Imperial Government Railways / Nippon 2-4-2 Locomotives in Japan

Class 221 (Locobase 10928)

Richard F Trevithick, "Locomotive Building in Japan," Proceedings - Institution of Mechanical Engineers (London, April 1895), pp. 298-307.

This was the first compound engine to be used in Japan and the first locomotive to be built in Japan (the IGR works in Kobe). According to Trevithick, the prototype had accumulated 33,700 miles in service from the end of May in 1893 to 31 August 1894. The profile of the test section of railway had relatively low gradients, none being more than 1 in 100 (1%) and not more than 3/4 of a mile.

The IGR's Locomotive and Carriage Superintendent Richard Trevithick spelled out the mixture of imported and home-built components that made up the 221:

England supplied two frame-plates of mild Siemens-Martin steel from a mill that planed them on both sides, and shaped on their edges to tracings sent from Japan. Kobe drilled or cut out all holes and gaps for horn-blocks. Four steel plates forming the radial axle-box guides were sent out from England, flanged and bent to required radius in conformity with tracing supplied from Japan. The remainder of the material required for constructing the frame was supplied from the store, out of the ordinary stock of iron plates, bare, and angles.

The axles, "...two of best Yorkshire iron and two of best Siemens-Martin steel ...all turning and fitting were done in Kobe."; the tires, likewise came from England.

But the wheels, eight in number, were forged in Kobe from scrap iron, and formed the crucial job in smith work. Likewise, the valve gear, spring gear, brake gear, draw-bar hooks and attachments were made from scrap iron in Kobe. "Springs were made from steel out of stores." The buffers were made partly of Yorkshire iron plate, and partly of scrap iron.

The piston-rods were made of round steel supplied from store, but the cross-heads were made of scrap iron. The low-pressure piston of steel was sent out from England as received from the steel works ; all turning and fitting were done in Kobe. The high-pressure piston being of cast-iron was mado in Kobe. The slide bars were made of steel bars out of stock. The connecting rods and coupling rods were forged from 6-inch square bars of best Yorkshire iron; the crank pins from 6-inch diameter round bars of same quality.

The cylinders, axle-boxes, and all other fittings of cast-iron or brass were cast and finished complete in the Kobe shops.

The boiler was made of plates, bars, and angles of best Yorkshire iron supplied from store, all flanging &c. being done in the shops. The foundation ring and fire-hole ring were made from scrap iron. All copper tube-plates used in Kobe for boiler making or repairs are ordered from England of best quality; the flanging is entirely done in Kobe, after which the tube and rivet holes are drilled. The dome with its seating was obtained from England, though not specially ordered for this engine. All boiler mountings were made in Kobe. Tanks, coal bunkers &c. were made of best best Staffordshire plates and angles from stock. Besides the dome and its seating, the only finished pieces from abroad put into this engine are one Bourdon pressure-gauge, one vacuum-brake ejector, one vacuum-brake duplex pressure-gauge, and one vacuum-oil sight-feed lubricator. All boiler tubes used in Japan are of course imported ; likewise the bulk of the piping, both copper and iron, required in a locomotive; and indiarubber springs &c.

It will thus be seen that in this job the builders have done nearly every part of the work it was possible for them to undertake unless possessed of ironworks. The workmanship, both in detail and in the engine as a whole, leaves nothing to be desired, and compares favourably with that of the best engines imported. The significance of this result is emphasized when it is understood that it is entirely the product of Japanese labour led by Japanese foremen, no foreign foremen being employed in the Kobe workshops."

Class 550 (Locobase 9500)

Data from "Japanese Suburban Double Ender," Railway and Locomotive Engineering, February 1899, pp. 91, 97. See also "Schenectady Locomotives for Japan", Railway Age, Volume 27, No 6 (10 February 1899), p. 95. Works numbers were 4863-4888 in September 1898.

The article noted that the short fixed wheelbase provided "...a very flexible machine." the data show these to have been relatively weighty machines and larger than earlier tanks with relatively wide fireboxes to burn the relatively low-calorie coal. They had prominent slide valves over the cylinders; these were operated from inside the frame.

Class J (Locobase 11043)

Data from [] and the Japanese-language blogging site [] and []

This locomotive and the KLM (Locobase 10929) were supplied within a year of each other. The J had slightly smaller cylinders and a smaller grate. It was rated to pull 150 tons up a 1% grade at 20 mph.

Class KLM/600 (Locobase 10929)

Data from Richard F Trevithick, "Locomotive Building in Japan," Proceedings - Institution of Mechanical Engineers (London, April 1895), pp. 298-307 and the Japanese-language blogging site []

This locomotive served as the non-compound counterpart of the 221, the first compound locomotive to run in Japan (Locobase 10928). White.ap.teacup hosts a diagram that shows three builders accounting for at least 40 locomotives from 1887 on. Locobase suspects that the missing numbers in the series represent engines that were scrapped before the diagram was prepared.

Dubs & Company produced numbers 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 72, 89, 91, 93, 98, 99, 100, 102, 104, 106, 129, 131, 133, 134, 135, 136, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165.

Nasmyth Wilson contributed 59, 61, 62, 64, 85, 87, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 118.

Vulcan Foundry is credited with 125 & 127.

Class L--W2/5--600 (Locobase 10958)

Data from []; "JGR Class 400" in Wikipedia at [],_600,_700, last accessed 30 September 2023; and "Tank Locomotive; Imperial Railways of Japan by Nasmyth, Wilson and Co., Limited, Patricroft", Engineering, Volume 45 (10 February 1888), p. 139. Works numbers were 326-333 in 1887; 346-347, 334-335 in 1888; 390-395, 398-401, 396 in 1890.

Engineering 's diagram showed a firebox with a sharply raked grate and a low-wounted brick arch raked at almost the same angle. The journal reported that this class were similar to some earlier Nasmyth Wilson engines, but larger. They were reported to be enjoying "excellent results".