Kayden's Wheel Reports: Japanese National Railway C62
After the end of the Second World War, the land of the rising sun was in a bad state to say the least. Two of their major cities had been destroyed by the atomic bombs, their emperor had became but a puppet to the US military and several locomotives and miles of railway track had been destroyed. The war had certainly taken a toll on the pride and spirit of her people.
But there were still rays of hope, one of which was a proud class of locomotives from the Japanese National Railways and arguably Japan's finest chapter in locomotive development: the C62 Class.
The story of the C62 actually begins with another iconic Japanese steam locomotive, the D51 'Mikado' (locomotives with a 2-8-2 wheel configuration) class. They were robust and reliable locomotives, often seen pulling long lines of freight serving Japan's major industries, but were required to double or even triple head on the steeper gradients that the network had.
Thus, Hideo Shima (1901-1998), the JNR's Chief Mechanical Engineer, designed a larger counterpart to the D51 in 1937. With its larger boiler and greater tractive effort, the D52s certainly made their mark on the mainline and provided much needed power to the fleet. However, the improvements made them heavier and unsuited for more restrictive secondary routes.
Additionally, wartime shortages made the D52s unjustifiable, being expensive to manufacture and the heavy freight traffic drying up. Thus, the lighter, more versatile D51s continued to be built up to 1951, the D52s ceasing production in 1946.
This would not be the end of their story however, as while there was a reduction in freight, passenger demands increased as people were needed in the big cities to assist in economic recovery. THis was putting a strain on the older C57 and C59 'Pacific' locomotives. Not wanting to put good locomotives to waste, from 1948 to 1949, 49 of the surplus D52s were converted to 4-6-4 'Hudsons' (Baltics to use the European term) and reclassified as 'C62s'.
Prior to this, most of Japan's express passenger locomotives were Pacifics, with only one pair of trailing wheels, but the larger boiler and firebox of the D52s required an extra trailing axle to support the additional weight and reduce the axle loading. Thus, this allowed the C62s to burn coal and produce steam more efficiently, improving their performance.
The C62s also kept their mechanical stokers from their previous lives as D52s, which crushes coal into smaller pieces and shifts it automatically into the firebox, thus making the fireman's life easier, as he didn't need to shovel as much.
Arguably, the C62's greatest claim to fame on December 15 1954, when C62 17 clocked a top speed of 129 km/h (80 mph) on a special test run, a world record for narrow gauge steam locomotives! This, along with their impeccable performance pulling the country's most famous passenger trains, such as the Tsubame express from Tokyo to Osaka, propelled them to stardom amongst both railway enthusiasts and the public alike. They soon became the spirit of Japan's post war recovery, at a time when people needed them the most.
Unfortunately, electric locomotives such as the EF58s began to take their jobs on passenger trains by the early 1960s. Additionally, the opening of the Tokkaido Shinkansen line in 1964 took away the C62's title of the JNR's crowning glory. Thus, some members of the class were transferred north to Hokkaido where they spent their twilight years before their withdrawal in 1973, their jobs taken up by DD51 diesel locomotives.
Thankfully, their story does have a happy ending. 5 members of the class have been preserved, including the record breaking C62 17 at JR Central's Maglev Museum. C62 3, which was one of the lucky ones at Hokkaido, was briefly restored to excursion services on the mainline in 1988, allowing the public to sample travelling behind the class at speed. Unfortunately, this was cut short in 1995 due to mechanical issues found with the locomotive and budgetary cuts to JR Hokkaido.
Thus, the only way to sample the class in operation is to make a trip to the Kyoto Railway Museum, where C62 2, the second member of the class, is used regularly on the museum's short demonstration line, allowing visitors to not only learn about steam locomotives from the museum's numerous, well-cared for exhibits, but also travel behind a real one too, albeit for a short distance. Experiences like these, along with the class being featured in various anime (namely Galaxy Express 999 and Yamataro Comes Back) will certainly ensure the history and stories of the C62s will never die!
My Personal Thoughts
The railways of Japan have never failed to amaze me and the C62s certainly played a role in that. They represent the final chapter in Japan's steam locomotive development (although there were cancelled plans to produce a lighter version of the class for secondary lines, known as the C63.) and set the spirit that still propels the country's spirit for railway development in the modern day. Even though the opening of the Tokkaido Shinkansen spelled the end for them, the efforts of railway enthusiasts and museums ensured they would never be forgotten.
What I hope will happen someday is that C62 2 or another surviving member of the class is someday restored to mainline operation. For me at least, their sheer power and speed is wasted pulling short demonstration trains. Of course, it is still a fun experience, but tearing down the mainline with a long passenger train was what the class was born to do. JR West has also recently withdrawn C56 160 from mainline service too, as it is no longer powerful enough for their own excursion trains. Maybe this could be a chance for the Hudson to make her glorious return?
Of course, I'm not a railway expert, I am merely a steam locomotive enthusiast (SL鉄 to use the Japanese term.) reporting on one of my favourite locomotive classes. I hope I can get the chance to see them all in person in the near future! Thank you for reading!
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