Taiwan 48 → C34 → CK4 Steam Locomotives

The Pingxi Line (平渓線) was originally a private industrial railway laid by Taiyang Mining (台陽鉱業) to transport coal from the Shidi / Pingxi coalfield (石底／平渓炭田). Its steam locomotives Nos. 1 and 2 were built by Nippon Sharyo in 1921. In the early Showa period, however, the coal market deteriorated, and the company began seeking support from the Government-General of Taiwan. From the standpoint of controlling transport across Taiwan as a whole, the Government-General came to regard this line not simply as a mining railway, but as a route that should be incorporated into the Government-General Railway and used for both local passenger traffic and freight transport. In 1929, the line was purchased by the Government-General, became the Pingxi Line, and began passenger operation as well. These locomotives were also transferred to the Government-General Railway, becoming Nos. 48 and 49, and remained in service until 1938. Afterward, No. 48 was regauged to 1,000 mm and sent to mainland China, where after the war it became class XK51. No. 49, meanwhile, was sold to the Taipei Railway. After the war, when the Taipei Railway became part of the Taiwan Railway Administration, it was classified as CK4 and remained in service until 1951. Reliable specification data for these locomotives has not yet been found, but Nissha no Sharyō-shi (Photo Album: From the Founding to the 1940s) includes a photograph of one under construction at the factory, identified as Taiyang Mining No. 1. The Taiyang Mining company emblem is also visible on the side tank.