Class D52

Class D52
Preserved D52 235 in Sagamihara, January 2011
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder etc. Build date 1943-1946
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-8-2 (1-D-1) Mikado Gauge 1,067 mm Length 21,105 mm Loco weight 85.13 t
Career Retired 24 December 1972

The Class D52 is a type of 2-8-2 steam locomotive built by the Japanese Government Railways and various manufacturers from 1943 to 1946. The name consists of a "D" for the four sets of driving wheels and the class number 52 for tender locomotives that the numbers 50 through 99 were assigned to under the 1928 locomotive classification rule.

The design of D52 was based on the D51 which was launched in 1936. A total of 285 D52 locomotives were built.

The D52 was one of the most powerful locomotives in Japan in its time. They were called "Degoni".

In response to the declined demand for freight trains after the end of World War II in 1945, from 1948 to 1949, 42 D52s were converted to JNR Class C62 for use on express passenger trains, reusing the original boilers of the D52s.

Most of the D52s have been scrapped. However, seven locomotives have been preserved.

D52 1, October 2005

D52 70, April 2011

D52 72, March 2011

D52 136, March 2011

D52 402, January 2011