JGR Class 8900

The JGR Class 8900 was a 4-6-2 Pacific-type superheated steam locomotive operated by the Japanese Government Railways from June 1912 to 1932.
==History==
The Class 8900 was an early steam locomotive operated in Japan. A total of thirty-six locomotives were ordered by the Japanese Government Railways from the American Locomotive Company, ordered in two different batches from ALCO's Brooks and Richmond plants in 1911. As the locomotives were introduced after 1909, they were named the Class 8900s from the start.
The first batch, manufactured by ALCO-Brooks, was intended to originally be a twenty-four locomotive order of Class 8600 locomotives; those were ultimately never built and the order was switched to twenty-four Class 8900 locomotives. The second batch of locomotives was manufactured by ALCO-Richmond. The Class 8900s entered service in June 1912 and were the first tender locomotives used in Japan with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement. It is not clear as to why a total of thirty-six locomotives were manufactured, although it was likely because of Mitsui & Co.'s strong political influence, them being ALCO's Japanese distributors.
The locomotive competed alongside the Class 8700, 8800 and 8850 locomotives; the locomotive was graded as having excellent performance and as such superheating was adopted for all future steam locomotives. The locomotives were estimated to have been used until 1932 when they were retired after a somewhat short service life; none were sold to private railroads and had the shortest services lives of the four competing locomotives. No Class 8900s have been preserved, with all having been scrapped by 1934, although they did form the basis for the successful Class C51 locomotives.
A similar class of locomotives was used by the Taiwan Railways Administration, known as the CT240. Four locomotives were produced, all by ALCO-Rogers. As with the Class 8900s none survive today.
==References==
Category:Locomotives
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:4-6-2 locomotives
Category:4-6-2 steam locomotives
Category:ALCO locomotives
Category:Japanese locomotives
Category:Japanese steam locomotives
Category:Tender locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Built in 1911