Kaiping Railway

 

 

CHINA’S  SECOND “FIRST” RAILWAY

 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF KAIPING TRAMWAY INTO

IMPERIAL RAILWAYS OF NORTH CHINA

 

BY  PETER CRUSH

 

[Part I: Introduction] [Part II: Rolling Stock] [Part III: Accident] 

 

Rolling Stock:

 

By early 1888 the rolling stock of the China Railway Company comprised:

 

2 ballast engines   8” x 16” cylinders (possibly the preserved “0” at Datong?)

2 six-wheeled Stephenson saddle tank engines  10½” x 18” cylinders

6 ten-wheeled tank engines from Dubs and Sharp, Stewart & Co. 15” x 18” cylinders

1 ten-wheeled engine from Grant, USA  15” x 20” cylinders

4 Dubs 4-4-0 “American” tender locomotives 17” x 24” cyinders

2 “Mogul” (2-6-0)  locomotives 17” x 24” cylinders (under construction by Dubs  of Glasgow)

 

 

 

The locomotives at this time were driven by mainly English drivers and a few local Chinese, all under the charge of Locomotive Superintendent G.D.Churchwood. The Traffic Department was headed by Manager R.W. Lemmon with two English Head-Guards with a staff of local officers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is also known that the following locomotives were ordered in the late 19th.Century and early 20th Century:

1887  3  Dubs 2-6-2 saddle tanks Nos. 5, 6 & 7
1888 4  Dubs 4-6-0 tender engines Nos. 11,12,13, & 14
1891  3  Dubs 2-6-0 tender engines Nos. 16,18 & 19
1892 2 Dubs 2-6-4 tank engines Nos. 23 & 24

3 Dubs 2-6-0 freight locomotives Nos.22.25 & 26

1896 12 more of the above Nos. 27 – 38 incl.
1897 5 Baldwin “Mogul” Nos. 39 ,20, 41,42 & 43

3 Baldwin  4-4-0 express locomotives Nos. 44,45 & 46

4 Baldwin 0-6-0 shunting side tank engines Nos. 47,48,49& 50

1899 2 Baldwin “Mogul” freight engines Nos. 58 & 59
1902-3 25 North British “Mogul” freight engines (similar in design to the above) Nos. 74 – 99 incl.
1903-6 8 North British 4-6-0 passenger engines Nos. 107- 116
1905-6 7 Tongshan built “Mogul” freight engines Nos. 100 - 106
1906 4  North British “No.1 Class?” shunting engines (probably 0-6-0) Nos. 70,71,72 & 73
1907 8 Tongshan built “Mogul” engines Nos. 117- 124

6 more ten-wheeled saddle tank engines from North British Nos. 1,2,3,4,8 & 9

3 more of the above built locally at Tongshan Nos. 10,17 & 20

1909 11 more “Moguls” probably Tongshan Nos. 125-135
1910 3 Tongshan built 4-6-0 tender locomotives Nos. 51,52 & 53
1913  6 “Moguls” probably Tongshan
1914 6 “Moguls” probably Tongshan Nos. 142-147
1914 2 Baldwin 2-6-2 tank engines Nos. 154 & 155

1 Tongshan built superheated “Mogul” (the first) No. 148

1914 1 Baldwin (the first of several) 2-6-0 “Consolidation” No 156 (tenders built at Tongshan)
1915 2  Tongshan built 2-6-4 tank engines Nos.?
1915-16 5 more Tongshan superheater “Moguls” Nos. 149 – 153

 

 

The first Tongshan locomotives seem to be the “Moguls” constructed in 1904 which were based on the original Baldwin imports of 1899. The Tongshan works developed rapidly and by 1915 some 3000 men were employed in its shops. Apart from locomotive construction (initially using many imported parts) the shops turned out most of the company’s rolling stock of carriages, freight cars and tenders.

 

 

 

 

 

  Continue to [Part III: Accident]

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