JNR Class C56 No. C56 44

JNR Class C56 No. C56 44
C56 44 in May 2019
Technical specifications
Serial number(s)	179
Manufacturer(s)	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Build date	6 March 1936
Rebuilder	Naebo Works (first rebuild) Ōigawa Railway (second rebuild)
Rebuilt	1941 1979
Classification	2-6-0
Model	C56
Dia. of Drivers	1,400 mm
Dimensions	14,325 mm × Unknown × 3,900 mm
Weight	65.5 t (144,469 lbs)
Rail gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Valve gear	Walschaerts
Firegrate area	1.3 m2
Fuel type	Coal
Service information
Years in-service	6 March 1936 – 18 December 1941 (JNR) March 1942 – 1 January 1978 (SRT) 29 January 1980 – 2 September 2019 (excursion service)
Disposition details
Disposition	Out of service; based on the Ōigawa Railway

Japanese National Railways No. C56 44 is a Class C56 2-6-0 Mogul-type steam locomotive built for the Japanese National Railways by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in March 1936.

History

C56 44 was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; the locomotive was completed on 6 March 1936 at their Kobe Works, with a serial number of 179. Entering service the same day, C56 44 was assigned to the Sapporo region in Hokkaido; it was first located at Sapporo Depot before it was relocated to Naebo Depot on 17 July 1936, with Naebo Depot taking over many of Sapporo Depot's functions. C56 44 was one of the last steam locomotives stationed at Sapporo Depot before the move. C56 44 pulled an imperial train on 5 October 1936 from Eniwa to Sapporo for the Hokkaido Army Grand Maneuvers. C56 44 was given as a military donation in September 1941 to Thailand, with the locomotive then sent to Naebo Works on 8 December 1941 for conversion to meter gauge; C56 44 was removed from the JNR roster on 18 December 1941.

C56 44 was then disassembled and shipped in pieces from the Imperial Japanese Army's Moji Port in February 1942, arriving at Bangkok Port the next month; C56 44 was reassembled at the Makkasan Train Factory, renumbered 735 and used on the Burma Railway. C56 44 was possibly the first locally-assembled locomotive exported from Japan to Thailand. Allied forces seized 735 in August 1945, selling it and numerous other railway facilities to the State Railway of Thailand in November 1946. 735 was withdrawn around 1 January 1978, with the locomotive abandoned at Chumphon Station. 735 was discovered by a Japanese researcher in Thailand in June 1978, and with the help of war veterans and other personnel, 735 was transported back to Japan; 735 arrived at the Port of Yokohama on 25 June 1979 and was delivered to the Ōigawa Railway on 29 June 1979.

735 was restored to operational condition on 18 December 1979, receiving design approval; around this time it was also reconverted back to Cape gauge. 735 began operation on 29 January 1980 on a push-pull service with C12 164; originally operating in its SRT livery and number due to the circumstances surrounding the locomotive's return from Thailand, 735 was gradually repainted back into its original guise of C56 44 over the spring, with the repainting completed by April 1980. C56 44 underwent a major repair in 2000 and a second major repair in 2003, it being taken out of service due to a deteriorated boiler; due to continued use C56 44 had become the weakest steam locomotive on the line. While out of service, C56 44 was initially displayed at Senzu Station due to the addition of C11 190 to the Ōigawa Railway's fleet, but was later moved to Shin-Kanaya Depot in September 2006 and repaired from there; a boiler from spare locomotive C12 208 was refurbished and repurposed for use on C56 44 and the locomotive was fired up on 4 September 2007. The locomotive was also repainted back into its SRT livery to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Japan-Thai relations but was repainted back into C56 44 in September 2010.

In recent years, C56 44 was repainted to masquerade as James from Thomas & Friends for use in events. C56 44 was taken out of service on 2 September 2019 due to a malfunction. C56 44 remains painted as James from its last operational service and is stored at Senzu Station awaiting repairs; its SRT-related parts are also in storage. It is likely that C56 135, currently undergoing restoration on the Ōigawa Railway, will replace C56 44 in service.

Notable steam locomotives of the Japanese National Railways
Class 10	17
Class 110	110
Class 150	150
Class 160	165
Class 230	233
Class 400	403
Class 860	860
Class 1275	1275
Class 1290	1292 Zenkō
Class 2100	2109
Class 7100	7101 Benkei • 7105 Yoshitsune • 7106 Shizuka
Class 7150	7150 Taishō
Class 8620	8620 • 8630 • 58654
Class 9600	9608 • 9633 • 49671
Class 9850	9856
Class B20	B20 10
Class C10	C10 8
Class C11	C11 1 • C11 64 • C11 123 • C11 171 • C11 190 • C11 207 • C11 227 • C11 312 • C11 325
Class C12	C12 66 • C12 164
Class C51	C51 5 • C51 239
Class C53	C53 43 • C53 45
Class C55	C55 1
Class C56	C56 31 • C56 44 • C56 135 • C56 160
Class C57	C57 1 • C57 135 • C57 180
Class C58	C58 1 • C58 239 • C58 363
Class C59	C59 1 • C59 164
Class C61	C61 2 • C61 20
Class C62	C62 2 • C62 3 • C62 17 • C62 48
Class D50	D50 140
Class D51	D51 1 • D51 146 • D51 200 • D51 498 • D51 827
Class D52	D52 1 • D52 468
Class E10	E10 2

Ōigawa Railway rolling stock
Active	Electric multiple unit	6000 • 7200 • 16000 • 21000
	Steam locomotive	C10 (8) • C11 (190 • 227) • C56 (44)
	Diesel locomotive	DD20
	Electric locomotive	E10 • E31 • ED90 • ED500
Withdrawn	Electric multiple unit	KuHa 86 • MoHa 200 • MoHa 300 • 310 • 420 • KuHa 500 • 1000 • MoHa 1100 • SaHa 1411 • MoHa 1900 • 3000 (gen 1) • 3000 (gen 2) • 3800 • 6010 • KuHa 6050
	Diesel multiple unit	KiHa 10 • KiHa 50 • KiHa 100
	Steam locomotive	1 • 5 • 6 • 15 (gen 1) • 15 (gen 2) • 16 • 17 • 1275 (1275) • 2100 (2109) • C11 (312) • C12 (gen 1)
	Diesel locomotive	DB1 • DB51 • DB100
	Electric locomotive	ED10 • E31 • ED90 • ED500
Future	Steam locomotive	C12 (gen 2) (164) • C56 (135)