3828-3851P3/5 801-824 2-6-2T 24 Beyer, Peacock 1904 4497-4520 Class 3200 3200-3223 Pbt2/4 1-2 4-4-0 2 Beyer, Peacock 1882 2161-2162 Class 5300 5312-5313 93-104 12 1894 3640-3651 Class 5500 5506-5565 153-188 36 1897 3889-3924 189-200 12 1898 4014-4025 213-218 6 1899 4038-4043 Class 5600 5600-5617 219-230 12 1902 4479-4490Pt3/4 320-325 0-6-2 6 Beyer, Peacock 1902 4393-4398 Class 7080 7080-7085Rt4/5 588-599 2-8-0 12 ALCo-Rogers 1906 41261-41272 Class 9400 9400-9411S2/4 550-575 2-4-2T 26 Schenectady 1898 4863-4888 Class 900 900-925SS2/3 16-17 2-4-0 2 Sharp, Stewart 1875 ? Class 140 140-141SSbt2/4 207-212 4-4-2 6 Sharp, Stewart 1898 ? Class 5650 5650-5655W2/4 18-19 2-4-2T 2 Nasmyth, Wilson 1895 467-468 Class 600 600-615 31-36 6 1887 326-331 40-41 2 1888 342-434 42-47 6 1889 383-388 48-53 6 1890 396-401 Class 600 621, 616-620W3/3 21-24 0-6-0T 4 Nasmyth, Wilson 1886-1898 524, 298, 307, 309 Class 1100 1105-1108Wt3/4 54-59 2-6-0 6 Nasmyth, Wilson 1889 369-374 Class 7600 7600-7605

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