The is a type of

4-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and two trailing wheels on one axle. The locomotiv ...

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 in Japan from 1937 to 1947. A total of 201 Class C57 locomotives were built and 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 ...

. Another 14 Class C57 locomotives were built for export to Taiwan in 1942 and 1953. The class was withdrawn from regular passenger service in December 1975. The locomotives were numbered C57 1-C57 201 in Japan the TRA CT270 were numbered CT271-CT284

Preserved examples and Static Display

, 32 Class C57 locomotives have been preserved in Japan, of which two, C57 1 and C57 180, are preserved in working order. In Taiwan, locomotive number CT273 is preserved in working order.

C57 1

As of 2014, C57 1 was operated 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 ...

and based at Shimonoseki Depot. As of 2018, it makes regular runs on the Yamaguchi line between Shin-Yamaguchi and Tsuwano. The service was suspended following the July 2018 heavy rains, with C57 1 making guest appearance as the leisure train locomotive at the Kyoto Railway Museum during the forced break. The service is set to resume at the end of September 2018.

C57 180

C57 180 was restored to working order by

JR East 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 ...

, and hauls special event trains on JR East lines mainly between , , and .

CT271

CT271 was imported to Taiwan in 1943 as C57 1, and renumbered CT271 in 1949. Although involved in an accident in 1957, it was repaired and returned to service until it was withdrawn in 1983 and stored at a roundhouse in Chiayi until 1991 when the roundhouse was demolished. Keelung City applied to Taiwan Railways for preservation of CT271, and it was returned to Keelung Station in June 1991 and moved to Lover Lake Park, where it was publicly unveiled on October 25, 1994. Restoration of CT271 began in 2014 and completed in 2015.

CT273

CT273 was imported to Taiwan in 1943 as C57 3, and renumbered CT273. It was withdrawn in 1983, and restored by the Taiwan Railway Administration in June 2014. File:SteamTrain Model C57-11.jpg, C57 11 File:Japanese-national-railways-C57-26-20110729.jpg, C57 26 in Gyoda, Saitama, July 2011 File:C57 128 Otsu 20131028.JPG, C57 128 in Otsu, Shiga, October 2013 File:Japanese-national-railways-C57-186-20111103.jpg, C57 186 in Koganei, Tokyo, November 2011 File:JNR C57 201.JPG, C57 201 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido File:TRA CT271 at Lovers Lake 20130429a.jpg, CT271 at Lovers Lake Park File:CT273 Yilan Taiwan 20160426 131910.jpg, CT273 in Yilan, Taiwan

References