I visited Ome Railway Park after a long interval. What most left an impression was the Class E10 steam locomotive (hereafter SL).
The Class E10 was Japan's largest SL for narrow gauge tracks. It's a 2-10-4 (Whyte notation) type tank locomotive developed by the ex-Japanese National Railways in 1947. It's 14.45 meters long and weighs 102,100 kilograms. The diameter of the driving wheels is 1.25 meters. A total of five units were built by Kisha Seizo Company. Their primary mission was to climb up Itaya Pass on the Ou main line in the Tohoku District. For that purpose, the Class E10 has 10 driving wheels. Four of them don't have flanges to improve in curving performance.
Although the Class E10 was a powerful SL, its lifetime was very short. The track over Itaya Pass was electrified in 1949. The Class E10 lost its place, and was transferred to the Hisatsu line on Kyushu Island. It seemed to have a permanent home there, but life was not so easy. The Class E10 was soon replaced by the younger high-spec SL, namely the Class D51. The Class E10 was the star-crossed SL.
The large boiler and a line of five driving wheels were very impressive. I saw the Class E10 climb up a steep track right in front of me, but it was a daydream. The Class E10 was retired from the track in 1962. Only one unit, named E10 2, is currently preserved in Ome Railway Park.
