Kamaishi Class 1

The Kamaishi Railway Class 1 consisted of three 0-4-0 saddle-tank steam locomotives. They were utilized on the Kamaishi Railway in Iwate Prefecture, which was the third railway in Japan to be opened, began its operation in 1880. It is important to note that the classification presented here is only for convenience, as the company never classified these locomotives.
==History==
In 1880, the Ministry of Public Works constructed which ultimately became the Kamaishi Railway to transport minerals between Kamaishi Pier and Ohashi; it was fully completed by 1881. In 1878, three locomotives (W/Nos. 2793-2795) were built by Sharp, Stewart & Co. of Manchester for use on this line.
They were two-cylinder, outside-framed saddle tank locomotives with 0-4-0 wheel arrangement. The saddle tank was large and extended from the front end of the smokebox to just in front of the firebox. However, only the front three-quarters of the tank was actually a water tank, while the rest was a toolbox. The main feature of these locomotives are rather unusual gauge of 2 ft 9 in (838 mm); the other railways that could be found in Japan to have this gauge are only two, which took over these locomotives after the Kamaishi Railway was closed down.
There are no records on the assignment of numbers to locomotives and the details are unknown. It is presumed that locomotives were differentiated by number, as they had to be distinguished in some way.
On 13 December 1882, one of these locomotives was travelling from Ohashi when it exceeded its speed due to snow and was unable to stop. It collided with a parked rolling stock (details unknown) at Utagai, resulting in casualties and severe damage to the locomotive itself. 
Due to initial poor planning, both the mine and ironworks were closed in December 1882 and the railway was discontinued. As a result, all equipment used on the railway, including track and locomotives, was sold. 
During 1883, one locomotive (W/No. 2793) and a couple of Mineral wagons were transferred to the government-owned Miike Coal Mine. The mine was later sold to the Mitsui Zaibatsu (now Mitsui Group) in 1889, and all railway facilities were transferred to Mitsui Mining (now Nippon Coke and Engineering Company Ltd). In November 1891, the locomotive underwent a gauge conversion as part of the Miike Railway's renovation to 3 ft 6 in gauge. The conversion included the installation of new axles and widening of the frame outwards. This made the locomotive an only example of 3 ft 6 in gauge steam locomotive in Japan to have outside frames apart from the Abt rack locomotives of the JGR. Simultaneously, the cab was extended to cover the entire section above the firebox, and the coal bunker was relocated to the rear. The locomotive continued to be used until 1946 when it was eventually scrapped.
The remaining two locomotives (W/Nos, 2794 and 2795), together with track and other equipment, were sold to Fujita Denzaburō and his associates, who directly sent them to the Hankai Railway for its opening. The railway was partly opened in December 1885 and fully completed in March 1888. Instead of numbering the locomotives to distinguish them, the new owners gave them names, with 2794 being named 'Yoshino' (芳野), while 2795 was named 'Waka' (和歌). The cabs of the two locomotives were recorded to be slightly different from each other, indicating that they were probably modified during the Kamaishi era. The Hankai Railway was converted to 3 ft 6 in gauge in 1897 and was taken over by the Nankai Railway (now Nankai Electric Railway) a year later. As a result, the locomotives had to be converted from 2 ft 9 in to 3 ft 6 in gauge at the Nankai's Tenka-chaya Works. Unlike the one done to the locomotive that went to the Miike Railway, it was a major conversion that not only involved relocating the frame and replacing the axles, but also reducing the size of the firebox. This conversion made the locomotives inside-framed, due to the width of the modified frame and firebox. Simultaneously, the diameter of the driving wheels was also increased to 2 ft 5 in (762 mm) to 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). The Nankai Railway classified them as Class 4, and later numbered them as 14 (Yoshino) and 15 (Waka).
In October 1917, No. 14 was transferred to the Hakata Bay Railway in Fukuoka Prefecture where it was numbered 1 (2nd to bear that number) and later 21. It was scrapped in 1938.
No. 15 was loaned to the Keihan Electric Railway for construction purposes in 1909 and was mainly used in Yodo and Fushimi. In 1911, it was transferred to the Kurate Light Railway (acquired by Chikuho Kogyo Railway Co. in 1935) where it was numbered 2, and later 1 (2nd to bear that number). During the Chikuho era, the locomotive's water tank capacity was increased, as the rear quarter of the saddle tank, which was previously used as a toolbox, was converted into a water tank. It was finally scrapped in 1951.
==Gallery==
File:Waka.jpg|Hankai Railway 'Waka' (W/No. 2795)
==References==
Category:Steam locomotives
Category:0-4-0 locomotives
Category:0-4-0 steam locomotives
Category:Sharp Stewart locomotives
Category:Four-coupled locomotives
Category:Tank locomotives
Category:Narrow-gauge steam locomotives
Category:Locomotives
Category:Nankai trains
Category:Japanese locomotives
Category:Japanese steam locomotives
Category:Scrapped steam locomotives
Category:Scrapped locomotives
Category:Built in 1878
Category:Saddle tank locomotives