JNR Class DD51

The Japanese National Railways Class DD51 is a diesel-hydraulic locomotive type with a B-2-B wheel arrangement that has operated in Japan since 1962. A total of 649 locomotives were built between 1962 and 1978 by Kawasaki Sharyo, Hitachi and Mitsubishi. The class was designed for mainline passenger and freight work with more power than the steam D51 and a higher top speed than the C62 steam class, which was achieved by fitting two 1,100 horsepower engines in an 18 metre centre-cab body. The V12 DML61 engines were developed from the six-cylinder inline DMF31 engines used in the Class DD13. Variants include locomotives built to work in multiple and others built without steam generators for train heating. After privatisation in 1987 the locomotives passed to the JR companies, and by April 2016 only 29 remained in operation. Several were shipped to Myanmar and Thailand, and seven are preserved.