Another C11 for Tobu Railway

[marknewton]

Tobu Railway have taken delivery of a second C11 2-6-4T for their excursion trains:

 

https://www.sankei.com/photo/story/news/181114/sty1811140005-n1.html

 

I’ll be very interested to see how long it takes them to put this engine back into traffic. I’m also curious about the real identity of this loco, as the C11 preserved at Ome Railway Park is also numbered C11 1. 

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

Edited November 29, 2018 by marknewton

[katoftw]

Their current C11 was a loaner wasn't it? I guess this will be the permanent replacement maybe?

[marknewton]

Yes, C11 207 is on loan from JR Hokkaido. But the way the article reads suggests to me that they want a second trafficable engine rather than a replacement for the existing one. 

 

“According to Tobu Railway, it is said that SL is two-tier system, so SL big tree cancellation by examination etc. can be drastically reduced, and traveling on another route is considered.”

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[miyakoji]

Mark,

I just did a bit of googling, but if I understand it correctly, this C11 1 started life with the Kojaku Railway in Shiga prefecture.  It wound up working coal trains in Hokkaido and was then retired there, which is why it came to Tobu's yard from Ebetsu City.  The C11 1 at Ome Railway Park was JNR's.  The Kojaku loco was built by Nippon Sharyo, the JNR loco was built by Kisha Seizo about 10 years earlier.  I think this will require Bikkuri to confirm 🙂

 

Anyway here are two videos 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2018 by miyakoji

[marknewton]

Thanks for the clarification Miyakoji. I remember now that we had a thread discussing the Kojaku Railway a while ago. 

 

The videos are very interesting, thanks for posting them. I notice the steam dome has been removed, most probably for clearance during transport, but no doubt the boiler inspector has already had their head in there to get some idea of the state the old girl’s boiler is in. That will be the most significant aspect of any restoration, as always. If the engine was stored dry and indoors, it will be in better condition than anything that was stored wet or outside. The general appearance of the engine suggests indoor storage to me, which is always a good start.

 

And notice how professional the crane operators were, not only with the slinging arrangements but the beautifully co-ordinated lift. Having done this a few times myself in my career I’m always impressed when I see a job done as well as this one was. I’ll be following this project closely to see how they go. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

Edited November 29, 2018 by marknewton

[miyakoji]

On 11/29/2018 at 5:47 AM, marknewton said:

If the engine was stored dry and indoors, it will be in better condition than anything that was stored wet or outside. The general appearance of the engine suggests indoor storage to me, which is always a good start.

 

And notice how professional the crane operators were, not only with the slinging arrangements but the beautifully co-ordinated lift. Having done this a few times myself in my career I’m always impressed when I see a job done as well as this one was.

 

Mark,

 

Here's another video that I think will be of interest to you.  This is a tour on Dec 2 (JST) of Tobu's Minami-Kurahashi shops, if I understand the title correctly it required pre-registration and an admission fee, as opposed to just being an open day.  C11 1 and some of its pieces are on display.  Looks kinda rough to me but of I've never restored a steam locomotive :).  What do you think?

 

At one point you can see painted on its cab what is I assume the name of the owner during the Hokkaido phase of its life, Kushiro Development Pier Company (my translation).  Below that is a list of positions and names in the company, starting with president and ending with 3 engineers, and then the date Showa 50 (1975) October 18.  Maybe that was the loco's retirement, I'm not sure.  According to Japanese Wikipedia, the company transported oil until June 1999 and was dissolved March 22, 2000.

 

They operated two lines, the 2.1km Futo (Pier) Line which they took over from Yubetsu Railway on April 15, 1970, until February 1, 1984.  They also operated the 1.7km Nishiko (West Port) Line from December 1, 1977 until September 10, 1999.

 

As for the crane operators, yeah it looks real nice and smooth.  Somewhere on YT there's a particularly brutal video of a brand new diesel loco being hoisted off a ship, and they drop it.

 

Video by Azuma Takeshi, a great source for Tobu coverage:

 

Japanese Wikipedia page for Pier Line, with map:  https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/釧路開発埠頭埠頭線

Google Map centered between Shin-Fuji and Kushiro Stations.  You can easily see the right of way for the Nishiko Line (yellow line from Wikipedia map) on the south side of Shin-Fuji Station, and it looks like the Futo Line (red line) may have become streets, south of the yard on the east side of the Shinkushiro River: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9967509,144.3636923,2921m/data=!3m1!1e3

Edited December 2, 2018 by miyakoji
open day vs tour

[bikkuri bahn]

Good info from Miyakoji.  Here is later footage from the diesel era Nishi-ko Line.

 

Edited December 3, 2018 by bikkuri bahn

[marknewton]

That’s a great video, thanks for posting it.

 

As you say, the engine looks a bit rough. But judging by the video it’s complete, and I’m now even more certain it’s been stored under cover. That’s a good thing, as it means there’s probably minimal damage caused by corrosion. Looking at the frame and structure around the rear of the loco where the cab and bunker have been removed, it all appears to be in fairly good condition.

 

If the boiler hasn’t had wet lagging in contact with it for a long period then it should also be in good condition externally. I didn’t see any obvious signs of the cladding being damaged by corrosion, which is a good indication that the lagging underneath is dry.

 

The wheels appear to have reasonably thick tyres, which is another good thing to start with. The rods and motion also look complete and in good order. The side tanks look a bit ordinary, but thats easily made good as it’s a simple fabrication job. 

 

 The workshop itself looks to be very well set up, so I’d say that the restoration team will be up to the challenge. If I was let loose in there I think you’d need to drag me out by the hair!

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

Edited December 4, 2018 by marknewton

[katoftw]

Any more news on C11-1?

[Kiha66]

Most recent info I've found is from people doing shop visits in the summer of last year, sounds like winter 2020 was their target date although I suspect that might slip due to covid effects as has happened to most restorations lately.

 

https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/trafficnews/trend/trafficnews-87491.html

[katoftw]

Thanks. I couldn't find anything recent. Was assuming English vs Japanese translation killing my search.

[Kiha66]

Yep, it took a lot of translated searches to find info.  I'm sure one of our fluent members could do better.

[miyakoji]

Apparently they are looking to complete this by the end of 2021.  They have decided it will be numbered C11 123.

 

https://railf.jp/news/2020/11/07/190000.html

[katoftw]

Oh interesting. Wont be in Japan til 2022. So might get to see it. Son want to visit SL sheds of Tobu.