Diesel Locomotive
Class DD13 |
The first Japanese domestically mass-produced standard small to middle sized diesel-mechanical locomotive for shunting operations. |
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Japan's Diesel Locomotives had only a very short history.
There were only six classes of thirteen engines with the Government Railway during pre-WW2. The Ministry of Railways made a prototype for yard works with eight small sized Class DB10 (1932-1943) engines. Two were narrow gauged engines Class KeDB10 and Class KeDB11 (1932-1943) which were transferred from the nationalized Miyazaki Prefectural Railway. The Ministry of Railways imported for research purposes, two engines from Germany. They were Class DC10 (1929-1944) and Class DC11 (1930-1944). Japan later domestically produced prototype diesel engine Class DD10 (1935-1947) which were partial copies from the imported engines DC10 and DC11.
The performance of these engines was not good, and in addition, there was a scarcity of oil during the war. Therefore, all engines were scrapped until the war's end. (Only the DD10 was kept safe until after the war, it was later preserved, nevertheless, it was later scrapped during 1965.)
They consisted of eight General Electric engines and were named #8500. (US Army Transportation Corps, No.8584-8589,8592 and 8593). After the occupation during 1956, five of eight 8500s were transferred to the JNR and the name was changed to Class DD12 No.1-5, and the other three 8500 engines were sold to private railway companies. In the 1950s, JNR adopted a serious stance in regard to the propulsion program of dieselization. The JNR dieselization program had two courses, one was the development of a large-sized diesel locomotive for main lines, and another was a branch line or shunting operational middle-small sized diesel model. Nine test models were produced for the middle-small sized diesel models during 1954, and they were named Class DD11. And during 1957, the first Japanese domestically mass-produced diesel locomotive design was planned. It was based from the DD11 and engine power was enhanced. So in March 1958, Japan's first mass-produced diesel locomotive DD13 No.1 was produced at the Kisha Seizo Co. (serial number 2790). Class DD13 was manufactured for a total of 416 engines between 1958 and 1967. DD13's were deployed all over Japan's large city yards, and replaced aging steam engines.... However, DD13 was a bit heavy axle loaded, therefore DD13 couldn't be used on many branch lines, so DD13 engines were restricted to yard work. When Shinkansen was opened in the year of 1963, sixteen DD13's were reconstructed to 1435mm (4ft 8.5 inch) Shinkansen Gauge, and were named to Class 912 No.1-13 and No.61-67. The culling of degraded DD13's began in 1978, and all were retired by 1987. But, a few of DD13s were sold to private railway companies and some of them were still active on private railways during 2009. Eight DD13's were preserved in museums and parks including No. 1.
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Preserved engine DD13 No.1 (1958 - 1984)
After DD13 No.1s inception, it's first deployment was to Shinagawa depot and it worked in the Shinagawa and Tokyo yard shunting operations for it's entire lifetime until retired during June 1984. Finally, DD13_1 was kept for safekeeping because of it's historical value. And her color was returned to an original coating color (Brown with a yellow line) when exhibited in the new museum during 2007. |
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Class DD13, No.1 Biographic Data Chart
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