JNR Class C61

The Class C61 (C61形) is a former class of steam locomotives operated in Japan. The class was the first type in Japan to use the 4-6-4 "Hudson" wheel arrangement. A total of 33 locomotives were built between 1947 and 1949, (one in 1947, 19 in 1948, and 13 in 1949). The locos were not built entirely from new, however, but used the boilers from former D51 2-8-2 "Mikado" freight locomotives.^[2]

The immediate post-war years saw a dramatic decline in freight, while at the same time passenger traffic once again surged, requiring a programme to rapidly build new passenger locos (classes C57 and C58) as well as rebuilding passenger locos from former freight types (classes C61 and C62). These nominal conversions were also seen as a way of bypassing the difficulties in obtaining approval from GHQ (or Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) for building completely new locomotives at the time.

The locomotives were notable in being the first in Japan to incorporate automatic stokers. The first eighteen locos delivered were allocated to Utsunomiya and Sendai depots to work express passenger duties on the Tōhoku Main Line. Nine locos were allocated to Oku and Mito depots to work on Jōban Line duties, and six locos were delivered to Tosu depot in Kyūshū to work on the Kagoshima Main Line. With the spread of electrification together with the influx of C59s displaced from Tōkaidō Main Line duties, the C61s found themselves gradually pushed further north to Morioka and Aomori depots. In later years, they were to be seen at the head of the newly inaugurated Hakutsuru limited express (between Sendai and Aomori) and the Hayabusa blue train (between Hakata and Kagoshima). With the completion of electrification from Morioka to Aomori in October 1968, the six last remaining C61s were moved to Aomori depot where they worked on the Ōu Mainline between Akita and Aomori. The six Kagoshima-based locos originally delivered new to Kyūshū were withdrawn, but the six remaining Tōhoku locos were transferred to Miyazaki depot in October 1971 to work on the Nippō Main Line between Miyazaki and Kagoshima. They worked there until finally being withdrawn in 1974.

Specifications

Fleet details

(Source: ^[3])

Preserved examples

C61 20 (Feb. 2011)

• C61 2 - Umekōji Steam Locomotive Museum in Kyoto (in working condition)^[1]
• C61 18 - Front section only preserved privately in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto
• C61 19 - Shiroyama Park in Kokubu, Kagoshima
• C61 20 - JR-East Takasaki, Gunma (Operating condition - April 2011)^[4]

See also

• Japan Railways locomotive numbering and classification

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to C61 steam locomotives.

Japanese Railway Locomotives
Steam locomotives	150 160 860 2120 3380 3900 5100 5500 7010 7100 7170 8150 8620 9600 B20 C10 C11 C12 C50 C51 C52 C53 C54 C55 C56 C57 C58 C59 C60 C61 C62 C63 D50 D51 D52 D60 D61 D62 E10
Diesel locomotives	DD11 DD13 DD14 DD15 DD16 DD17 DD18 DD19 DD20 DD50 DD51 DD53 DD54 DE10 DE11 DE15 DE50 DF50 DF200 HD300
Electric locomotives	EB10 ED10 ED18 ED60 ED61 ED62 ED70 ED71 ED72 ED73 ED74 ED75 ED76 ED77 ED78 ED79 EF15 EF30 EF50 EF51 EF52 EF53 EF55 EF56 EF57 EF58 EF59 EF60 EF61 EF62 EF63 EF64 EF65 EF66 EF67 EF70 EF71 EF80 EF81 EH10 ED500 EF200 EF210 EF500 EF510 EH200 EH500 EH800 Chichibu DeKi 100 Chichibu DeKi 200 Chichibu DeKi 300 Chichibu DeKi 500 Meitetsu DeKi 300 Meitetsu DeKi 400 Meitetsu DeKi 600 Meitetsu Class EL120 Seibu E31 Seibu E851 Toei E5000