Жапондық C62 локомотивтері: Тарихы мен маңыздылығы

Class of 49 Japanese 4 6 4 locomotives

The Class C62 (C62形) is a type of 4 6 4 steam locomotive designed by Hideo Shima and built by the Japanese National Railways (JNR). The "C" classification indicates three sets of driving wheels. The C62 was rebuilt with the boilers of older Class D52 2 8 2 locomotives.

These were the largest and fastest steam passenger locomotives to run in Japan, and hauled the Tsubame (swallow) express on the Tōkaidō Main Line between and Only South Africa operated more powerful Cape gauge locomotives. Forty nine C62s were built from 1948 to 1949. Five C62s hauled the Teine express in Hokkaido between and after they were displaced by electrification of the Tōkaidō Main Line. Two locomotives were used to double head trains on the 2.5% (1:40) grades between Otaru and , where they were a popular tourist and railfan attraction until 1971. and later moved to the SCMaglev and Railway Park in Nagoya.

The C62 has achieved a level of fame due in part to the manga/anime series Galaxy Express 999, in which the express is pulled by an advanced space locomotive that is built to replicate a C62. The founders of Hudson Soft, rail fan brothers Yuji and Hiroshi Kudo, were fond of the C62 and other 4 6 4 locomotives, so they named their company after the wheel arrangement's Hudson nickname. Japan picked up the term from the USA (where the first 4 6 4 built was named after the Hudson River), the C60, C61, and C62 used many American design elements and conventions in their designs, apparently including class names. Hudson Soft also named a number of products after the C62, including the development kit for the PC Engine, and a chip (Hu62) that was used in a later version of the hardware. It was also the code name for their console before they settled on PC Engine. A C62 called Mr C6 is seen in Yamataro Comes Back. An abandoned C62 in an old roundhouse appears in the seventh episode of Dash! Yonkuro.