D51_498 was manufactured at the Ministry of Railways Takatori works serial No. 26,
during November 1940.
After its inception, D51_498 was deployed to Okayama, Suita, Taira .....
and transferred to the Nagaoka depot during October 1963.
Later, she worked at Nagaoka, Niigata area's Uetsu, Shinetsu and Hokuriku lines .....
During March 1972, D51_498 was transferred to Sakamachi depot,
and was retired from regular service when Uetsu line electrification took place on the 5th of August 1972.
A special steam event train was planned by JNR for the ceremony of its 100 year anniversary of that Railway during October 1972.
D51_498 was transferred to the Takasaki depot,
and pulled that event train on the Hachiko line.
Afterward, she was crossed off her registration on the 1st of December 1972.
She was transferred to Tsukiyono town, Gunma prefecture (currently Minakami town),
and D51_498 was preserved in front of Gokan station on the Jyoetsu line.
During October 1987, JR-East decided on a restored steam train.
JR-East looked for an engine in good condition, and decided to restore D51_498.
D51_498 entered the Omiya works and restoration was completed on the 25th of November 1988.
And her restored steam train service was started on the 23rd of December 1988.
During December 2008, she badly damaged her boiler, as indicated in the following news report.
After her ten months of repair, D51_498 went back to regular service from October 2009.
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