The JNR Class C56 is a 2-6-0 Mogul-type steam locomotive built for the JNR from 1935 to 1939.
History[]
The C56 was designed as a small and compact locomotive for use on small and quiet branch lines. A total of 165 locomotives were produced, including four for the Sakhalin Railway (where they were classified as Class C52s) and one for the private sector. The locomotives were retired in 1974; some locomotives made their way to the State Railway of Thailand and saw use there.
Thirty-one locomotives have been preserved, including eight examples in Thailand; four are operational. C56 160 is notable as being one of two steam locomotives which have never been retired by the JR Group although it can no longer operate on the mainline.
Preservation[]
- Main article: Preservation
Thirty-one locomotives have been preserved.
Trivia[]
- The locomotives are popularly known as Shigoroku, Shigoro (C56 in Japanese) and Pony of the Plateau among railfans.