Taiwan C12→CK120 Steam Locomotive

The C12 class of the Taiwan Government Railway was identical in basic design to the Japanese National Railways C12 class. Five locomotives were built by Nippon Sharyo in 1936 for passenger service, and a further two, originally scheduled for 1941 but carried over to the following fiscal year, were completed in 1942, making a total of seven. Although they were of the same class as the Japanese C12, the locomotives for Taiwan were fitted with smoke deflectors from the outset. This was probably because they were intended for passenger service, and their weight was slightly greater as a result. After the war they were reclassified by the Taiwan Railways Administration as the CK120 class. On CK120 locomotives, the side number plates were mounted either on the side tanks, as in Japan, or below the cab. In some cases the position appears to have changed on the same locomotive over time, and the basis for this difference is unclear. In their final years they were allocated to Ershui (二水) and used for freight service on the Jiji Line (集集線). CK124 was restored to working order in 2001, assigned to Changhua Depot (彰化機関区), and used for various special-event operations. It is the only preserved locomotive of this class.