Chinese steam - SY 1217 struggles with a loaded coal train

[SUPERDAVIDLEVINE]

theere is something streng about chins steam the engine are t rather small copppies of prewold 1 US engines and the track and brides lok heftey enongh some smething heavy hard to beievei nthe 30,s tried a few4-8-4s wre they just to aead of there time like FM diesles but waht strikes me is the larger ones 2-10-2s have worhtington Feedwaterer heates and pumps I wonderif like a lot thing the Russian coppied them, and the 2-1-0-2have blinded center drivrs few US had them after the mid 20,s strang

[MickeyLove01]

they usually have a loco on each end

[papoocanada]

steam locomotives have been operated for about 185 years, no one has ever died because of so-called pollution from them..

[pennyf9]

thats a nice loud locomotive! oh and whoever thinks the train is "causing global warming" or "hurtung the environment" just get over it! diesels are more worse, but you can't see there exhaust. China uses steam because steam is better! cheaper, and especially more reliable. 1 steamer can pull that long train. LONG LIVE STEAM!

[deepskanker]

stop moaning about pollution! they used steam because its cheap. What would u rather see! a cleaner diesel or some poor chinese children much worse off because things are expensive? Or do they just stop trading and die to fit into your perfect pollution free world? you cunts.

[Cyclist051]

Well, we certainly do not want to say "nuts to the environment." Certainly not and actually mean it. But the point is well-taken that all the steam loco's in the world do not in a year create the atmospheric or overall environmental impact that a small portion of the world's fleet of aircraft create in a day. We could do away with all coal-fired steam power and be effectively no better off environmentally. But, the point about coal burning in general, and particularly in China, is correct. BAD!

[balmesh]

Nuts to the environment. One jet over the Atlantic does more harm than 50 steam engines!

Alan

[gaycowboy31]

I just was in China in November 2009 and saw quite a few of these little SYs working in coal mines and at a steel mill

[TrainHobbyNet]

Is this place Meihekou?

5*****

[4beatlefans]

Tremendous! Thanks for posting. Looks slightly on the 'chilly' side there...

[gwilly6356]

balls to the evniroment this is mint

[dickthedalek]

cool

[storzette]

>what an assault on the clean-outdoor-air act !

OH! the humanity...and all those who have died from 2-nd hand steam & cinders .

[Isochest]

Come on now! I love the smell of smoke and ash! :-))) Better than many smells I can think of.

[arkansastrash320]

Its not just steam engines look at coal fired power plants too.Wish they had a device to install on steam engines whitch would clean the exhaust up before it is released outside.That would be so sweet,But i would gladly smell some coal smoke in order to see a fine steam engine roaring anyday..

[ramdude12]

@arkansastrash320 there have been new computerized steam locomotive designs meant to free us from oil that would computers to fire the boiler and a bag car to direct the exhaust through to clean it up, but alas no one has put the money out for one to be prototyped yet

[dueltruckman]

@ramdude12 we should do that

[125sloth]

What comes out of the funnel is not steam. It also contains carbon, sulphur, just to name two pollutants. Even cinders from the fire box, which is why they even ban excursion steam trains from most lines on days of high fire danger.

[qianjin6639]

Right - but it's mainly steam. The effect is also more exaggerated because of the extreme cold (minus 30 degrees on this day). In the summer time in the same place you wouldn't see anything. My point was that steam trains are not the sole cause or even a major cause of pollution in China. Remember also - this video was shot in 2006 when there was maybe 500 steamers still in China compared to 10000, 10 years and the pollution is worse now.

[125sloth]

I'm not having a go at the video. it's top shelf stuff. I just can't understand how they are so backward with still having so much steam, yet have modern stuff in major cities. But as for polution on any level, the Chinese still have a lot to learn about clean air. And how to buy modern locomotives. it's not like they haven't got he money.

[Superedit]

Think about it - it's because they have an abundance of coal. Cheap and plentiful...

[WhyAyeMann]

Well, it maybe just the fact that they dont NEED to switch to diesel.

[Isochest]

Really, they do not:-)) On busy routes, electrification is what they'll go for. Hopefully the USA will stop penalising railways for investing (property tax) to get class 1 routes wired.

[Isochest]

Spot on: The Steamers are and were no problem:-))) The pollution problem would also be lower with the extreme cold weather

[dueltruckman]

@qianjin6639 correct steam should be brought back, it also creates a whole lot more jobs with mathince

[pennyf9]

@dueltruckman I totally agree! we need more jobs!

[gaz318]

Steam loco's are not a risk on hot dry days with the right equipment, mainline steam loco's in the UK now have internal spark arrestors fitted as a requirement to combat this, not sure about China though.

[arkansastrash320]

Wow you mean they are still running mainline steam in the UK man thats sweet...

[gaz318]

Indeed they are, albeit now on special tours as tourist attractions than everyday trains.

[125sloth]

Not hard to see why the Chinese are the worst air polluters of the developed world.

[qianjin6639]

I would suggest that the Chinese are ONE of the worst polluters and of the developING world. I would also suggest that the pollution doesn't come from this single engine - 99% of what you see is steam - which is just water.

[franklinterrier]

nice