JNR Class C61

JNR Class C61
C61 2 preserved at the Kyoto Railway Museum in February 2018.
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo
Build date	1947 – 1949
Total produced	33
Classification	4-6-4
Dimensions	66 ft 10 in × Unknown × 13 ft 1 in
Rail gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Service information
Years in-service	1947 – 1974
Running numbers	C61 1 – C61 33
Disposition details
Preserved	3 (2 in operational condition)
Number scrapped	30

The JNR Class C61 is a 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built for the JNR from 1947 to 1949.

History

The C61s were used mainly as passenger locomotives and were designed to combat the shortage of passenger locomotives due to the rapid surge of passenger traffic. To combat this, new passenger locomotives (namely the C57 and C58) were constructed and old freight locomotives were converted to passenger locomotives (namely the C61 and C62). The locomotives were notable as being the first JNR locomotives to feature mechanical stokers, and were retired in 1974.

Three C61s, namely C61 2, C61 19, C61 20 are preserved at various locations around Japan; C61 2 is located at the Kyoto Railway Museum, C62 19 is located at Shiroyama Park in Kokubu, Kagoshima and C61 20 is owned by JR East. Two of the three locomotives, C61 2 and C61 20 are preserved in operational condition. The boiler front and a driving wheel of C61 18 are preserved around Japan as well; the boiler front is privately preserved while the driving wheel is located in the Hakata-ku Town Park in Fukuoka, Kyushu. C61 1 was preserved at one point but was scrapped in 1996.

Preservation

The following Class C61 locomotives have been preserved:

Number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Serial number	Date withdrawn	Location	Notes
C61 20	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	31 July 1949	659	18 November 1973	Gunma Rolling Stock Depot, Annaka, Japan	Operational, mainline certified
C61 2		31 July 1948	641	28 March 1978	Kyoto Railway Museum, Kyoto, Japan	Out of service
C61 18		18 June 1949	657	23 April 1974	Kisha Club, Nōgata, Kyushu, Japan	Front portion only; not usually open for public viewing
C61 19		28 July 1949	658	18 November 1973	Shiroyama Park, Kirishima, Kyushu, Japan	Displayed outdoors

The following Class C61 locomotives were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:

Number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Serial number	Date withdrawn	Last location	Notes
C61 1	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	30 November 1947	640	5 August 1966	JR East Tōhoku Railway Academy, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan	Displayed outdoors; scrapped May 1996 with closure of facility

Trivia

• The C61s reused boilers from JNR Class D51 locomotives, but other than that were completely new.

Gallery

References

• Wikipedia.org