Taiwan No.10 to C31 Locomotives

When the No.10 to C31 locomotives were first introduced, Taiwan's railway was managed and operated by the Temporary Taiwan Railway Unit of the Imperial Japanese Army. Because the locomotives inherited from the Qing period alone were not sufficient to provide the required transport capacity, the Army brought additional locomotives from Japan. These four early locomotives were built to specifications broadly similar to the later Japanese Government Railways 1100 class. Although small, they had ample power and were versatile machines that could be used not only for hauling revenue trains but also for railway construction work. Two locomotives each were built by Nasmyth, Wilson and Beyer, Peacock. Externally, differences can be seen in the shape of the running boards above the cylinders. Of the two Nasmyth, Wilson locomotives, one was JGR No.83, built in 1887, which became No.13 on the Taiwan Government-General Railway. The other was built in 1894 and originally delivered to the Kyoto Railway before becoming No.12 in Taiwan. Both were procured by the Ministry of Communications in 1896 and sent to the Temporary Taiwan Railway Unit. The two Beyer, Peacock locomotives were built in 1892 and were initially used for construction work on the Yodobashi Water Purification Plant in Tokyo. After that work was completed, they became JGR Nos.167 and 168. In 1896, they were transferred from the Railway Bureau to the Temporary Taiwan Railway Unit and became Nos.10 and 11 on the Taiwan Government-General Railway. Nos.11 and 12 were withdrawn in 1936, while No.10 became class C31 under the 1937 change in class designations. After withdrawal, No.13 was transferred to Taiwan Sugar and continued in use as No.7 at Xinying Sugar Mill (新營糖廠) until 1971, so comparatively many records of this locomotive have survived.