Chinese steam - SY 1217 struggles with a loaded coal train

SY 1217 coasts into Heishantou and struggles to keep the train moving.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• China
• Chinese
• meihekou
• train
• steam
• locomotive
• SY

[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]

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.

[balmesh]

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

Alan

[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]

@dueltruckman I totally agree! we need more jobs!

[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.

[dueltruckman]

@ramdude12 we should do that

[dueltruckman]

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

[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!

[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