The 230s were used mainly as freight locomotives and was known as the first domestically mass-produced steam locomotive. The 230s were based on the Class 500, 600 and 700 locomotives made by Dübs & Co., Nasmyth, Wilson & Co., Ltd. and the Vulcan Foundry in the United Kingdom, with thirty-eight built by Kisha Seizō. The locomotives were retired in the 1960s.
Two locomotives, namely 233 and 268, have survived into preservation. A member of Taiwanese derivative of the 230s, the Class BK10, is preserved; locomotive number BK24 is preserved at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City, Taiwan.
Preservation[]
The following Class 230 locomotives have been preserved:
A common theory is that the Class 230s are the first locomotives to have been manufactured by a private domestic manufacturer; this is partially true, as the locomotives are the first locomotives to be mass-produced by a private domestic manufacturer, but is not the first to be produced by a private company, with that title going to the JGR Class 180.
