Power type Steam Driver dia. 1,370 mm (53.94 in) | Total produced ~475 (1933-1959) | |
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Builder Kawasaki, Hitachi, Dalian works, Kisha Seizo Kwaisha, Shenyang works, Nippon Sharyo Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) Length 21.200 m (69 ft 6.6 in) | ||
The China Railways Liberation 6 (解放6) type steam locomotive (transliteration Jie Fang Liu: JF6) was a type of 2-8-2 mainline general purpose steam locomotive.
Contents
History
From 1933 locos were also supplied to the Japanese controlled South Manchurian and Manchurian National Railways in north-east China and classified MiKaRo (Japanese:ミカロ; MiKa = Mikado, Ro = 6). In 1935, construction of a modified design with a larger firebox commenced (an asterix is used to identify the original design in the statistics on the right). Production continued until the end of Japanese occupation in 1945. A final batch of five JF6 were built in China between 1958 and 1960. The well known SY class, built in China until 1999, is a development of the JF6 design.
China is thought to have supplied JF6 to North Korea and North Vietnam during the 1950s and 60s. Around 70 locos are thought to have gone to North Korea during the Korean War with up to 60 going to North Vietnam as class GP6 (Vietnamese: Giải phóng 6) during the Vietnam War. This number aligns fairly well with the missing numbers above 3475 but it is unlikely that China would send its newest JF6 abroad en-masse. Two dumped locos at Laibin, which are said to be ex-Vietnam, are early examples.
The JF6 was the predecessor of the more modern SY 2-8-2 class, and the PL2 and YJ 2-6-2s
Numbering
Although Chinese sources quote a number series of JF6 3001 - 3600, only locos numbered between JF6 3018 and 3475 have actually been reported. It is probable that the last 120 locos were never built as the highest number reported, JF6 3475, is one of the final batch and carries Shenyang 1959 plates.