NI HAO --- GOOD DAY !!!!

Yes, it is a very good day for internet Chinese steam today, with the happy news from Yanzhou Coal Railway, of:

QJ 3461, PULLED OUT OF DEAD STORAGE AND PUT IN SERVICE !!!!

QJ 6811, active

QJ 7189, surrounded by weeds and boarded up, but with a fresh overhaul from Laiwu

QJ 7190 and QJ 7191, OVERHAULS IN PROGRESS !!!!

This news was relayed from the Chinese website http://www.railwayfan.net via Joeri Vanvaerenbergh in our Steam in China Yahoo group. Since some of my photos have been used on Chinese websites without my permission, and sometimes without credit to me, I'm going to attach some of these in the same way with no harm intended. Thank you, Mr photographer !!!!

Xie Xie,
Qian Jin Siji

Great news indeed Sammy.

I'm actually as intrigued with the jacking rig as I am with the work on the QJ. Way practical way to get wheels in and out without a drop pit.

dave

I am also curious about the standard requirement of a drop pit. With all the hydraulic jacks currently available, why is a drop pit still desired in many shops?

Also, is "railwayfan.net" mainland China based? Is there an active railfan community in China? I guess that shows how far their quality of life has risen, that they can engage in hobbies such as railway preservation.

Fellas,

To answer you all quickly:

1) The jacking arrangement is typical in China, and there are still dozens of steam shops so equiped over there !!!

2) One good reason for having a drop pit as well as jacks, is so that you have the option to only remove a single wheelset at a time, if there's only one that needs to be fixed....

3) Yes, railwayfan.net is mainland China based. They certainly DO have some very serious steam nuts and train freaks, model railroaders, and railway photographers over there !!! For one thing, the Bachmann plant is in China, and besides their European and American lines, they make a very complete line of Chinese models, steam/diesel/electric locomotives and freight/passenger/caboose wagens. There are also several awsome steam museums, and scattered throughout China are other engines in meditation gardens, fixed up nice and kept as pets by the old rails.... some of these will function, no problem....

This latest news makes me wonder what's new in Pingdingshan, where I know there is a very strong pro steam faction aong both management and workers....

Great news Sammy! Thanks for posting. it is defiantly preservation of an era gone by.

Great to see some positive steam news from China for a change.

Dave- I guess these jacking rigs weren't unknown over here. I've seen a photo somewhere of an SP 2-8-8-4 (one of the Lima engines) being lifted like this apparently outside of a shop.

Does anyone know if they were very common?

The jacking set is very common in smaller steam locomotive shops in China. One set of jacks are in a fixed position and the cross jacking beam goes below rail level and makes up that section of rail. This set is always the rear of the locomotive. This jacking beam lifts the frame . The other set of jacks have wheels which roll on rails that are set floor level . This makes the jack set adjustable to any length of locomotive. This set of jacks crossbeam goes under the pilot beam but will not move below the track level so jack sets are at end of shops.. Jacks are about 15 feet tall. Will lift a QJ to remove all wheels at least 6 feet of rise and about 135 ton capacity for the set of four. Screws are over 5 inchs in diameter. I have not been able as yet to find out the offical capacity.
Presently I know of a couple of sets for sale in China . Price on flat rack USA port about $25,000.00 used- motors are 380 volt 50 HZ. Could probably find out what a new set would cost