There are more than a few steam locomotives sitting in parks across Japan, enjoying their retirement.

I wanted to acknowledge the ones I happen across for all their hard work, so I started the Static Life Steam Locomotives Project, SLSL for short.

^{_{A map of the Static Life Steam Locomotives & more about the project is here.}}

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Baseball is a big deal in Japan. The national high school baseball championship is a big deal within that big deal, and it takes place annually in the Koshien Stadium – which was built expressly for the purpose.

The rest of the year the stadium is home to Hanshin Tigers, one of Japan’s most colourful and popular teams. I’d wager they’re the only team to ever have been cursed by a dead fast food magnate from beyond the grave.

Behind the stadium is a sleepy little neighbourhood with a sleepy little park in which sits a train, ensconced in its very own batting cage and just…

… left to rust.

It’s a little bit sad, especially when you think that there were only 381 of these engines made. There are, however, around 40 of them preserved around the country.

There’s even one made to look like Thomas the Tank Engine in Kyoto Railway museum.

Here’s a breakdown of the details about this train, taken from the wikipedia page.

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TYPE C11 (2-6-4T locomotive)

Built by the Japanese Government Railways and the Japanese National Railways from 1932 to 1947. A total of 381 Class C11 locomotives were built and designed by Hideo Shima.

Gauge : 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Leading diameter : 860 mm (34 in)
Driver diameter : 1,520 mm (60 in)
Trailing diameter : 860 mm (34 in)
Length : 12,650 mm (498 in)
Width : 2,936 mm (115.6 in)
Height : 3,900 mm (150 in)
Loco weight : 66.05 t
Cylinder size : 450 mm diameter x 610 mm
Valve gear : Walschaerts

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You can visit C11-311 here.