The last steam loco built in China - SY 1772

SY class locomotive no. 1772 was the last steam engine to be built in China in 1999. It is seen here on an early morning passenger service near Teifa, filmed on 17th October 2005 during a Railway Touring Company trip to China.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• steam
• train
• SY
• China

[andrewwatson68]

Tis' a shame that they had to give up the steam program

[hughrobertwright]

China was very keen to present a "modern image" to the rest of the world and so was replacing steam on many lines at the time when I visited in 2005 (a repeat of how we were in the 1960's). But I believe this line/region is still operated by steam as it has proved to be very popular. By the way the steam program here in the UK is well and truly thriving, look at the new A1 locomotive Tornado for example.

[UFPAlexraptor]

I personally love steamies. The unfortunate truth is that its not just the pollution thats an issue here. Its that diesels and Electric engines are more efficient, fuel storage more compact. A Steam engine needs both water and coal to run, while modern trains just need Diesel or Electricity. Plus they are more efficient cost wise than steamers as well.

[DarkTower97]

its all the enviromental scare. If we could run them on enviromentaly freindly stuff, we would see alot more.

[bilgerat671]

I wonder where the pattern makers went after building this loco.. I f anyone could point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.

On another note, I seriously have my doubts about steam being more efficient than diesels. I am a steam boater and my boat was engineered to be quite efficient with a monotube steam generator, etc., but I am not naive when it comes to energy transfer. Unless there's nuclear fuel rods involved, one will always be using more fuel in a steam engine.

[SMGJohn]

Modern steam engines are more compact and efficient then the older engines. If they built a top modern steam train, it would perform many times better then the most modern electric and diesel powered trains.

New boilers that boils water to steam in mathers of seconds, more compact ways to storage water. And these engines can burn parafin and other better fuels

[randommagnum]

That's so odd... I have never owned a car that new! :P

[oldsyphilitic]

@UFPAlexraptor Have a look at the work of the late Dante Livio Porta. Steam can be made far more efficient than diesel

[Soundwave3591]

really, we'll have to go back to steam engine or all the way to electric as the oil for Diesel engines is running out. the US, however, has made no real strides in electrification of freight services like other countries have.

[Yownanymous]

@DarkTower97 Oh yes. It's merely a scare, backed up by rather a lot of expensive scientific experiments and data.

[Yownanymous]

@pennyf9 I doubt you'd like China's approach to "jobs" if you were a worker there.

[pennyf9]

China is awsome mainly because they still use steam, they do not like electric or disel beacause its expensive and steam engines need lots of labor and more labor means more jobs! something America forgot.

[trainlover658]

i wanna see an SY run on nene valley railway :[

[gaycowboy31]

@hughrobertwright yah I got a few but I need to look at them first I wasnt as luckey as you on videoing here people were allways walking in front of the camra and talking too much however most of my video is going to be at Teifa as my camra died and that was all I had ..I do have at least one video of a runby with this SY leading the train..there is also at least one JS working there now too and there was talk of them tradeing a muselm so that they can get a running QJ on the Teifa line too