The is a class of Bo-Bo-Bo

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-electric locomotives 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) in Japan from 1957 until 1983.

Variants

DF50-0

The first batch of 65 locomotives was built between 1957 and 1962 with Sulzer 8-cylinder 8LDA25A 1,060 hp diesel engines. Production was shared between Kisha Seizō, Mitsubishi, and Nippon Sharyō. File:JNRDF50 1 sul.jpg, DF50 1 on a passenger service in 1979 File:JNRDF50 65 sul.jpg, DF50 65 on a freight working in 1982

DF50-500

A later batch of 73 locomotives was built between 1958 and 1963 with

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

V6-cylinder V22/30 1,200 hp diesel engines. Production was shared between Hitachi, Kawasaki, and

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...

. File:JNRDF50 573 MAN.jpg, DF50 573 on a passenger service in Shikoku in 1979

Operations

Class DF50 locomotives were intended for use on both passenger and freight services, and included a

steam generator A Steam generator is a device used to boil water to create steam. More specifically, it may refer to: *Boiler (steam generator), a closed vessel in which water is heated under pressure *Monotube steam generator *Supercritical steam generator or Ben ...

for train heating. They operated on the following lines, including use hauling " Blue Train" sleeping car services. *

Hokuriku Main Line The Hokuriku Main Line ( ja, 北陸本線, ) is a 176.6 kilometer railway line owned by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting the Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga, with the Naoetsu Station in Joetsu, Niigata. The section betwe ...

Sanin Main Line The is a railway line in western Japan, which connects Kyoto and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It is the major railway line of the San'in region, approximately paralleling the Japan Sea, crossing Ky ...

Dosan Line is a railway line in Shikoku, Japan, operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku). It connects Tadotsu Station in Tadotsu, Kagawa, and Kubokawa Station in Shimanto, Kōchi. The line links the city of Kōchi with northern Shikoku a ...

(

Shikoku is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...

) * Kisei Line * Nippo Line ( Kyushu) In later years, operations were restricted to Kyushu and Shikoku, with the remaining locomotives withdrawn in 1983, except for DF50 1, which later passed into

JR Shikoku The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company has ...

ownership.

Livery

The locomotives were initially painted in all-over maroon with stainless steel bands, but were subsequently repainted into the standard JNR diesel locomotive livery of vermillion and grey.

Preserved examples

Three Class DF50 locomotives were preserved. * DF50 1: Preserved at The Railway History Park in Saijo, Ehime * DF50 4: Preserved in a park in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

* DF50 18: Formerly preserved at the

Modern Transportation Museum The was the corporate museum operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Minato-ku, Osaka, Japan. It opened on 21 January 1962, next to Bentencho Station on the Osaka Loop Line. The collection included steam locomotives, electric locomo ...

, Osaka, but moved to 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 ...

in March 2015 File:Railway History Park in Saijo, Ehime (17488294672).jpg, Preserved DF50 1 at The Railway History Park in Saijo in May 2015 File:DF50 tsuyama.JPG, Preserved DF50 18 at the Tsuyama Railroad Educational Museum in May 2016

Classification

The DF50 classification for this locomotive type is explained below. * D: Diesel locomotive * F: Six driving axles * 50: Locomotive with maximum speed exceeding 85 km/h

References

{{Jrshikokuloco Diesel-electric locomotives of Japan Hitachi locomotives Kawasaki diesel locomotives Kisha Seizo locomotives Toshiba locomotives Bo-Bo-Bo locomotives 1067 mm gauge locomotives of Japan Railway locomotives introduced in 1957 Nippon Sharyo locomotives