Locomotive Archaeology

Well, almost. I'm not literally digging this one up but I have been digging in my Japanese railway history books the last couple of days and I've discovered that this 4-4-2T I found at Go-i on Wednesday is a pretty interesting beast. I can't wait to get back and take photos and dimensions for a plan of her.

It seems that this B10 class were not originally built in Saitama and Shizuoka in the 1920'a but rebuilt there. They were previously 4-4-0 tender engines! They were built in 1895 for the Nippon Railway - a major private line that ran from Tokyo (Ueno) to the far north of Japan. When the line was nationalised in 1906 they were classified as the 5500 Class by the Imperial Japanese Railways. Later, as the need for elderly 4-4-0 express engines evaporated, they were rebuilt as tank engines for brach line service by tacking a bunker on the back, adding to the frames and adding an extra axle under the coal. Some foind their way latyer to small private railways - including this one to the Kominato line

So everything behind the cab - and the side tanks - in this picture is added around the original 4-4-0 engine 25 years after she was first built!

And now here's the thing that really tickled me. Guess where the Nippon Railway bought these engines from back in 1895. Beyer Peacock in Manchester! Yes - this is a Lancashire built locomotive - isn't that amazing!