In 2001:

http://abpr2.railfan.net/abprphoto.cgi? ... 1-2001.jpg

I would make a bet it is now rebar in the big dam project. I think it is called "7 Gorge Dam" or some such. Making the price of scrap metal jump daily!

What you're referring to is the Three Gorges Dam. It will be the largest hydroelectric generating plant in the world when completed. Much of the controversy surrounding the project stems from the inundation of thousands of historical and archeological sites as well as the flooding of the famed Three Gorges-subject of many famous Chinese artists and writers over the centuries. Many archeologists and historians are distressed that the government teams were allowed insufficient time to document the sites that have been or will be destroyed.

For anybody who's interested, Baotou Steel still has a fleet of SYs working part of the mill and slag dump, and some interesting preserved examples of older Chinese steam types on the property, including a fireless engine, an 0-8-0, and a 2-6-2. The following is an itenerary for the next steam trip to be led by my friend, Xuejun Liu friendctsjun@hotmail.com It will be a small group, and they could accomodate a few more. I can't go, but the lucky stiffs who can might have a chance to catch the last known use of QJs for line haul movements right before they bite it.

Now some reason have to let me to edjust our Oct itinerary,also I put flight timetable and new cost ,it is following:
a:Xingyang and Yingaho N.G stoped working.
b:Yanzhou only 2 QJ parking Dadong depot ,mostly only working around 200 meters in station,also very diffcult to visit and too mouch money to pay,so let us thinking this itinerary:


Oct 24:meet you in Beijing airport,stay in Beijing airport hotel.
Oct 25: CA1138 Beijing 9:15 ----- Huhehaote 10:20,road to Baotou , visit Baotou stell mail in the afternoon.3 star hotel.
26: photo in Baotou stellmail,T2635 14:3 to Lanzhou ,all noght soft sleeper.
27: arr at 7:40 ,then road to Baiyin and photo all day. SY 2-8-2 CLASS.
28:Baiyin photo.
29: Baiyin photo in the morning,then road to Lanzhou and k295 16:01----6:29 to Hami in the afternoon,all night soft sleeper.
30: Sandaoling. JS 2-8-2 and SY 2-8-2 CLASS.
31: Sandaoling.
Nov 1 : Sandaoling, road to Hami in eveing and N881 23:00 to Wulumuqi.all night soft sleeper.
2: Arr at 7:53,HU 7487 Wulumuqi 10:00----- Chengdu 13:10 , and road to Shibanxi. 2star hotel.
3: Shibanxi. C2 0-8-0 class.
4 : Shibanxi.
5 : Shibanxi,road to Chengdu .3star hotel.
6 : CZ 3474 Chengdu 10:40 ------ Zhengzhou 12:10 ,road to Pingdingshan.4 star hotel.
7: Pingdingshan ,QJ 2-10-2,JS 2-8-2,SY 2-8-2 CLASS
8: Pingdingshan ,road toZhenzhou,K118 22:03 to Beijing,oer night soft sleeper.
9: arr at 5:35 ,taxi to Airport,HU 7115 Beijing 8:05 ------Mazhouli 10:15,then to BIG PIT take photo.3 star hotel.
10: photo all day,
11:photo in the early morning, HU 7116 Mazhouli 10:50 ------Beijing 13:10 ,our friends will change yourself flight back warmly home.
to your reply.

Speaking of QJs, what's the status of the QJ that was purchased by RJ Corman and was supposed to run in Kentucky?

[quote="QJdriver"]For anybody who's interested, Baotou Steel still has a fleet of SYs working part of the mill and slag dump, and some interesting preserved examples of older Chinese steam types on the property, including a fireless engine, an 0-8-0, and a 2-6-2.

Back in the early 1980's when my father went to China, he rode behind some RM class 4-6-2 engines. Are there any left?

I've only been involved with (ex) China Rail steam since 2005, so there is an awful lot I don't know, such as how long it's been since the last Pacifics were taken out of service. One thing I can tell you, however, is that the big museum in Beijing has at least one freshly overhauled, cherried out, steam tested example of both the RM and SL class Pacifics kept under cover in their enormous showroom.

Both times I visited Shenyang, the steam museum there was closed, but I know they also have several different classes of Pacifics in their collection, including a baby blue streamlined, Japanese built SL-6. Their engines were all put through the neighboring Sujiatun Steam Locomotive Workshop within the last few years. If China Rail ever gets the urge to run steam excursions, the possibilities are staggering....

I spent a lot of time in China from 1983 to 1989. The last Pacifics ran , as far as I know, in 1991. The SLs outlasted the RMs by a few months.

There were only two RM class locomotives reported in recent years; RM 1001 now at the Beijing Railway Museum; and RM 1163 in Centeral Park, Aioi City, Hyogo Province, Kinki District, Honshu Island, Japan. Central Park also had on display QJ 6200.

It was reported in 2006 that both engines in RM 1163 and QJ 6200 in Central Park have been scrapped. I don't know for certain if that is true or not.

I would think that the market for a rebuilt 4-6-2 would be greater than the market for a rebuilt 2-10-2, especially one that looked this good. Sadly it doesn't sound like many survived.

http://www.railography.co.uk/info/cn_st ... es/sl6.htm