The Class C56 is a type of

2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. ...

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

built by the

Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national railway system directly operated by the Japanese Ministry of Railways ( ja, 鉄道省, Tetsudō-shō, ) until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Rai ...

(JGR) from 1935 to 1939, and later operated by

Japanese National Railways The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...

(JNR). They were numbered C56 1-C56 164 a total of 164 were built from 1935-1939 locomotives numbered C56 1-C56 90 and C56 161-C56 164 were sent to other countries in Asia during the Second World War. The locomotives were retired in 1974. They were designed by

Hideo Shima was a Japanese engineer and the driving force behind the building of the first bullet train (Shinkansen). Shima was born in Osaka in 1901, and educated at the Tokyo Imperial University, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. His father was p ...

History

A total of 164 Class C56 locomotives were built between 1935 and 1939. Locomotives C56 1 to 90 and 161 to 164 were sent to Asian countries occupied by Japan during World War II. The locomotives are popularly known as Shigoroku, Shigoro (C56 in Japanese) and Pony of the Plateau among railfans.

Preserved examples

A number of Class C56 locomotives are preserved in Japan and other Asian countries. C56 160 is maintained in operating condition by

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

for use on main line steam specials. * C56 3:

State Railway of Thailand The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) ( th, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย, abbrev. รฟท., ) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand. History The SRT was ...

. (SRT 701) Destroyed in the film in Great Friday/ตัดเหลี่ยมเพชร (in the film had the number 731) * C56 4:

. (SRT 702) Preserved at Sai Yok Noi Waterfall, Kanchanaburi. * C56 15:

. (SRT 713) Preserved for haul the special steam train for show in River Kwai Festival at Kanchanaburi between late November and/or early December.Rotfaithai.Com C56 Steam Locomotive Gallery
/ref> * C56 16:

. (SRT 714) Preserved at Bangkok Railway Station. * C56 17:

. (SRT 715) Preserved for haul the special steam train for show in River Kwai Festival at Kanchanaburi between late November and/or early December. (The alternate locomotive if C56 15 out of service) * C56 23:

. (SRT 719) Preserved at River Kwai Bridge,

Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi ( th, กาญจนบุรี, ) is a town municipality (''thesaban mueang'') in the west of Thailand and part of Kanchanaburi Province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327. That number was reduced to 25,651 in 2017. The town ...

C56 31 C56 31 was the 31st of the Class C56 steam locomotives produced by Japanese Government Railways (JGR). It was manufactured by Nippon Sharyo in 1936 and was operated on the Nanao Line in Ishikawa Prefecture before the war. Royal Librar泰緬鉄 ...

Yūshūkan The ("Place to commune with a noble soul") is a Japanese military and war museum located within Yasukuni Shrine in Chiyoda, Tokyo. As a museum maintained by the shrine, which is dedicated to the souls of soldiers who died fighting on behalf of th ...

(SRT 725) Japanese military and war museum. Used in Burma and Thailand during the construction of the

Death Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

and subsequently used in Thailand after the war. It was brought back to Japan in the 1970s.Simone, Giann
A trip around the Yushukan, Japan’s font of discord July 28, 2014
''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' Retrieved March 16, 2016 * C56 36:

. (SRT 728) Preserved at Lampang Railway Station. * C56 41:

. (SRT 733) Stored at Makkasan Depot, Bangkok. * C56 44: (SRT 735) Preserved in operating condition on the

Ōigawa Railway The is a railway company in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The company is commonly known as . The company belongs to the Meitetsu Group. The first section of its lines opened in 1927. Operation The company operates preserved steam locomotives, ...

. On some occasions, this locomotive will be dressed as

James the Red Engine James is a fictional anthropomorphic red tender locomotive from ''The Railway Series'' children's books by the Reverend Awdry and the TV series adaptation ''Thomas & Friends''. He is a mixed-traffic engine, which means he is just as capable o ...

to pull special Day Out with Thomas special events with C11 227 (Thomas) * C56 47:

. (SRT 738) Preserved at Thai Film Archive, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom. * C56 53:

. (SRT 744) Private property, near the Road 1269 in Chiang MaiRailAsia blog
/ref> * C56 56:

Burma Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

. (Burma Railway No. C-0522) Preserved at Death Railway Museum,

Thanbyuzayat Thanbyuzayat ( my, သံဖြူဇရပ်မြို့; mnw, ဇြပ်ဗု, "Reid, Robert and Grosberg, Michael (2005) ''Myanmar (Burma)'' (9th edition) Lonely Planet Publications, Footscray, Victoria, Australiapage 159 ) is a town in ...

, Myanmar."The Death Railway Museum" on Travelfish website
/ref> * C56 92: Preserved in front of Izumi Station in

Kagoshima Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,599,779 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 9,187 km2 (3,547 sq mi). Kagoshima Prefecture borders Kumamoto P ...

. * C56 94: Preserved in Nishi Park in

Ōmachi, Nagano is a Cities of Japan, city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 27,559 in 11861 households, and a population density of 49 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Ōmachi is located w ...

. * C56 96: Preserved in

Minamimaki, Nagano is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 2924 in 1091 households, and a population density of 22 persons per km². The total area of the village is . Geography Minamimaki is located in mount ...

. * C56 98: Preserved in the 19th Century Hall next to Torokko Saga Station in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

. * C56 99: Preserved at the Dacho Dream Eco Land in

Satsumasendai, Kagoshima is a city located in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The modern city of Satsumasendai was established on October 12, 2004, from the merger of the city of Sendai, the towns of Hiwaki, Iriki, Kedōin and Tōgō, and the Koshikijima Islands (whi ...

. * C56 101: Preserved in a park in

Saku, Nagano is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 99,131 in 41,522 households, and a population density of 230 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Saku is located in east-central ...

. * C56 106: Preserved in a park in Fuchu, Hiroshima. * C56 108: Preserved in

Unnan, Shimane is a city located in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. The city belonged to Ohara District, which dissolved in 2004 after Unnan was established. The modern city of Unnan was established on November 1, 2004, from the merger of the towns of Daitō, ...

. * C56 110: Preserved in a park in Soka, Saitama. * C56 111: Preserved at an elementary school in

Takarazuka, Hyōgo 270px, Takarazuka City Hall 270px, Aerial view of Takarazuka city center The kanji (UTF-8 code FA1016), which is part of Takarazuka's official name (), is not available on all systems. (It can be entered in Wikipedia with HTML character & ...

. * C56 124: Preserved at a community centre in

Azumino, Nagano is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,761 in 39744 households. and a population density of 290 persons per km2. Its total area is . Etymology of Azumino Azumino is a combination of two word ...

. * C56 126: Preserved at Kobuchizawa Elementary School in

Hokuto, Yamanashi is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 46,888 in 21,332 households, and a population density of 78 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Hokuto is loca ...

. * C56 129: Preserved in a park in

Iiyama, Nagano is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 20,118 in 7372 households, and a population density of 99 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It markets itself as "Japan's Hometown" and is ...

. * C56 131: Preserved in Kita Park in

Matsue, Shimane is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. The city has an estimated population of 202,008 (February 1, 2021) following the merger with Higashiizumo from Yatsuka District. Matsue is located at t ...

. * C56 135: Preserved in a park in Kato, Hyogo. Purchased by Oigawa Railways through crowdfunding, restoration under way as of December 2022. * C56 139: Preserved at Yokohama Hommoku Freight Terminal on the Kanagawa Rinkai Railway in

Yokohama, Kanagawa is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

. * C56 144: Preserved at

Komoro Castle 270px, Plan of Komoro Castle. The red square = Remains of Tenshukaku is a Japanese castle located in the city of Komoro, central Nagano Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Komoro Castle was home to a junior branch of the Makino c ...

Komoro, Nagano is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 42,489 in 18776 households, and a population density of 430 persons per km². Its total area is . Geography Komoro is located in eastern Nagano Prefectur ...

. * C56 149: Preserved in front of

Kiyosato Station is a railway station in Kiyosato in the city of Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Kiyosato Station serves as the gateway to the surrounding highland resort area as well as the Kiyosato Educational Experiment Program (KEEP), a Summer camp ...

. * C56 150: Preserved at the Hakuba Alps Autocamp site in

Hakuba, Nagano is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 9,007 in 4267 households, and a population density of 48 persons per km2. The total area of the village is . Hakuba is an internationally renowned s ...

. * C56 160: Preserved in operating condition by

Kyoto Railway Museum The (formerly the until 2016) is a railway museum in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The original Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum opened in 1972, but was expanded and modernized in 2016, becoming the Kyoto Railway Museum. The museum is owned by We ...

. File:C56 16.JPG, Preserved C56 16 in Bangkok Railway Station,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

File:PRESERVED STEAM LOCOMOTIVE USED ON THE DEATH RAILWAY AT THE RIVER KWAI BRIDGE KANCHANBURI THAILAND JAN 2013 (8515947200).jpg, Preserved C56 23 in River Kwai Bridge,

File:Japanese-national-railways-C56-31-20110622.jpg, C56 31 preserved inside the Yushukan Museum in Tokyo File:728-Steam-Locomotive.JPG, Preserved C56 36 in Lampang Railway Station,

Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang ( th, นครลำปาง, ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for La ...

File:733 C5641.jpg, Stored C56 41 at Makkasan Depot, Bangkok File:JNR C56 44 20120805.jpg, C56 44 operating on the Oigawa Railway in August 2012 File:738 C5647.jpg, Preserved C56 47 in Thai Film Archive, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom File:C5692 Izumi Station.JPG, Preserved C56 92 in October 2012 File:C56 96.JPG, Preserved C56 96 in August 2009 File:C56 101 at Saku city 2015.jpg, Preserved C56 101 in August 2015 File:C56 149.JPG, Preserved C56 149 in August 2009

References

{{Jrwestloco 1067 mm gauge locomotives of Japan Steam locomotives of Japan 2-6-0 locomotives Hitachi locomotives Kawasaki locomotives Preserved steam locomotives of Japan Railway locomotives introduced in 1935 1′C h2 locomotives Steam locomotives of Thailand Mixed traffic locomotives

History

Preserved examples

See also

References