JNR Class C56

Class C56
C56 160 on a steam special in February 2012
Type and origin Power type Steam Designer Hideo Shima Builder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hitachi Nippon Sharyo Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company Kisha Seizō Build date 1935-1939 Total produced 164
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-0 Mogul  • UIC 1′C h2 Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge (SRT / Burma Railway) Driver dia. 1,400 mm (4 ft 7 in) Length 14,325 mm (47 ft 0 in) Total weight 65.53 t (64.50 long tons; 72.23 short tons)
Performance figures Maximum speed 75 km/h (47 mph) Tractive effort 8,290 kg (18,280 lb)
Career Operators Japanese Government Railways Japanese National Railways State Railway of Thailand Burma Railways Number in class 164 Numbers C56 1-C56 164 Nicknames Shigoroku, Pony of the Plateau Retired 1974 Disposition 34 preserved (including 2 operational units) remainder scrapped

The Class C56 is a type of 2-6-0 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) from 1935 to 1939, and later operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR). They were numbered C56 1-C56 164 a total of 164 were built from 1935 to 1939 locomotives numbered C56 1-C56 90 and C56 161-C56 164 were sent to other countries in Asia during the Second World War. The locomotives were retired in 1974. They were designed by Hideo Shima.