JNR Class C61
Encyclopedia
The JNR Class C61 is a former class of steam locomotives operated in Japan. The class was the first type in Japan to use the 4-6-4
"Hudson" wheel arrangement
. A total of 33 locomotives were built between 1947 and 1949, (one in 1947, 19 in 1948, and 13 in 1948). The locos were not built entirely from new, however, but used the boilers from former D51 2-8-2 "Mikado" freight locomotives.
The immediate post-war years saw a dramatic decline in freight, while at the same time passenger traffic once again surged, requiring a programme to rapidly build new passenger locos (classes C57
and C58
) as well as rebuilding passenger locos from former freight types (classes C61 and C62). These nominal conversions were also seen as a way of bypassing the difficulties in obtaining approval from GHQ (or Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) for building completely new locomotives at the time.
The locomotives were notable in being the first in Japan to incorporate automatic stokers.
The first eighteen locos delivered were allocated to Utsunomiya and Sendai depots to work express passenger duties on the Tōhoku Main Line. Nine locos were allocated to Oku and Mito depots to work on Jōban Line duties, and six locos were delivered to Tosu depot in Kyūshū to work on the Kagoshima Main Line
. With the spread of electrification together with the influx of C59s displaced from Tōkaidō Main Line
duties, the C61s found themselves gradually pushed further north to Morioka and Aomori depots. In later years, they were to be seen at the head of the newly-inaugurated Hakutsuru limited express (between Sendai and Aomori) and the Hayabusa
blue train (between Hakata and Kagoshima).
With the completion of electrification from Morioka to Aomori in October 1968, the six last remaining C61s were moved to Aomori depot where they worked on the Ōu Mainline between Akita and Aomori. The six Kagoshima-based locos originally delivered new to Kyūshū were withdrawn, but the six remaining Tōhoku locos were transferred to Miyazaki depot in October 1971 to work on the Nippō Main Line
between Miyazaki and Kagoshima. They worked there until finally being withdrawn in 1974.
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
"Hudson" wheel arrangement
Wheel arrangement
In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...
. A total of 33 locomotives were built between 1947 and 1949, (one in 1947, 19 in 1948, and 13 in 1948). The locos were not built entirely from new, however, but used the boilers from former D51 2-8-2 "Mikado" freight locomotives.
The immediate post-war years saw a dramatic decline in freight, while at the same time passenger traffic once again surged, requiring a programme to rapidly build new passenger locos (classes C57
JNR Class C57
The Class C57 is a type of 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in Japan from 1937 to 1953. A total of 215 Class C57 locomotives were built.-Preserved examples:...
and C58
JNR Class C58
The Class C58 is a type of 2-6-2 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways and the Japanese National Railways from 1938 to 1947. A total of 431 Class C58 locomotives were built.-Preserved examples:...
) as well as rebuilding passenger locos from former freight types (classes C61 and C62). These nominal conversions were also seen as a way of bypassing the difficulties in obtaining approval from GHQ (or Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) for building completely new locomotives at the time.
The locomotives were notable in being the first in Japan to incorporate automatic stokers.
The first eighteen locos delivered were allocated to Utsunomiya and Sendai depots to work express passenger duties on the Tōhoku Main Line. Nine locos were allocated to Oku and Mito depots to work on Jōban Line duties, and six locos were delivered to Tosu depot in Kyūshū to work on the Kagoshima Main Line
Kagoshima Main Line
The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company between Mojikō in Kitakyūshū, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu...
. With the spread of electrification together with the influx of C59s displaced from Tōkaidō Main Line
Tokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
duties, the C61s found themselves gradually pushed further north to Morioka and Aomori depots. In later years, they were to be seen at the head of the newly-inaugurated Hakutsuru limited express (between Sendai and Aomori) and the Hayabusa
Hayabusa (train)
The is a new high-speed Shinkansen service operated by East Japan Railway Company between Tokyo and in Japan since 5 March 2011. The name was formerly used for a limited express sleeping car service operated by JR Kyushu, which ran from Tokyo to , and was discontinued in March 2009.-Service...
blue train (between Hakata and Kagoshima).
With the completion of electrification from Morioka to Aomori in October 1968, the six last remaining C61s were moved to Aomori depot where they worked on the Ōu Mainline between Akita and Aomori. The six Kagoshima-based locos originally delivered new to Kyūshū were withdrawn, but the six remaining Tōhoku locos were transferred to Miyazaki depot in October 1971 to work on the Nippō Main Line
Nippo Main Line
frame|Nippō Main LineThe is a railway line in Kyūshū, in southern Japan. Part of the Kyushu Railway Company system, it follows the east coast of the island. The line originates at Kokura Station in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka...
between Miyazaki and Kagoshima. They worked there until finally being withdrawn in 1974.
Specifications
| Overall length | 20,375 mm |
|---|---|
| Overall height | 3,980 mm |
| Driving wheel diameter | 1,750 mm |
| Total operating weight | 78.10 t (excluding tender) |
| Boiler capacity | 7.4 m3 |
| Boiler pressure | 15.0 kgf/cm² |
| Cylinder dimensions | 500 mm dia. x 660 mm stroke |
Fleet details
(Source: )| Number | Boiler from | Rebuilt by | Date rebuilt | Date withdrawn | Last depot allocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C61 1 | D51 615 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi Heavy Industries , or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale... |
30 Nov 1947 | 5 Aug 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 2 | D51 1109 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 31 Jul 1948 | ||
| C61 3 | D51 1063 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 22 Aug 1948 | 31 Mar 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 4 | D51 1011 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 31 Aug 1948 | 25 Dec 1967 | Sendai |
| C61 5 | D51 1075 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 29 Sep 1948 | 31 Mar 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 6 | D51 1134 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 18 Oct 1948 | 13 Mar 1969 | Aomori |
| C61 7 | D51 1147 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 30 Oct 1948 | 10 Jan 1968 | Aomori |
| C61 8 | D51 1117 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 16 Nov 1948 | 31 Mar 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 9 | D51 925 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 29 Nov 1948 | 20 Aug 1968 | Aomori |
| C61 10 | D51 1047 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 14 Dec 1948 | 31 Mar 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 11 | D51 1139 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 5 Jan 1949 | 1 Oct 1968 | Aomori |
| C61 12 | D51 1143 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 28 Feb 1949 | 19 Dec 1970 | Kagoshima |
| C61 13 | D51 1115 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 19 Mar 1949 | 19 Dec 1970 | Kagoshima |
| C61 14 | D51 1124 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 31 Mar 1949 | 19 Dec 1970 | Kagoshima |
| C61 15 | D51 1084 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 27 Apr 1949 | 25 Dec 1967 | Sendai |
| C61 16 | D51 1128 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 19 May 1949 | 10 Oct 1968 | Aomori |
| C61 17 | D51 1130 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 31 May 1949 | 5 Aug 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 18 | D51 874 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 19 Jun 1949 | 18 Jan 1974 | Miyazaki |
| C61 19 | D51 1027 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 28 Jul 1949 | 18 Nov 1973 | Miyazaki |
| C61 20 | D51 1094 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 31 Jul 1949 | 18 Nov 1973 | Miyazaki |
| C61 21 | D51 1123 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 31 Aug 1949 | 25 Dec 1967 | Taira |
| C61 22 | D51 1158 | Nippon Sharyo Nippon Sharyo , , formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車". It was a listed company on Nikkei 225 until 2004. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nagoya Stock Exchange... |
25 Sep 1948 | 10 Oct 1968 | Aomori |
| C61 23 | D51 1010 | Nippon Sharyo | 30 Sep 1948 | 5 Aug 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 24 | D51 1135 | Nippon Sharyo | 4 Oct 1948 | 7 Nov 1972 | Miyazaki |
| C61 25 | D51 366 | Nippon Sharyo | 8 Oct 1948 | 31 Mar 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 26 | D51 198 | Nippon Sharyo | 28 Oct 1948 | 31 Mar 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 27 | D51 1146 | Nippon Sharyo | 31 Oct 1948 | 31 Mar 1966 | Sendai |
| C61 28 | D51 904 | Nippon Sharyo | 25 Nov 1948 | 20 Aug 1973 | Miyazaki |
| C61 29 | D51 69 | Nippon Sharyo | 29 Nov 1948 | 20 Aug 1973 | Aomori |
| C61 30 | D51 1134 | Nippon Sharyo | 11 Dec 1948 | 11 Dec 1968 | Aomori |
| C61 31 | D51 945 | Nippon Sharyo | 22 Dec 1948 | 19 Dec 1970 | Kagoshima |
| C61 32 | D51 1050 | Nippon Sharyo | 31 Jan 1949 | 19 Dec 1970 | Kagoshima |
| C61 33 | D51 1148 | Nippon Sharyo | 2 Mar 1949 | 19 Dec 1970 | Kagoshima |
Preserved examples
- C61 2 - Umekōji Steam Locomotive MuseumUmekoji Steam Locomotive Museumis a railway museum located in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Opened in 1972, the locomotive depot preserves 19 steam locomotives.The museum is owned by West Japan Railway Company and is operated by Transportation Culture Promotion Foundation.-Facility:...
in Kyoto (in working condition) - C61 18 - Front section only preserved privately in Yatsushiro, KumamotoYatsushiro, Kumamotois a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.On August 1, 2005, the city merged with the municipalities of Izumi, Kagami, Sakamoto, Senchō and Tōyō to form the new expanded city of Yashushiro....
- C61 19 - Shiroyama Park in Kokubu, KagoshimaKokubu, KagoshimaKokubu was a city located in Kagoshima, Japan.On November 7, 2005 Kobuku was merged with the towns of Kirishima , Fukuyama, Hayato, Makizono, Mizobe and Yokogawa, all from Aira District, to form the new city of Kirishima and no longer exists as an independent municipality.As of 2003, the city had...
- C61 20 - JR-East Takasaki, GunmaTakasaki, Gunmais a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1900.Takasaki is a regional transportation hub because its train station is the junction of several rail lines as well as a Shinkansen stop....
(Operating condition - April 2011)