History
Appi-Kōgen Station traces back to the Ryūgamori signal box opened on 1926-11-10 by Japanese Government Railways in what was then Matsuo Village. After the first signal box was discontinued in August 1952, a provisional Ryūgamori halt opened in January 1957, a second-generation signal box appeared in 1959, and the location became Ryūgamori Station on 1961-12-28 as an unstaffed passenger stop. JR East inherited the station in 1987, and it was renamed Appi-Kōgen on 1988-03-13. The stationmaster post was abolished in December 1998 and the passing loop removed; staff from Ōfuke continued to be dispatched during ski seasons for a few more years. With the contracting-out of Ōfuke on 2018-06-01 the station passed to management by Morioka. eki-net QR-code services were introduced on 2024-10-01.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
In the early 1970s, during the steam-locomotive boom, rail fans from across Japan gathered near the present-day Appi-Kōgen Station to photograph Class 8620 locomotives in triple-headed haulage; the area was nicknamed "Ryūgamori Ginza".