JNR Class HC51

JNR Class HC51
Design drawings
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	N/A
Build date	N/A
Total produced	None
Classification	4-6-4
Dimensions	17,225 mm × Unknown × 4,780 mm
Rail gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)
Cylinders	3
Performance figures
Maximum speed	120 km/h (theoretical)

The JNR Class HC51 was a proposed 4-6-4 Hudson-type streamlined steam locomotive intended to be operated by the Japanese National Railways.

History

The Class HC51s were designed by the Japanese Ministry of Railways as part of the Japanese bullet train project, which was ultimately canceled due to the onset of the Pacific War and none were ultimately produced. Very few details of the train are available, even in design drawings. As such, many features are unknown, including valve gear; there have been models of the locomotive, but these make assumptions as to what the locomotive could have actually looked like if it were completed.

The train was apparently intended to have been based on the DRG Class 05 streamlined locomotives. If they were built, the trains were theorized to have the capability to be the fastest steam locomotives in the world, though there is some skepticism as to whether the locomotives could have achieved these speeds with Japan's infrastructure at the time. The Railway Museum in Saitama exhibits the design drawings of the HC51, as well as the HD53 steam locomotive and HEH50 electric locomotive also intended for the bullet train project.