what is it?
The China Railways JF17 (解放17, Jiěfàng, "liberation") class steam locomotive was a class of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives operated by the China Railway, built by Hudswell Clarke in the United Kingdom and by the South Manchuria Railway's Shahekou Works in 1931. At least four of these locomotives were originally built for the Jiaoji Railway, which numbered them in the 600 series. After the establishment of the collaborationist Provisional Government of the Republic of China during the Japanese occupation of China, the North China Transportation Company was formed in 1938 to operate railways in the territory of the Provisional Government, nationalising the various privately owned railways, including the Jihai Railway.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 95 years ago, in 1931.
- Weighs about as much as 24 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 21.5 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1931
- retired
- 1990
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 4
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇨🇳 China
- builders
- CRRC Dalian Co., Ltd., Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited
- operators
- Qingdao–Jinan Railway, North China Transportation Company, China State Railway Group
- top speed
- —
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 2-8-2
- length
- 21.5 m
- weight
- 145 t
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q42309973, Wikipedia: China Railways JF17 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.