The is a four-axle

Bo-Bo B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications in ...

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...

diesel-hydraulic locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

type operated in Japan as a self-propelled

snowplough A snowplow (also snow plow, snowplough or snow plough) is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. Although this term is often used to re ...

unit since 1961 by the national railway company

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), and later by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

(JR East) and

West Japan Railway Company , 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 ...

(JR West). A total of 50 locomotives were built between 1961 and 1966, and , 6 locomotives remain in service.

Variants

A total of 50 locomotives were built between 1961 and 1966, divided into the following sub-classes. * Class DD15-0: 46 locomotives built between 1961 and 1965 * Class DD15-300 4 locomotives built in 1966 with modified gearing

Design

The Class DD15 was developed from the

Class DD13 Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differently ...

locomotive design, with the addition of snowplough units at either end. The snowplough units could be detached, allowing the locomotives to be used for shunting and other duties outside the winter periods. However, with the snowplough units mounted, the locomotive axle load was nearly 16 t, restricting use on rural lines, and so the class was superseded by the later

Class DE15 The is a five-axle C-B wheel arrangement diesel-hydraulic locomotive type operated in Japan as a self-propelled snowplough unit since 1967 by the national railway company Japanese National Railways (JNR), and later by Hokkaido Railway Company ( ...

locomotives, which had separate snowplough units. As with the Class DD13 locomotives, the Class DD15 had two DMF31SB diesel engines.

History

DD15-0

46 Class DD15-0 locomotives were built between 1961 and 1965 by

Nippon Sharyo , formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車". It was a listed company on Nikkei 225 until 2 ...

, with the first locomotive delivered in November 1961. , six Class DD15-0 locomotives remain in service.

DD15-300

Four Class DD15-300 locomotives were built in 1966 by Nippon Sharyo. These locomotives had a modified gear ratio, changed from 1:3.143 to 1:3.196. , no Class DD15-300 locomotives remain in service.

Fleet status

At the time of privatization of

(JNR) on 1 April 1987, 32 Class DD15 locomotives remained in service, with JR East receiving 19 and JR West receiving 13. By 1 April 1995, 25 locomotives were still in service, operated by JR East and JR West, including two DD15-300 locomotives. , six locomotives remain in service, all operated by JR West.

Preserved examples

, three Class DD15 locomotives are preserved. * DD15 17: Preserved at the Mikasa Railway Park in

Mikasa, Hokkaido is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the city has an estimated population of 9,056, and the density of 30 persons per km2. Geography The total area is 302.64 km2. It is bordered on three sides ...

* DD15 30: Preserved at the

Tsuyama Railroad Educational Museum is a railway museum in Tsuyama, Okayama, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) since 2 April 2016. It is based around the former Tsuyama Depot roundhouse, which was used to house a number of preserved locomotives since 2007. ...

Tsuyama, Okayama is a city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 102,294 and a population density of 200 persons per km². The total area was 185.73 km². The area increased in 2005 as the result of a merger with adjacent to ...

(Built in 1964, Previously operated by

Toyama Chiho Railway Toyama may refer to: Places and organizations * Toyama Prefecture, a prefecture of Japan located in the Hokuriku region on the main Honshu island * Toyama, Toyama, the capital city of Toyama Prefecture * Toyama Station, the main station of Toyama, ...

, and moved to Tsuyama following its withdrawal in 2011.) * DD15 37: Preserved at the Otaru Museum in

Otaru, Hokkaido is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tou ...

File:JNR DD15 17.JPG, Preserved DD15 17 in May 2007 File:DD15 37 Otaru Museum 20090830.jpg, Preserved DD15 37 in August 2009

Classification

The DD15 classification for this locomotive type is explained below. * D: Diesel locomotive * D: Four driving axles * 15: Locomotive with maximum speed of 85 km/h or less

References

{{Jrwestloco Diesel locomotives of Japan DD15 DD15 Bo-Bo locomotives 1067 mm gauge locomotives of Japan Railway locomotives introduced in 1961 Nippon Sharyo locomotives