The first batch of 65 locomotives was built between 1957 and 1962 with Sulzer 8-cylinder 8LDA25A 1,060 hp diesel engines.[1][2] Production was shared between Kisha Seizō, Mitsubishi, and Nippon Sharyō.[2]
DF50 1 on a passenger service in 1979
DF50 65 on a freight working in 1982
DF50-500
A later batch of 73 locomotives was built between 1958 and 1963 with MAN V6 V22/30 1,200 hp diesel engines.[1][2] Production was shared between Hitachi, Kawasaki, and Toshiba.[2]
DF50 573 on a passenger service in Shikoku in 1979
Operations
A pair of Class DF50s on a limestone freight working in 1983
Class DF50 locomotives were intended for use on both passenger and freight services, and included a steam generator for train heating.[3] They operated on the following lines, including use hauling "Blue Train" sleeping car services.[2]
In later years, operations were restricted to Kyushu and Shikoku, with the remaining locomotives withdrawn in 1983, except for DF50 1, which later passed into JR Shikoku ownership.[1]
Livery
The locomotives were initially painted in all-over maroon with stainless steel bands, but were subsequently repainted into the standard JNR diesel locomotive livery of vermillion and grey.[2]
^ abcd JR全車輛ハンドブック1995 [JR Rolling Stock Handbook 1995] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing. 1995. p. 71.
^ abcdefInoue, Kōichi (1999). 国鉄機関車事典: 蒸気・電気・ディーゼル機関車66形式 国鉄機関車辞典 [JNR Locomotive Encyclopedia] (in Japanese). Japan: Sankaido. pp. 182–183. ISBN978-4-381-10338-3.
^ abSasada, Masahiro (September 2012). 国鉄&JR保存車大全 [JNR & JR Preserved Rolling Stock Complete Guide] (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Ikaros Publications Ltd. pp. 34, 127. ISBN978-4863206175.
^DF50 18が津山に向けて陸送される [DF50 18 moved to Tsuyama]. RM News (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
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