#2498
JNR Class D51
🇯🇵 Japan ·built by Kisha Seizo· from 1936· class of 1151+2 Japanese 2-8-2 locomotives
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. JNR-D51 489Deflector by Goto factory: Rsa· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. D51-11051: 博麗 霊夢· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 3. D51-1116: タカムー· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. D51 1108 Sendai General Shinkansen Depot 20080726: DAJF This photo was taken with Sony DSLR-A100· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5. D51 170: No machine-readable author provided. Shacho0822 assumed (based on copyright claims).· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. D51 1 ,Umekōji: karajun from Japan.· CC BY 2.1 jp
- 7. D51 23 steam locomotive at Takasaki Motive Depot 1936-08: 西尾克三郎· Public domain
- 8. D51 260, Muroran-Honsen 01: Toshimasa TANABE· CC BY 2.0
- 9. D51 774 at Taisha Station: Saigen Jiro· CC0
- 10. D51 862 of JNR: Lover of Romance· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Class D51 (D51形) is a type of 2-8-2 steam locomotive operated by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) and later by the Japanese National Railways (JNR). Designed by JGR's chief mechanical engineer Hideo Shima, they were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company, Kisha Seizo, Hitachi, Nippon Sharyo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and JGR's factories from 1936 to 1945. Although surpassed in speed, power, and size by other locomotives, it is recognized as the most mass-manufactured locomotive, among all power types, in Japanese rail history.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 90 years ago, in 1936.
- Weighs about as much as 13 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 19.7 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 42 years (1937–1979).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1936–1951
- in service from
- 1937
- retired
- 1979
- status
- in service
- number built
- 1,151
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Kisha Seizo, Hitachi, Nippon Sharyo, Naebo Workshop, Omiya General Rolling Stock Center, Hamamatsu Workshop, Akita General Rolling Stock Center, Koriyama General Rolling Stock Center
- designer
- Hideo Shima
- operators
- Japanese National Railways, Ministry of Railways, Soviet Railways
- top speed
- 85 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 2-8-2
- length
- 19.7 m
- weight
- 76.8 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q986144, Wikipedia: JNR Class D51 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.