#4273

China Railways DF5

🇨🇳 China ·built by CRRC Tangshan Co., Ltd.· from 1976· Chinese locomotive class

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. DF5-1204于拉萨站外: Shunyan Gu· CC BY-SA 4.0
2. China Railways DF5 1295 20170117: Changzhensky· CC BY-SA 4.0
3. 201908 DF5-6004 at Fuquan Station: MNXANL· CC BY-SA 4.0
4. China Railways DF5 0007Ⅱ 20111007: 颐园新居· CC BY-SA 3.0
5. China Railways DF5 2025: Alancrh· CC BY-SA 3.0
6. DF5-1765 成局西段新津站: Shunyan Gu· CC BY-SA 4.0
7. DF5 1134 in Sungang (September 2007): The original uploader was Galla at Chinese Wikipedia .· CC BY-SA 3.0
8. 201507 DF5-1866 at SRA: MNXANL· CC BY-SA 4.0
9. 201708 DF5-1363 at Zhangping Station: MNXANL· CC BY-SA 4.0
10. 201901 DF5-2020 at Jiujiang Station: MNXANL· CC BY-SA 4.0

what is it?

The DF5 (Chinese: 东风5 (Dōngfēng 5) or "East Wind") is a diesel-electric locomotive used by China Railway in the People's Republic of China. It has been in production since 1976 and was still produced as of 2006 by several local companies. It is the most common road switcher locomotive in China and is used for yard and road switching duties.

who runs it

China State Railway Group Korean State Railway

base stats

speed 100 km/htop speed
power 1.3 MWpower output
weight 138 tin working order
built 1,146made in total

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 50 years ago, in 1976.
1.3 MW is about 16 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
Weighs about as much as 23 African elephants (~6 t each).
18 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.

diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).

spec sheet

built: 1976–2006
number built: 1,146
kind: Diesel-electric
traction: diesel
origin: 🇨🇳 China
builders: CRRC Tangshan Co., Ltd., CRRC Dalian Co., Ltd., CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd.
operators: China State Railway Group, Korean State Railway
top speed: 100 km/h
power: 1.3 MW
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement: Co′Co′
length: 18 m
weight: 138 t
nicknames: "Earthquake" (early models only) , "QJ Killer"

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q280617, Wikipedia: China Railways DF5 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.