International Railroad Discussion > Japan--Kumamoto

Three shots taken in Kumamoto in summer of 1972

#1--C11 approaching Kumamoto station with local passenger train
#2--D51 #255 
#3--D51 at enginehouse 

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Modern drivers and elesco FWH.  

Love shot #3! Most "historic" shots of "Degoichi" (nickname for 2-8-2 D51) in railfan magazines and on web sites avoid the grittiness shown in your shot. D51 was primarily a freight locomotive, so that smoky air, and the industrial look of the engine house seem so appropriate to what D51 was back in the day, an industrial workhorse.

The modern Degoichi is romanticized in pop culture, and current generation of railfans only see it polished, pulling a matching set of passenger cars (D51-498, and within a year or two, D51-200 which is being rebuilt).

Thanks for another C11 shot (#1) and I look forward to more "Showa Era" shots.