Japanese Government Railways class C11

The C11 was a 2-6-4T tank locomotive designed by Hideo Shiima for service on secondary lines. It was closely based on the C10, but had a reduced weight thanks to the increased use of welding. Production started in 1932 at several companies and by 1947, a total of 381 had been completed. The first batches had a boiler pressure of 14 bars, but this was raised to 15 bars from 1935. Starting with C11 141 built in 1940, the water tanks had been enlarged, leading to an increased adhesive weight. From 1943, the smoke deflectors were made from wood to save steel. The class could mainly be seen in commuter service and the first ones were withdrawn in 1960 due to the introduction of diesel railcars. But until the end of the sixties, some of the remaining locomotives were even used in express service. A total of 52 have been preserved, six of which are still in working condition.