The Class KF (聯盟型, 'Confederation class', re-designated "ㄎㄈ" or "KF") was a 4-8-4 mainline passenger steam locomotive type built in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

by the

Vulcan Foundry The Vulcan Foundry Limited was an English locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire (now Merseyside). History The Vulcan Foundry opened in 1832, as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches, crossin ...

for the railways of China. Between 1935 and 1936, 24 locomotives were built for the

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

–

Hankou Hankou, alternately romanized as Hankow (), was one of the three towns (the other two were Wuchang and Hanyang) merged to become modern-day Wuhan city, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers whe ...

Railway designated as the 600 series. Following World War II, and the establishment of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, the Chinese Government assumed control of the railway and re-designated the engines in 1954 as the "ㄎㄈ" class ("ㄎㄈ" being the

Zhuyin Bopomofo (), or Mandarin Phonetic Symbols, also named Zhuyin (), is a Chinese transliteration system for Mandarin Chinese and other related languages and dialects. More commonly used in Taiwanese Mandarin, it may also be used to transcribe ...

characters for "K(o)-F(o)") from the first two syllables of "''Confederation''", and in 1959 as the "KF" class.

History

In July 1933, the Guangdong–Hankou Railway was in need of new motive power for their being finished

Shaoguan Shaoguan (; Hakka: Seukoan) is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong Province ( Yuebei), South China, bordering Hunan to the northwest and Jiangxi to the northeast. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch ...

line (capital of Guangdong Province to the northern border of the province). However, this particular line had been burdened with gradients of around two percent as well as curves with less than radi, and low capacity bridges. This necessitated a locomotive design that had more tractive effort while retaining a low axle load. The railway approached the Vulcan Foundry in Britain, who devised a series of 24 locomotives of a 4-8-4 wheel arrangement. The engines were a significant improvement over previous designs, incorporating a more efficient E-type superheater and duplex steam valve to allow better steaming without enlarging the boiler. The 4-8-4 wheel arrangement allowed for better weight distribution as well as improved handling on sharp curves. When the

Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a popul ...

- Canton Railway was completed in October 1936, the class KF 1 - 24 locomotives During World War II the locomotive was transferred to Guangxi Province through Hunan–Guangxi Railway, free from Japanese occupied zone. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the locomotives were repaired and upgraded to use in

Shanghai–Nanjing Railway The Shanghai–Nanjing or Huning Railway Chinese: t , s , p ''Hù–Níng Tiělù''. is a railway in China running from Shanghai to Nanjing. The railway is about long. The Huning line is one of the busiest in China. The Shanghai–Nanjing i ...

. Most of the class KF survived the 1937 - 1945 Sino-Japanese war. They retained their old classification and continued in service up to early 1970s. Builder details: * KF 1-16 2D2-h2 520x725 1752

4668 - 4683 / 1935 Renumbered to 'KF' 601 - 616 * KF 17-24 2D2-h2 520x725 1752 Vulcan Foundry 4696 - 4703 / 1936 Renumbered to 'KF' 617 - 624

Preservation

Chinese Government Railways Class KF7 No 607 at NRM York

Two examples are known to have been preserved. KF7 was presented by the

Chinese Government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...

to the

National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant ...

, England in 1981. Another KF class locomotive is preserved at the Beijing Railway Museum, China.

References

External links

* * {{Locomotives of China Vulcan Foundry locomotives Steam locomotives of China 4-8-4 locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of China Railway locomotives introduced in 1935 Passenger locomotives