Takatori Works

Takatori Works
Takatori Works builder's plate on D51 498
Company information
Industry	Transportation
Products	Locomotive manufacture and rebuilding Rolling stock maintenance
Headquarters	Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan
Areas served	Japan
Parent	West Japan Railway Company
History
Founded	1 March 1900
Defunct	29 March 2000
Fate	Closed and merged
Predecessor(s)	Hyōgo Works Kobe Works
Successor(s)	Aboshi General Rolling Stock Depot Gōto Works Hiroshima General Rolling Stock Depot Kanazawa General Rolling Stock Depot Shimonoseki General Rolling Stock Depot Suita General Rolling Stock Depot Umekoji Depot

Takatori Works (Japanese: 鷹取工場 Takatori Kōjō) was a rolling stock maintenance facility under the jurisdiction of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).

History

Takatori Works was opened on 1 March 1900 by the Sanyō Railway as a means of expanding its capacity as the Hyōgo Works, which it also owned, had become too small. Ownership of Takatori was transferred to the Japanese Government Railways when the Sanyō Railway was nationalized on 1 December 1906; Takatori Works would later absorb the functions of Hyōgo Works on 20 December 1909 and Kobe Works on 6 April 1916, with all operations from the two works integrated with Takatori. Takatori Works completed its first steam locomotive, D51 211, on 13 October 1938; a total of 71 steam locomotives were manufactured by Takatori (58 D51s and 13 D52s), with the last steam locomotive being manufactured by Takatori being D52 33 on 28 December 1944.

Ownership of Takatori came under the Japanese National Railways (JNR) following JGR's reorganization post-war. The last steam locomotive to be repaired at Takatori was C57 6 on 30 September 1969; most steam locomotive maintenance was transferred to Gōto and Nagano Works the next month. Locomotives operated by the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum (now the Kyoto Railway Museum) would be maintained by Nagano Works. Following the privatization of the JNR, Takatori Works came under the ownership of the JR West. Maintenance of diesel and electric locomotives was transferred to Hamamatsu Works following JNR's privatization.

Takatori Works was badly damaged by the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, as well as the locomotives stored there; one locomotive in particular, C57 1, was undergoing inspection at Takatori when it fell off its jacks, heavily damaging its boiler to the extent that it was deemed irreparable although the locomotive would be successfully repaired a few months later and returned to service. In view of the damage caused by the earthquake and with requests from the city of Kobe, a decision was made to close Takatori Works soon after. Takatori's various functions were transferred to various of JR facilities; steam locomotive maintenance would be transferred to Umekoji, electric locomotive maintenance would be transferred to the Kanazawa and Shimonoseki General Rolling Stock Depots, with Kanazawa handling dual-current and Shimonoseki handling DC electric locomotives, and diesel locomotive and internal combustion engine repair and maintenance transferred to Gōto Works. Takatori would continue handling multiple unit maintenance and inspections until its closure.

The closing ceremony for Takatori Works was held on 29 March 2000, when six 221 series cars underwent their final inspections that day. Electric multiple unit inspections and maintenance would be transferred to Aboshi and Suita General Rolling Stock Depots, diesel multiple unit inspections and maintenance would also be transferred to Aboshi and freight car and inspection work transferred to Hiroshima General Rolling Stock Center. Today, the site has been redeveloped into a station plaza, supermarket, housing and other building complexes.

Preserved locomotives

The following locomotives built by Takatori Works have been preserved:

Number	Class	Serial number	Date manufactured	Date withdrawn	Location	Disposition
D51 211	D51	1	13 October 1938	4 May 1971	Kobe Ōji Zoo, Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan	Static display
D51 254	D51	13	16 December 1939	21 October 1974	Suginami Children's Traffic Park, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan	Static display
D51 481	D51	17	18 March 1940	6 September 1974	Fureai Hall Imajō Cycling Terminal, Nanjō, Fukui, Japan	Static display
D51 498	D51	26	24 November 1940	1 December 1972	Gunma Rolling Stock Depot, Annaka, Gunma, Japan	Operational
D51 499	D51	27	1 February 1941	18 September 1973	Tsukairaku Park, Tsu, Mie, Japan	Static display
D51 502	D51	30	30 September 1941	31 January 1971	Kamichiba Sunahara Park, Katsuhika, Japan	Static display
D51 691	D51	35	16 June 1942	8 November 1973	Tainoshoike Park, Tenri, Nara, Japan	Static display
D51 831	D51	39	5 December 1942	8 November 1973	Yono Park, Iga, Mie, Japan	Static display
D51 837	D51	45	10 March 1943	3 December 1974	Kitanohata Park, Komagane, Nagano, Japan	Static display
D51 838	D51	46	10 May 1943	19 February 1974	Ikurado Cave, Niimi, Okayama, Japan	Static display
D51 842	D51	50	10 May 1943	19 February 1974	Mizushima Central Park, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan	Static display
D51 853	D51	51	31 April 1943	14 June 1972	Asukayama Park, Kita, Tokyo, Japan	Static display
D51 859	D51	57	30 July 1943	3 December 1975	Taiyou no Oka Engaru Park, Mombetsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Static display
D51 860	D51	58	29 November 1943	16 September 1972	Akebono Park, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan	Static display

Factories operated by the JR Group
JR Central	Hamamatsu • Nagoya • Shizuoka
JR West	Gōto • Hiroshima • Suita
JR East	Kōriyama • Morioka • Nagano • Ōfuna • Ōmiya
JR Kyushu	Kagoshima • Kokura
JR Hokkaido	Kushiro • Naebo
JR Shikoku	Tadotsu
Defunct/Former	Hatabu • Hyōgo • Kobe • Mattō • Niitsu • Ōi • Shimbashi • Takatori • Toyokawa • Tsuchizaki • Yokkaichi