D60 steam locomotive

The Japanese 2-8-4 Berkshire wheel arrangement D60 class of steam locomotives was created by rebuilding an earlier class to suit post-war requirements. In this case, 78 of the successful pre-war 380-strong D50 class of 2-8-2 Mikado locomotives. The D60s were rebuilt between 1951 and 1956 at the JNR Hamamatsu (Nagoya) Region, Nagano, (Nagoya) Region, and Tsuchizaki, (Sendai) Region workshops. As with the rebuilding of C59 Pacific to C60 Hudson locomotives, an additional trailing axle was included to reduce the heavy axle load of the D50 and allow more widespread use. The cylinder diameter was reduced from 570 mm on the D50s to 550 mm to minimize wheel spin.

The spread of electrification and increasing numbers of diesel locomotives resulted in the first D60s being withdrawn from 1966. A few examples based at Wakamatsu Depot soldiered on hauling coal trains on the Chikuhō Mainline in northern Kyūshū, and the last member of the class (D60 61) was finally withdrawn in August 1974.

pecifications

Build details

Preserved examples

* D60 1 In grounds of Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum
* D60 27 Park in Tachibana, Fukuoka Prefecture (in poor condition)
* D60 46 Park in Iizuka, Fukuoka Prefecture
* D60 61 Park in Ashiya, Fukuoka Prefecture

Models

In N gauge, Micro Ace produced two examples of the D60 in 2002: Nōgata-based D60-31 (A6902) and Iwamizawa-based D60-36 (A6901).