Was wondering if anyone has photos or videos of Chinese steam locos recently sent to the US being unloaded from ship to dockside? I know this was not out of the ordinary as our diesel locos are regularly exported but got to wondering just what a steam loco transfer would look like.
Northtowne
Northtowne: There have been a number of Threads her on this Forum referencing the Chinese QJ’s and the what if’s involved in first of all getting them built to US Spec and then Imported and then a place to run them.
Lots of different ideas have been expressed.
Forum member edblysard who lives and works around Houston authored a thread here with pictures of the QJ’s on the docks at Houston and loaded for transport on some QTTX flatcars to IAIS RR.
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/34832/443559.aspx#443559
and Member rdganthracite on 04-06-2005 expressed skepticism that the Qj’s would never be imported.
"…If you were able to get the QJ locomotives to the US you would not be able to fire them. Chinese steamers do not meet ASME codes for fired pressure vessels. The few steam locomotives that were constructed for export to the US required years of design negotiations, welder certifications, and inspections before the US fired pressure vessel stamps were issued. To expect the boards to certify a used, non compliant boiler, for operation in close proximity to the public is very unrealistic…"
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/75465/905814.aspx#905814 This link is to the Double-head trip
Thanks samfp1934, helps a lot, forgot about edblysard’s unloading them.
Northtowne