The JGR Class Ke 200 is a 0-6-0T Switcher-type narrow gauge side-well tank steam locomotive operated by the Japanese Government Railways and later other railway companies from 1912 to 1957.
History[]
The Class Ke 200 was an early steam locomotive used in Japan. A total of seven locomotives were manufactured in 1912 by Orenstein & Koppel for the Japanese Government Railways; these were numbered Ke 200 through Ke 206 and were the first very-narrow gauge steam locomotives ordered by the JGR. The locomotives were assembled at Asahikawa Works on their arrival. The locomotives were based on a series of locomotives operated on the Schrodaer Kreisbahn in what is now Poznań in Poland.
The locomotives were intended for use in Hokkaido on the Yubetsu Line, with a 762 mm gauge (2 ft 6 in) extension of the line being created to "contribute to Hokkaido's development". A difficulty in transporting cargo in between sections of the line due to different gauges led to that section of the line being regauged to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), completed on 7 November 1916; the locomotives were struck from the register on 11 January 1917, barely four years after they were constructed.
Following this, Ke 200 through Ke 203 were redeployed to the Atami Line on 18 July 1917, where they were restored to the register and used for the construction of the Tanna Tunnel. The locomotives were then subsequently moved around a few times; Ke 203 would be deployed on the Uonuma Line, Ke 201 the Kururi Line and Ke 200 and Ke 202 were initially deployed in Morioka, before being moved for construction of the Shimizu Tunnel on the Jōetsu Line and subsequently deployed to Shinanogawa where they were used for construction of the Shinanogawa Power Station. Ke 201 was used on the Kururi Line until 20 August 1930 with the completion of regauging works on the Kururi Line; it was soon after stored at Chiba Locomotive Depot before being struck off the register on 16 September 1931 and scrapped at Shin-Koiwa Works. Ke 203 was withdrawn from service on the Uonuma Line in 15 October 1944 when operations were temporarily halted on that line; it was later moved to Echigo Kōtsū's Toshio Line in September 1946 and renumbered 15. It was used until 1956. The remaining locomotives were withdrawn in 1957 and scrapped.
Ke 205 and 206 were resold to the Kusatsu Light Railway (later the Kusakaru Electric Railway) and renumbered 3 and 4 as they needed additional motive power for line extensions; although the company improved the track which the locomotives rode on they were ultimately considered too heavy and were withdrawn from service within six months and resold to a steel company. Here, they were renumbered 4 and 5; they were subsequently renumbered S-102 and S-103 and scrapped in August 1954.
Ke 204 was sold as scrap to the Taitung Sugar Company in Taiwan in 1917, where it was rebuilt and used on its internal railway lines; it was probably renumbered 3. The line was acquired by the Taiwan Governor-General Railway Bureau in 1922, where it became part of the Taitung South Line. The locomotive was reclassified as the Class L30 and numbered 32, before being renumbered 30 in 1928; it was later reclassified as the Class LC12 in 1937 and renumbered LC121. Following the Pacific War, LC121 was acquired by the Taiwan Railways Administration and reclassified as Class LCK30 locomotive LCK31; its appearance was significantly changed following its acquisition. LCK31 was withdrawn from service in 1969.
LCK31, ex-Ke 204, is the only preserved Class Ke 200 locomotive.
Preservation[]
The following Class Ke 200 locomotives have been preserved:
| Number | Manufacturer | Date manufactured | Serial number | Date withdrawn | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TRA LCK31 | Orenstein & Koppel | 1912 | 5808 | 11 January 1917 (JGR) 1969 (TRA) |
Kuang Long Museum, Hualien, Taiwan | Ex-JGR Ke 204, displayed outdoors on plinth connected to a Class 10C1100 freight car; cosmetically restored 2020 to 2022 |