Taiwan 100→C41 Steam Locomotive

The 100 class was a 2-6-0T tank steam locomotive, of which only one was built in 1908 by the Pittsburgh Works of the American Locomotive Company (ALCO Pittsburgh). In the 1937 revision of class designations, it was renamed the C41 class. However, it was withdrawn the following year, converted to 1,000 mm gauge, and sent to mainland China, where it was used on the Tongpu Railway. After the war, it became class MG52. Tank locomotives with this wheel arrangement were at a disadvantage in terms of rear coal-bunker capacity and stability when running in reverse. For this reason, even in Japan there were only three comparable classes—the 2800, 2820, and 2850 classes—with a total of 22 locomotives. The Taiwan 100 class also consisted of just one locomotive, and the circumstances of its introduction to Taiwan remain unclear. Since no actual photograph has yet been confirmed, this illustration was prepared with reference to the official diagram and to the 2850 class.