The Class C55 (C55形) is a type of 4-6-2 steam locomotive built in Japan from 1935 to 1937. A total of 62 Class C55 locomotives were built and designed by Hideo Shima .[1]

JNR Class C55 Taiwan Railways Class CT250
Preserved C55 1 in May 2006
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company, Kisha Seizo, Hitachi Build date 1935-1937 Total produced 62 (JNR C55) 9 (TRA CT250)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-6-2 Pacific Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Driver dia. 1,750 mm (5 ft 9 in) Length 20,380 mm (66 ft 10 in) Height 3,945 mm (12 ft 11.3 in) Loco weight 66.04 t (65.00 long tons; 72.80 short tons) Total weight 113.22 t (111.43 long tons; 124.80 short tons) Fuel type Coal Boiler pressure 14 kg/cm2 (1.37 MPa; 199 psi) Cylinders 2 Cylinder size 510 mm × 660 mm (20 in × 26 in) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Maximum speed 100 km/h (62 mph)
Career Operators JNR Taiwan Railways Number in class JNR: 62 TRA: 9 Numbers C55 1-C55 62 (JNR) CT251-CT259 (TRA) Retired 1975 (Japan) 1982 (Taiwan) Preserved 4 (Japan) 2 (Taiwan) Scrapped 1975 (Japan) 1982 (Taiwan) Disposition Four preserved in Japan, two preserved in Taiwan, remainder scrapped

Nine were supplied to the Taiwan Government Railway, where they became class CT250, while 21 locomotives numbered C55 20-C55 40 were streamlined.

Preserved examples

As of 2014^[update], four Class C55 locomotives have been preserved in Japan, as follows.[2]

• C55 1: preserved at the Kyoto Railway Museum
• C55 50: preserved at the Otaru Museum in Otaru, Hokkaido
• C55 52: preserved in front of Yoshimatsu Station in Kagoshima Prefecture
• C55 53: preserved at Wakakusa Park in Oita, Oita

• 
  C55 1 preserved at the Umekoji Museum (later Kyoto Railway Museum) in June 2012
• 
  C55 50 preserved at the Otaru Museum in July 2007
• 
  Preserved C55 52 in March 2017
• 
  Preserved C55 53 in August 1994

In Popular Culture

In the Anime Hikarian the character Ukkari is based on the streamlined C55 20 .

• Japan Railways locomotive numbering and classification
• JNR Class C54
• JNR Class C57

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to C55 steam locomotives.