Iowa Interstate's QJ 2-10-2 last weekend

Very nice!  Thanks for posting

Jeff
   Built in 1985? In China? Great video thanks for posting

JohnB

Well, at least she had a somewhat decent caboose ...

I see this all the time.  Railfans are so intent on getting their shot that they pay no attention to the others around them in step right in. 

Back in 2007 when I had the good fortune to ride behind a double header with 261 and 2816, we were stopped in La Crosse, WI for the Noon layover and it soon became evident that there was a freight about to pass on the parallel track.  Many of us lined up to try and get a good angle of the nose to nose meet between the lead diesel and the lead steam loco.  The was a nice young boy, maybe 10 years old, that had set up his SLR on a tripod in the perfect spot.  Being taller, I stood some distance behind him knowing I'd get the shot over him.  Some guy, at least 6 ft tall, lines up about 8 feet in front of the kid.  Nicely enough, he looks behind him, sees he's in the kid's line and squats down.  As the freight appears, he completely forgets where he is and stands up to get his shot.  Poor kid never pulled the trigger on his camera.  I have great memories of it because I was using a digital camera and have a whole series of photos where you can see the episode unfold.

Be kind and considerate to your fellow railfans.  This includes keeping conversations, especially the ones with adult words, to a minimum if you're standing near someone shooting video.

@JohnB posted:

Jeff
   Built in 1985? In China? Great video thanks for posting

JohnB

Yes this QJ was built in 1985! A short history on Chinese locomotives here in the U.S. The QJ I saw was one of two bought and arrived in the US in 2006; and is in the care of the Iowa Interstate, however 6988 is the one running right now. The engine, a 2-10-2, was built by the Datong Locomotive Works as a freight engine. Over all the years there were 4,700 built, with the majority built between 1964 and 1988.

There are also a few Chinese 2-8-2s class SY locomotives here in the US. One operating in Boone Iowa, on the Boone and Scenic RR; and one operating  in Essex on the Valley RR, where they have cosmetically made the engine appear more like a New Haven locomotive.

A fourth 2-8-2 was to come to the US, but the ship it was on sunk.

More information is out on the web detailing the history of these engines.

Bachmann made an HO scale model (actually, several) years ago of the QJs and I have always wanted one. It made sense for them to do it, seeing as they are in China and the prototypes served in China. It is a gorgeous locomotive and I would love one in O scale, but I am sure even if it were made I couldn't afford it.

@Byrdie posted:

I see this all the time.  Railfans are so intent on getting their shot that they pay no attention to the others around them in step right in.

Be kind and considerate to your fellow railfans.  This includes keeping conversations, especially the ones with adult words, to a minimum if you're standing near someone shooting video.

That's a good observation, Byrdie.  This is a burr under the saddle for many of us.  Your advice is excellent.  Let's all be decent and considerate.

I would have built a 17/64 QJ, but could not even get rudimentary elevation sketches.  For years after my inquiry the Chinese were trying to sell me feedwater heaters.

Um - I too would be considerate if someone were filming a locomotive, but these are public events and the public is entitled to wander around every bit as much as is the cameraman entitled to film.  If you want an unobstructed view, there are surely ways to arrange that.  Freedom is a double-edge sword - use it wisely and beware of those who would lock you down.  Besides, that really was a nice caboose.

@bob2 posted:

Um - I too would be considerate if someone were filming a locomotive, but these are public events and the public is entitled to wander around every bit as much as is the cameraman entitled to film.  If you want an unobstructed view, there are surely ways to arrange that.  Freedom is a double-edge sword - use it wisely and beware of those who would lock you down.  Besides, that really was a nice caboose.

I agree. I have been places where someone grabs the "prime perfect" shot and then yells at everyone else to get out of his line of sight. Or, he will grunt "I am taking a movie" when anyone tries to talk. I am not talking during a photo chartered event... I am talking sometimes just waiting at a station or a crossing or somewhere to see a train.

Railfans should work together so that everyone can get a nice picture, but the opposite is also just as true: one single person is not always entitled to the best picture (even if he was there first) at the expense of everyone else.

@Jeff B. Haertlein posted:

Yes this QJ was built in 1985! A short history on Chinese locomotives here in the U.S. The QJ I saw was one of two bought and arrived in the US in 2006; and is in the care of the Iowa Interstate, however 6988 is the one running right now. The engine, a 2-10-2, was built by the Datong Locomotive Works as a freight engine. Over all the years there were 4,700 built, with the majority built between 1964 and 1988.

There are also a few Chinese 2-8-2s class SY locomotives here in the US. One operating in Boone Iowa, on the Boone and Scenic RR; and one operating  in Essex on the Valley RR, where they have cosmetically made the engine appear more like a New Haven locomotive.

A fourth 2-8-2 was to come to the US, but the ship it was on sunk.

More information is out on the web detailing the history of these engines.

Jeff,

Thanks for the info.
Didn’t the Sussy Q have a Chinese 2-8-2 as well. They used to pull steam trains on weekends in Phillipsburg NJ. I have not seen it for a few years as I now live in Maryland. Maybe this one ended up on the Essex RR

JohnB

@Jeff B. Haertlein posted:

Yes this QJ was built in 1985! A short history on Chinese locomotives here in the U.S. The QJ I saw was one of two bought and arrived in the US in 2006; and is in the care of the Iowa Interstate, however 6988 is the one running right now. The engine, a 2-10-2, was built by the Datong Locomotive Works as a freight engine. Over all the years there were 4,700 built, with the majority built between 1964 and 1988.

There are also a few Chinese 2-8-2s class SY locomotives here in the US. One operating in Boone Iowa, on the Boone and Scenic RR; and one operating  in Essex on the Valley RR, where they have cosmetically made the engine appear more like a New Haven locomotive.

A fourth 2-8-2 was to come to the US, but the ship it was on sunk.

More information is out on the web detailing the history of these engines.

In doing some further research, the initial order for these 2-8-2s was three. It was the third engine that never made it to the US, as it sunk in the Indian Ocean. I am finding mixed histories on these engines, so perhaps another SY class came to be at some point. Sorry for the confusion on these 2-8-2s.

Yes the Susquehanna one went to Essex. Rode behind it in the dome car in NJ and did Hand of the Throttle with her at Valley RR in Essex.

@Scotie posted:

Yes the Susquehanna one went to Essex. Rode behind it in the dome car in NJ and did Hand of the Throttle with her at Valley RR in Essex.

So you are saying Essex Ct. Has Two 2-8-2's? When did the Suzie Q steam engine go to Essex?

The last I time I saw 142 was on the Beldel Phillipsburg NJ receiving 1472 day service.

@prrhorseshoecurve posted:

So you are saying Essex Ct. Has Two 2-8-2's? When did the Suzie Q steam engine go to Essex?

No.

Valley sold their SY to the Susquehanna in 1992 to replace the one that is sleeping with the fishes.  It's now owned by the Belvidere and Delaware River Valley Railroad and is currently out of service for rebuilding.

Valley's current SY was built for the Knox & Kane RR and was damaged in a fire.  They rebuilt it to resemble a New Haven Mikado.

Rusty

Thanks.  That "New Haven" Mike is elegant - at least when compared with the original SY.

@Jeff B. Haertlein posted:

There are also a few Chinese 2-8-2s class SY locomotives here in the US. One operating in Boone Iowa, on the Boone and Scenic RR;

Not to nit-pick, but the one in Boone, Iowa is in less than operating condition at the moment.