B6
was a designation used by the Railroad Work Bureau (an ancestor of the
present JR), when it established a locomotive model type designation
system in 1898. The D51 is well-known. The B6 steam locomotive was
constructed based on a grand design developed in the U.K. Depending on
manufacturing years and manufacturers, it has four variations called
2100, 2120, 2400 and 2500 models. This particular specimen exhibited
here is numbered 2412, which was manufactured by the Hanover
Corporation of Germany in 1904 and imported to Japan for the
transportation of military supplies to fulfill logistical needs in the
Russo-Japanese war. This steam locomotive became a part of the fleet
operated by the Railroad Work Bureau in April 1905 and was used on the
Chuo line in the Taisho era and on the Taketoyo line and Takayama line
in the Showa era. It was discontinued in January 1948 in the Takayama
Locomotive station and then sold to the Yokkaichi Factory of Ishihara
Sangyo Kaisha, where it was used on the private line developed on the
factory premises until July 1968 for the transportation of cargos and
commuting employees.
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