JGR Class 9700

JGR Class 9700
540 (later JGR 9710) at an unknown date
Technical specifications
Serial number(s)	15203 – 15222
Manufacturer(s)	Baldwin Locomotive Works
Build date	1897
Total produced	20
Classification	2-8-2
Dimensions	56 ft 8 in × Unknown × 12 ft 3 in
Rail gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Service information
Years in-service	1897 – 1922
Running numbers	9700 – 9719 (originally 530 – 549)
Disposition details
Preserved	None
Number scrapped	20

The JGR Class 9700 (originally the Nippon Railway Class Bt4/6) was a 2-8-2 Mikado-type steam locomotive built for the JGR from 1897.

History

The 9700 was used mainly as a passenger locomotive and was considered the strongest pulling locomotive in Japan at the time. Twenty locomotives were produced by Baldwin Locomotive Works and imported into Japan in 1897; little documentation exists other than the above about its service life. The locomotives were retired in 1922, and were the last 2-8-2 locomotives used in Japan until the Class D50s were built; the main locomotives used were 2-8-0 Consolidations after the nationalization of the Japanese Railways.

No locomotives survived into preservation.

Trivia

• Baldwin's model number for the locomotives was 12-30-1/4E.
• Baldwin christened the Class 9700 locomotives as Mikados after the Emperor of Japan; the Class 9700s were the first 2-8-2 locomotives to be referred to as Mikados. The name stuck and has been used ever since.
• The Class 9700's whistle has been said to have a very heavy resonating sound; however, no audio recordings exist. In fact, because of its distinct sound, it has been said that the original whistles of the Class 9700s was replaced with a single-note hooter whistle due to complaints from nearby residents. The whistle was most likely American-made, hence its cadence.

See also

• JGR Class 9040
• JGR Class 9050
• JGR Class 9200