International Railroad Discussion > Back in the days when one could travel the world

and there was still steam in a few places.  Here are three random pix from those days that seems so long ago now, even the last days of mainline steam in China.  First Guatemala in 1970, a Fegua freight departs Guatemala City across Puente de las Vacas heading toward Zacapa.  The IRCA had been nearly dieselized, but it fell on hard times financially and started putting stored steam back into service.  Not to long after that, in August 1972 I was able to chase this Baldwin 2-6-6-2 on the EFDTC in southern Brazil.  And more recently, or at least it seems like yesterday, I was able to chase 2-10-2's  in China.  Today, even if Covid didn't keep me at home, there is oh so little left.

JBWX

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Love that EFDTC Shot ! 
Those 2-6-6-2's were nice looking machines for sure.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/21 16:34 by train1275.

Very NICE series!

Larry

I was just wondering... Are there any more Chinese QJ's (2-10-2's) still running over there or did they cut them all up for scrap? I seem to remember them saying something about the last ones running in 2004.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/21 11:27 by patd3985.

patd3985 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was just wondering... Are there any more Chinese
> QJ's (2-10-2's) still running over there or did
> they cut them all up for scrap? I seem to remember
> them saying something about the last ones running
> in 2004.

I don't believe there are any running, but there may be some preserved and potentially runnable  For a year or two after regular service ended the Jitong folks were trying to run some railfan events (anything to seperate the roundeyes from our money) but I think it proved to be too little too far away to attract enough folks to make it worthwhile.  There is at least one open pit mining operation (Sandoling) that continues to use JF 2-8-2's.  I am a bit rusty on China, so corrections welcome if I got anything wrong.

But I do understand that one of the Baldwin 2-6-6-2's in Brazil has been restored to serviceable condition somewhere....anyone know the details?

JBWX



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/21 12:41 by jbwest.

When I went to China, they referred to us as "big noses."

jbwest Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> patd3985 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was just wondering... Are there any more
> Chinese
> > QJ's (2-10-2's) still running over there or did
> > they cut them all up for scrap? I seem to
> remember
> > them saying something about the last ones
> running
> > in 2004.
>
> I don't believe there are any running, but there
> may be some preserved and potentially runnable
>  For a year or two after regular service ended
> the Jitong folks were trying to run some railfan
> events (anything to seperate the roundeyes from
> our money) but I think it proved to be too little
> too far away to attract enough folks to make it
> worthwhile.  There is at least one open pit
> mining operation (Sandoling) that continues to use
> JF 2-8-2's.  I am a bit rusty on China, so
> corrections welcome if I got anything wrong.
>
> But I do understand that one of the Baldwin
> 2-6-6-2's in Brazil has been restored to
> serviceable condition somewhere....anyone know the
> details?
>
> JBWX

The three 2-6-6-2s (#203-05) were built in 1950,  among the last steam locomotives built by Baldwin.  When the Lauro Muller line was destroyed by flooding,  they were retired.  I believe two survive;   one was plinthed at Tuberao for years.  The very last Baldwin steam builds were the 1952 BLH 2-8-2s built for NSWGR in Australia (5900s if I remember correctly).