JNR Class C53

The Class C53 was a Japanese 4-6-2 steam locomotive built from 1928 to 1929, designed by Hideo Shima and built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company, Kisha Seizo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi, with 97 built in all. It is notable as the only non-experimental three-cylinder locomotive in the history of Japan's railways, and it used the Gresley conjugated valve gear, which gave it high performance on the main line. That mechanical complexity shortened its service life, especially after better locomotives such as the Class C59 and C62 entered production in the 1940s, and all 97 were retired by 1950. Only one locomotive, C53 45, has been preserved, at the Kyoto Railway Museum, formerly the Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum.