JGR Class 400

The JGR Class 400 and the similar Class 500, 600, 700 and 800 are group of 2-4-2 Columbian-type side tank steam locomotives built for the national, and private railways in Japan from 1886 to 1899.
==Description==
The 400s and their associated classes, used mainly for mixed traffic duty, were one of the first and largest locomotive series used on the Japanese railway system, and remained in service for a long time in the hands of several operators. By 1951, all locomotives had been withdrawn from the Government railway systems.
== Class 400 ==
The 2-4-0 tank locomotives used from the opening were becoming noticeably inadequate in terms of tractive effort due to increased volume of traffic. Therefore, an order was placed in 1886 with Nasmyth, Wilson and Company of Manchester for more powerful and larger locomotives. 
The 2-4-2 wheel arrangement is believed to have been adopted after the Japanese Government Railways' past experiments with several steam locomotives of different wheel arrangements. First, 4-4-0 tank locomotives Nos. 27 and 29 (later to be known as the JGR Class 5490), delivered from Beyer, Peacock in 1882, failed because the weight on the four driving wheels was too excessive for lightly laid lines, also the narrow coal space on the bunkers made them unsuitable for long-distance running. As a result, they were soon converted to 4-4-0 tender locomotives. Additionally, they faced issues with 0-4-2 tender locomotives A and B (later to be known as the JGR Class 5000) due to heavily worn tires on the leading driver, requiring frequent replacement, which was a result of a lack of leading wheels. However, the 2-4-2 arrangement still had large front and rear-end movements. To address this issue, radial axle boxes were used on the leading and trailing wheels, providing 25 mm of lateral movement. 
The valve gear of the locomotive is not of the Stephenson type, which was predominantly used at the time, but of the Joy type, which is simpler in mechanism and more accurate in operation. The cylinders are located behind the leading wheels and in front of the first pair of driving wheels, with the main connecting rods coupled to the latter. The cab is relatively large and designed to integrate with side water tanks and the coal bunker/water tank at the rear. Sandboxes are placed on a running board in front of each side tank. Motion and valve chests above the cylinder are all covered with a case. 
=== Service ===
Four locomotives of this type were built by Nasmyth, Wilson (W/Nos. 300-303) and delivered in January 1887 as Nos. 69, 71, 73 and 75. In the A-Z, AB-AD classification used by F. H. Trevithick in his article 'Thirty Types of Locomotive Engines, Imperial Railways, Japan' in the British magazine 'The Engineer' in 1897, they were classified as J.
Nos. 69-75 (odd-numbers only) were loaned to the Nippon Railway, which at the time was entrusted with the operation and repair of the rolling stock, and became Class W2/4 Nos. 18-21 with the full transfer of operations from the JGR to the Nippon Railway in March 1892.
They were subsequently transferred to the Boso Railway in 1899, with Nos. 19, 21, and 18 becoming Class 1, Nos. 1II, 3III, and 4II and No. 20 becoming Class 4, No. 6II.
In July 1907, the Boso Railway was nationalized in accordance with the Railway Nationalisation Act promulgated in 1906, and these locomotives also came into the ownership of government railways. The locomotives were reclassified as Class 400 in accordance with the locomotive class numbering regulations and were numbered 400-403 in the Boso Railway's numbering sequence.
=== Transfer to the private operators ===
In 1914, 400-402 were transferred to Tojo Railway (now Tobu Tojo Main Line). After the transfer, they were renumbered as Class A1 No. 1-3. Later, following the merger with Tobu Railway in July 1920, they were reclassified as Class C3 and renumbered as Nos. 41-43. In 1924, when Class B5 Nos. 41-50 (formerly JGR Class 6200) were introduced on the line, they were again renumbered as Nos. 51-53. Subsequently, Nos. 51 and 53 were transferred to Japan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. in 1938-39. No. 52 was transferred to Mitsui Mining Miike Port Works in 1941 and was renumbered as No. 21. It was then transferred to Bibai coal mine in 1951 and used with the same number. These locomotives were ultimately scrapped.
In 1914, another locomotive, No. 403, was transferred to Kawagoe Railway, which is now a part of the Seibu Railway Kokubunji Line and Seibu Shinjuku Line. It was used under the same number for a while, then reclassified as Class 5 No. 5. It was used together with locomotives of the same type (Class K2 Nos. 3-4) ordered by the company. However, in 1944, it was again reclassified as Class 4, numbered 4II, and used on the Tama Line (now Seibu Tama Line) until September 1957. 
In December 1961, it was loaned to Joubu Railway and then returned in April 1965. It was finally withdrawn from service on 1 October of the same year.
== Classes 500, 600 and 700 ==
The Classes 500, 600 and 700 were added to the fleet from 1897 as an improvement on the Class 400 imported in 1886, which had performed as expected. The operating and maintenance weight and cylinder dimensions were enlarged to increase the traction effort. The boiler was also enlarged in diameter and was fitted with larger water tanks. The brake was steam-operated.
These types were defined by the Locomotive Class Naming Regulations enacted in 1909, and are commonly referred to as 'A8' after the class used during the period of the Railway Work Bureau, and include not only those imported by government railways, but also those imported by private railways and incorporated into government railways when they were nationalised. The type classification is based on manufacturer, regardless of former railway affiliation, with locomotives built by Dübs were Class 500, Nasmyth, Wilson were Class 600 and Vulcan Foundry were Class 700. The number imported is 61 for the 500s, 78 for the 600s and 18 for the 700s.
=== Service ===
==== Japanese Government Railways ====
The Japanese Government Railways placed an order for locomotives from Nasmyth, Wilson in 1887, and from Dübs the following year. A total of 64 locomotives were introduced, with 34 being delivered by 1890 for the former and 30 by 1892 for the latter, with numbers ranging from 109 to 191, 197 to 219 (odd numbers), and 82 to 100 (even numbers). In 1891, two locomotives, numbered 193 and 195 and built by Vulcan Foundry, were transferred from the Sanyo Railway to the Government Railway. The classification assigned to these locomotives by F. H. Trevithick is as follows: Dübs-built examples are Class K, Nasmyth, Wilson-built examples are Class L, and the Vulcan Foundry-built examples are Class M. 
With the completion of the Tokaido Line in 1889, some of these locomotives were later fitted with vacuum brakes. Locomotives with odd numbers belonged to Shimbashi (48 locomotives), while locomotives with even numbers belonged to Kobe (16 locomotives). Of the 48 Shimbashi locomotives, 31 were allocated to the Nippon Railway and its branch lines - Kobu Railway, Mito Railway (first), and Ryomo Railway. The Koubu Railway had locomotives numbered 141 and 143, the Mito Railway had locomotives numbered 131, 133, and 135, and the Ryomo Railway had locomotives numbered 165 and 167. Later, in 1892, Ryomo Railway's numbers 123, 125 and 127 returned to the Government, while those belonging to the Mito Railway in 1892 and those belonging to the Ryomo Railway in 1897 were transferred to the Nippon Railway as part of a merger. 
Following the full transfer of operations to Nippon Railway in 1892, locomotives belonging to Nippon Railway, Ryomo Railway, and Kobu Railway were reclassified in May 1894. The Dübs-built locomotives became Class D2/4, and Nasmyth, Wilson-built locomotives became Class W2/4 at the Nippon Railway, and became Class K1 at the Kobu Railway. At the same time, the government renumbered the locomotives on June 1, according to the "Notice of Change of Bureau-owned Locomotive Numbers" dated May 23, 1894, filling in the missing numbers caused by the official transfer of the locomotives to the Nippon Railway. The three companies' locomotives were integrated into Class A8 by the "Matter of Distinguishing Locomotive Types" dated November 14, 1898 (implemented on the same day) and renumbered again on May 1 by the "Matter of Changing Class A8 Locomotive Number" dated April 12th, 1902. The locomotives manufactured by the three companies were renumbered as Nos. 850-884.
==== Sanyo Railway ====
The Sanyo Railway ordered 14 locomotives from Vulcan Foundry between 1887 and 1892. Six were ordered in 1887 (W/Nos. 1218-1223), two in 1888 (with Works Numbers 1238 and 1239), four in 1890 (W/Nos. 1298-1301), and two more in 1892 (W/Nos. 3018 and 3019) from Dübs. However, it is assumed that the two locomotives built in 1888 (W/Nos. 1238 and 1239) were not delivered to the Sanyo Railway due to maritime accidents or other reasons. 
In 1891, due to the recession, the Sanyo Railway faced difficulties in managing its business and had to sell almost half of its steam locomotives. The president, Hikojiro Nakagamigawa, had purchased these locomotives in preparation for the opening of the Kobe-Onomichi line. But when the Onomichi extension became difficult, it was decided that there was no point in keeping expensive locomotives for nothing. As a result, four locomotives were transferred, two to the government railway and two to the Chikuho Kogyo Railway. 
The two locomotives that were transferred to the government were numbered 193 and 195. The works number of 195 has been confirmed as 1300, indicating that it was one of the 1890 examples. These locomotives were transferred to the Chikuho Railway in 1892 and numbered 3 and 4, respectively. Later, they were transferred to the Kyushu Railway due to a merger. The remaining six examples of locomotives built in 1887 became Class 1 Nos. 4, 6, and 7 on the Sanyo Railway. But in 1898, Nos. 1 and 2 were transferred to the Tobu and Nankai Railways. The works numbers of these locomotives have been identified as 1218 and 1222, respectively. It can be presumed that the locomotives that later became JGR Nos. 701-704 were works numbers 1219-1221 and 1223. However, the matching of these works numbers and JGR numbers is not well established. 
Two of the 1892 Dubs-built locomotives became Class 2 Nos. 8 and 5, respectively. In December 1906, the Sanyo Railway's A8s were nationalized with six locomotives in the fleet.
==== Nippon Railway ====
In 1892, the Nippon Railway officially took ownership of 18 Nasmyth, Wilson W2/4 locomotives and 12 Dübs D2/4 locomotives, which had been previously managed by the government Railway. Later in 1897, the company acquired two more locomotives (Nos. 46-47) built by Nasmyth, Wilson when they took over the Ryoumou Railway. In 1899, another locomotive (Nos. 18II-19II) built by Nasmyth Wilson was acquired from the Iwakoshi Railway in exchange for 0-6-0T locomotives. By the time of nationalisation in 1907, Nippon Railway had a total of 34 locomotives, consisting of 19 Nasmyth, Wilson W2/4s and 12 Dubs D2/4s.
==== Kobu Railway ====
The Kobu Railway received four locomotives, including the ones ordered via the government railway. All of them were classified as Class K1 and manufactured by Nasmyth, Wilson. Additionally, a locomotive was ordered from Nasmyth, Wilson in 1902, which became the No. 4 of the Kawagoe Railway, a subsidiary company.
==== Bōsō Railway ====
The Bōsō Railway introduced five locomotives, one of which was a Dübs-built example originally ordered by the government, and the other four were Nasmyth, Wilson examples. The former became Class 2 and the latter Class 3 respectively. In 1897, Nos. 1 and 4 were transferred to the Iwakoshi Railway, while No. 3 was transferred to the Sobu Railway. Two of the locomotives were nationalized in 1906 through acquisition under the Railway Nationalisation Act.
==== Kyoto Railway ====
The Kyoto Railway introduced a total of five locomotives: three made by Nasmyth, Wilson and two by Dübs, which later became known as Classes 1 and 2, respectively. In 1895, the railway introduced Nos. 2I - 3 in service, which were originally ordered by the government for the Imperial Japanese Army Railways, dated back to 1894. On the other hand, No. 2II was intended for the Bisai Railway. In 1896, No. 2I was transferred to the Boso Railway, and in 1906, the remaining four locomotives were acquired by the government under the Nationalisation Act.
====Osaka Railway and Kansai Railway====
The Osaka Railway (1888) introduced a total of 18 locomotives. When this company merged with Kansai Railway in 1900, these locomotives were incorporated into the company's 'Ikezuki' (池月) Class. The locomotives built by Dübs (Gen. 2) were numbered 52-56, those built by Vulcan Foundry (Gen. 3) were numbered 59-68, and those built by Nasmyth, Wilson (Gen. 3) were numbered 69-71. The 13 locomotives of the Gen. 3 had slightly larger side and backwater tanks, were slightly longer overall (10160 mm), and were therefore nicknamed the 'Osaka' types. 
All locomotives that were delivered directly to Kansai Railway were manufactured by Dübs. A total of 13 locomotives were built and classified as 'Ikezuki' Class (Gen. 1).
==== Sangu Railway ====
The Sangu Railway introduced five Nasmyth, Wilson built locomotives, Class 1, Nos. 1-4 and 6, all of which were nationalised in 1907.
==== Sobu Railway ====
The Sobu Railway introduced 13 locomotives as Class 1, which were built by Nasmyth, Wilson. Additionally, in 1898, Class 3 No. 3 of the Boso Railway, which was originally built in 1895 for Kyoto Railway, were acquired, and became No. 4II of the Sobu Railway. One of the three locomotives ordered by the Onishi Railway in 1898 (W/Nos. 528-530) was transferred to the Sobu Railway before completion and became the Sobu Railway No. 15 in 1899. All these 15 locomotives were nationalized as a result of the acquisition of Sobu Railway in 1906 under the Railway Nationalisation Act. Furthermore, one locomotive (W/No. 615) was ordered in 1901 but was transferred to the Nishinari Railway before completion, where it became that company's No. 1II. Later, it was transferred again and became Hokkaido Railway's Class B2 No. 5 in 1903, and was nationalized through the acquisition of Hokkaido Railway in 1907.
====JGR (After Nationalisation in 1906/1907)====
As the railway operators that introduced them were nationwide, they were ubiquitous in all parts of the country from Kyushu to Hokkaido. The withdrawal of these locomotives began in 1925, and by the end of June 1933, only 41 of them were left. This number included 23 Class 500s, 15 Class 600s, and 3 Class 700s, along with 6 Class 500s that were transferred to the Ministry of Construction in March 1926. Out of the remaining 13, only 13 were used for pulling ordinary trains and were operated on the Bantan, Maizuru, Mieboku, Sakai, Yahiko, and Shiogama lines. The other 11 were used for shunting at workshops, among other things, while 17 were left idle.
By the end of March 1945, only 14 of these locomotives remained, including one 400, nine 500s, one 600, and three 700s, some of which were acquired by Kokura, Bantan, and Chugoku Railways and were also scrapped by 1951. Because these locomotives were suitable in size and performance, many of them were sold to industries. The known whereabouts of these locomotives alone include 14 Class 500s, 34 Class 600s, and 9 Class 700s.
== Class 800 ==
The Class 800 was very similar to the british-built A8 Class. Kisha Seizo manufactured two locomotives in 1903, numbered 7 and 8, as an imitation of the British product. It is believed that they were the same as the ones supplied to the Taiwan Governor-General's Railways Department (W/Nos. 1-2), which were assembled from imported parts from Britain. 
The Sangu Railway ordered these locomotives and incorporated them into their Class 1, along with the ones built by Nasmyth, Wilson. After the Sangu Railway was nationalized, they were classified as Class 800 (800, 801). In 1914, they were transferred to the Geibi Railway along with two Class 480 locomotives in exchange for three Class 2400 locomotives, and became their Class C (4, 5). When this railway was nationalized in 1937, the two locomotives were reclassified back to their original Class 800 identification. They were then transferred to Kochi Railway in 1940 and passed through the hands of Tosa Kotsu and Tosa Electric Railway before being withdrawn in 1950. No. 801 was later transferred to Iwaki Cement, renumbered as No. 800, and used for a while. No Class 800s have been preserved.
==Preservation==
The following Class 400 locomotives have been preserved:
Number 	Manufacturer 	Date manufactured	Serial number	Date withdrawn 	Location 	Notes
403 	Nasmyth, Wilson and Company	1886 	302 	25 March 1914 (JGR)1 July 1965 (Kawagoe/Seibu) 	Shibaura Institute of Technology Junior and Senior High School, Tokyo, Japan	Displayed outdoors, cab open for public viewing; sounds of steam exhaust and whistle recorded from Nippon Steel No. 9 played at various intervals, formerly located at UNESCO Square and Seibu Railway's Yokose Depot
220 	Dübs & Co. 	1891 	2765 	25 June 1916 (Kansai/Osaka/JGR)31 July 1965 (Seibu/Jōbu)	Shōwa Tetsudō High School, Tokyo, Japan 	Displayed under shelter as Seibu Railway 3; ex-Kansai Railway, ex-Jōbu Railway
Seibu Railway 5	Nasmyth, Wilson and Company	1896 	493 	December 1961 (Seibu)October 1965 (Jōbu) 	Former Hoya Depot, Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan 	Displayed outdoors; can be viewed from road; ex-Kawagoe Railway, ex-Jōbu Railway
==Gallery==
File:404 Preserved.jpg|403 (as Seibu Railway No. 4) preserved at the Seibu Railway Yokose Depot in October 2009.
File:Seibu Railway No. 5.jpg|Seibu Railway No. 5 (Same specification as class 600s) at Hoya Carriage Sidings in November 2012.
==References==
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:JR Group trains
Category:2-4-2 locomotives
Category:2-4-2 steam locomotives
Category:2-4-2T steam locomotives
Category:2-4-2T locomotives
Category:Dübs locomotives
Category:Hyōgo Works locomotives
Category:Kisha Seizō locomotives
Category:Krauss locomotives
Category:Nasmyth locomotives
Category:Nippon Sharyo locomotives
Category:Robert Stephenson locomotives
Category:Vulcan Foundry locomotives
Category:Four-coupled locomotives
Category:Tank locomotives
Category:Side tank locomotives
Category:Narrow-gauge steam locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Freight locomotives
Category:Hokkaido Railway trains
Category:Nippon Railway trains
Category:Iwakoshi trains
Category:Tobu trains
Category:Sobu trains
Category:Boso trains
Category:Kobu trains
Category:Kansai Railway trains
Category:Sangu trains
Category:Kyoto Railway trains
Category:Nankai trains
Category:Sanyo trains
Category:Kyushu Railway trains
Category:Narita Railway trains
Category:Tsukuba trains
Category:Pre-Meitetsu trains
Category:Akita Railway trains
Category:Kitakyushu trains
Category:Iburi trains
Category:Bantan trains
Category:Tsurumi Rinko trains
Category:Sōtetsu trains
Category:Chutetsu trains
Category:Geibi trains
Category:Tosaden Kotsu trains
Category:Kokura Railway trains
Category:Chikuzen Sangu trains
Category:Onoda trains
Category:Ohmi trains
Category:Karafuto trains
Category:Japanese locomotives
Category:Japanese steam locomotives