C58 113, Preserved steam locomotive in Maizuru, Japan
The JNR Class C58 on display in Maizuru is a steam locomotive built from 1938 onward for use on branch lines across Japan. It has a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement and was designed to handle both passenger and freight trains on routes where larger engines could not go.
The C58 class was designed by Hideo Shima and entered production in 1938, with manufacturing shared between Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Kisha Seizo. A total of 427 units were built, and the class stayed in regular service until 1974.
The C58 on display in Maizuru sits in an open public setting where visitors can walk around it and see the scale of the machine up close. Its presence draws people who grew up with steam rail in Japan, for whom this type of locomotive is part of everyday memory.
The locomotive is displayed outdoors and can be seen without any special preparation. Visiting during the day gives the best light for looking at the details up close.
The C58 was the only Japanese National Railways tender locomotive to use a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement, which set it apart from every other class in the fleet. Some examples are still in working order, including one that pulls tourist trains on the Chichibu Railway.
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