The Ikasa Railway Class 1 is a 0-4-0WT Switcher-type narrow gauge well tank steam locomotive operated by the Ikasa Railway from 1913 to October 1961.
History[]
The Class 1 was an early steam locomotive used in Japan. A total of three locomotives were manufactured for the Ikasa Railway in 1913 by Orenstein & Koppel in Germany. Two similar batches of locomotives were also manufactured; prior to the manufacture of the three locomotives for the Ikasa Railway, three locomotives were manufactured for Tokyo Denki and two additional locomotives manufactured in 1921 for the Taiwan Railway. The Japanese locomotives were imported by Mitsui & Co.
The main locomotive of the Ikasa Railway, the locomotives were used with no major faults occurring until their withdrawal from service on 16 October 1961 with the introduction of the HoJi 100 series diesel railcars. To capitalize on a steam locomotive preservation boom, 1 was preserved operationally on the Ikasa Railway, where it operated until 31 March 1971 with the abolition of the Ikasa Railway Line, while 2 and 3 were resold to the Seibu Railway and operated on the Yamaguchi Line until 1977, whereupon they were resold back to the Ikasa Railway.
One of the Tokyo Denki locomotives, 9, was resold to the Iwate Light Railway and renumbered 11; when the railway was nationalized in 1936, the locomotive came under the ownership of the Japanese Government Railways and was renumbered Ke 92. Ke 92 was moved to Hokkaido in 1944 and remained there until 1 May 1958, where it was used on a special narrow gauge line operated by the JGR's successor, the Japanese National Railways. Ke 92 would later be scrapped at Naebo Works.
All three locomotives operated by the Ikasa Railway have been preserved.
Preservation[]
The following Class 1 locomotives have been preserved:
| Number | Manufacturer | Date manufactured | Serial number | Date withdrawn | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ikasa Railway 1 | Orenstein & Koppel | May 1918 | 6533 | 16 October 1961 | Ikasa Railway Memorial Museum, Kasaoka, Okayama, Japan | Displayed under shelter, coupled to passenger cars HoHa 1 and HoWaFu 1; cosmetically restored 2018 |
| Ikasa Railway 2 | 6534 | Ikeda Zoo, Okayama, Japan | Displayed outdoors coupled to passenger car HaBo 13 and freight car WaBo 3, numbered 3; cab open for public viewing | |||
| Ikasa Railway 3 | 6535 | Shinichi Classic Golf Club, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan | Displayed outdoors, numbered 2; coupled to passenger car HoHa 12 |
References[]
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