JNR Class C61 explained

Class C61 (Rebuilt : 33 : D51)
Powertype:Steam
Gauge:1,067 mm
Whytetype:4-6-4 Hudson
Fleetnumbers:C61 1-C61 33
Retiredate:1966-1974
Disposition:Two operational among four preserved, remainder scrapped in 1974
Length:20,375 mm
Locotenderweight:78.10 t
Builder:Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo (Rebuilder)
Builddate:1947-1949 (Rebuild)
Totalproduction:33
Maxspeed:100 km/h

The 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 and designed by Hideo Shima, (one in 1947, 19 in 1948, and 13 in 1949). The locomotives were not built entirely from new, however, but used the boilers from former D51 2-8-2 "Mikado" freight locomotives.

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 Main Line 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 The six Kagoshima-based locos originally delivered new to Kyūshū were withdrawn, but the six remaining Tōhoku locos were transferred to Miyazaki depot in October 1971 to work on the Nippō Main Line between Miyazaki and Kagoshima.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

Overall length20,375 mm
Overall height3,980 mm
Driving wheel diameter1,750 mm
Total operating weight78.10 t (excluding tender)
Boiler capacity7.4 m3
Boiler pressure15.0 kgf/cm²
Cylinder dimensions500 mm dia. x 660 mm stroke

Fleet details

(Source: [1])

NumberBoiler fromRebuilt byDate rebuiltDate withdrawnLast depot allocation
C61 1D51 615Mitsubishi Heavy Industries30 Nov 19475 Aug 1966Sendai
C61 2D51 1109Mitsubishi Heavy Industries31 Jul 19483 Oct 1969Sendai
C61 3D51 1063Mitsubishi Heavy Industries22 Aug 194831 Mar 1966Sendai
C61 4D51 1011Mitsubishi Heavy Industries31 Aug 194825 Dec 1967Sendai
C61 5D51 1075Mitsubishi Heavy Industries29 Sep 194831 Mar 1966Sendai
C61 6D51 1134Mitsubishi Heavy Industries18 Oct 194813 Mar 1969Aomori
C61 7D51 1147Mitsubishi Heavy Industries30 Oct 194810 Jan 1968Aomori
C61 8D51 1117Mitsubishi Heavy Industries16 Nov 194831 Mar 1966Sendai
C61 9D51 925Mitsubishi Heavy Industries29 Nov 194820 Aug 1968Aomori
C61 10D51 1047Mitsubishi Heavy Industries14 Dec 194831 Mar 1966Sendai
C61 11D51 1139Mitsubishi Heavy Industries5 Jan 19491 Oct 1968Aomori
C61 12D51 1143Mitsubishi Heavy Industries28 Feb 194919 Dec 1970Kagoshima
C61 13D51 1115Mitsubishi Heavy Industries19 Mar 194919 Dec 1970Kagoshima
C61 14D51 1124Mitsubishi Heavy Industries31 Mar 194919 Dec 1970Kagoshima
C61 15D51 1084Mitsubishi Heavy Industries27 Apr 194925 Dec 1967Sendai
C61 16D51 1128Mitsubishi Heavy Industries19 May 194910 Oct 1968Aomori
C61 17D51 1130Mitsubishi Heavy Industries31 May 19495 Aug 1966Sendai
C61 18D51 874Mitsubishi Heavy Industries19 Jun 194918 Jan 1974Miyazaki
C61 19D51 1027Mitsubishi Heavy Industries28 Jul 194918 Nov 1973Miyazaki
C61 20D51 1094Mitsubishi Heavy Industries31 Jul 194918 Nov 1973Miyazaki
C61 21D51 1123Mitsubishi Heavy Industries31 Aug 194925 Dec 1967Taira
C61 22D51 1158Nippon Sharyo25 Sep 194810 Oct 1968Aomori
C61 23D51 1010Nippon Sharyo30 Sep 19485 Aug 1966Sendai
C61 24D51 1135Nippon Sharyo4 Oct 19487 Nov 1972Miyazaki
C61 25D51 366Nippon Sharyo8 Oct 194831 Mar 1966Sendai
C61 26D51 198Nippon Sharyo28 Oct 194831 Mar 1966Sendai
C61 27D51 1146Nippon Sharyo31 Oct 194831 Mar 1966Sendai
C61 28D51 904Nippon Sharyo25 Nov 194820 Aug 1973Miyazaki
C61 29D51 69Nippon Sharyo29 Nov 194820 Aug 1973Aomori
C61 30D51 1144Nippon Sharyo11 Dec 194811 Dec 1968Aomori
C61 31D51 945Nippon Sharyo22 Dec 194819 Dec 1970Kagoshima
C61 32D51 1050Nippon Sharyo31 Jan 194919 Dec 1970Kagoshima
C61 33D51 1148Nippon Sharyo2 Mar 194919 Dec 1970Kagoshima

Preserved examples

See also

Notes and References

  1. C61形ハドソン機のプロフィール. . 50. 587. 74–83. Kōyūsha. Japan . March 2010.
  2. Book: JR全車輌ハンドブック2009 . JR Rolling Stock Handbook 2009 . Neko Publishing . 2009 . Japan . 978-4-7770-0836-0.
  3. Jōmō Shimbun

    上越線で復元のC61試運転 (27 April 2011) . Retrieved 4 June 2011

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