The DF4 (Chinese: 东风4) is a type of

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

used in 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 ...

. It has been in production since 1969 and is still produced as of 2007 by several local companies. It is the most common locomotive in China and is used for both passenger and freight services.

Models

DF4

The first DF4 was built in 1969 in Dalian. The first 108 locomotives that were built here are the original DF4s using the 16V240ZJ engine. It took seven years to build all 108 locomotives of this type. Due to unstable technique in the production of early-built DF4 locomotives, malfunctions of mechanic and electric parts occurred frequently during the operation, especially the diesel engine. Thus, most DF4 locomotives were taken out of service for maintenance, and

railroad engineer A train driver, engine driver, engineman or locomotive driver, commonly known as an engineer or railroad engineer in the United States and Canada, and also as a locomotive handler, locomotive operator, train operator, or motorman, is a pers ...

s from Fengtai Locomotive Depot sarcastically joked that the DF4 "can't make it from Dongdan to

Xisi Xisi () literally, the "Western Four" or the "Western Quadrangle", is the name of an intersection and surrounding neighborhood in Xicheng District, Beijing. Xisi, at the intersection of what is now Xisi Avenue and Fuchengmen Inner Avenue, dates to ...

", two neighborhoods of Beijing. Therefore, Dalian Locomotive Works introduced 16V240ZJA, an improved diesel engine. Few of the early series DF4 are still in operation. The first DF4 of the class is currently in permanent exhibition at the

Beijing Railway Museum The China Railway Museum () is a Chinese museum preserving locomotives that have operated on the railways of the People's Republic of China. The museum offers a total exhibition space of 16500m² and 8 exhibition tracks. The museum is located ...

DF4A

The DF4A distinguishes itself from first series DF4s with an improved engine, the 16V240ZJA. Production started in 1976 (the first model being DF4-0109) and lasted until 1984. The DF4A designation is unofficial.

DF4B

Nicknamed "Watermelon", "

Armed Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

", or "Orange". Generally speaking, "Watermelons" and "Armed Police" versions are used for freight, while "Oranges" (DF4 2000 Series) are manufactured with alternated gear ratio for the allowance of increased operation speed, intended for passenger services. DF4B are very similar to standard DF4, apart from an improved engine (16V240ZJB) and modified engine inlet filters in certain instances. Production started in Dalian in 1984.

DF4C

The DF4C was supposed to replace the DF4B as the main diesel locomotive in China and comes with several improvements, including a new engine revision (16240ZJC). The first DF4C was produced in 1985 and batch production started four years later, in 1989, and lasted until roughly the end of the 20th century. The first two DF4C (4001 and 4002) produced in 1985 continued the use of the DF4B hull. A new hull design is applied for the batch-produced configuration. The DF4C comes in a different color scheme than the previous DF4s, namely dark blue and later light blue and beige. The passenger version, informally called DF4CK, has an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement.

Gearing variations

The DF4, DF4B and DF4C were each produced with two different gear ratios, "passenger" (up to or for DF4C) and "freight" (up to ). The passenger variant was often painted orange.

DF4D

The DF4D, the most recent DF4 revision, has been produced since 1996 with the 16V240ZJD engine. The passenger versions increased top speed to or . The freight version comes in a different color scheme than the previous DF4Ds, namely green (7000 Series) and later light blue (4000 Series) and yellow. The green version sat on radial bogies but later converted to standard bogies. Their top speed to 100 km/h (62 mph). DF4D-7000 series are configured with shorter hull compared to standard DF4D series.

DF4DJ

The DF4DJ, originally DF4DAC, of which only 2 were built had AC drive technology supplied by Siemens. They were China's first AC drive diesel locomotive.

DF4DD

road-switcher A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive designed to both haul railcars in mainline service and shunt them in railroad yards. Both type and term are North American in origin, although similar types have been used elsewhere. A road ...

version of the DF4 with side walkways and a full-body cab similar to modern American locomotives. The type was the most powerful road switcher class in China until the introduction of the HXN3B and HXN5B classes.

DF4E

The DF4E is a 2 unit locomotive of total power 4.86MW (2x2.43MW)

Manufacturers

DF4s have been manufactured by several companies: * CSR Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. * CSR

Ziyang Locomotive Works CRRC Ziyang Co., Ltd. () is a Chinese locomotive manufacturer, one of the subsidiaries of CRRC CRRC Corporation Limited (known as CRRC) is a Chinese state-owned and publicly traded rolling stock manufacturer. It is the world's largest rolling st ...

(DF4B, DF4C & DF4C (A1A)) * Dalian Locomotive & Rolling Stock Works *

Datong locomotive factory CRRC Datong Co. Ltd. () is a Chinese railway locomotive manufacturing plant based in Datong, Shanxi, China, founded 1953. The factory was a major producer of steam locomotives for the Chinese market up to 1988 when production switched to diesel p ...

North Korea

In 2001, the

Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway (), commonly called the State Rail () is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea and has its headquarters at Pyongyang, P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun Song. History ...

bought two locomotives of type CKD4A (DF4D) new from

CNR Dalian CRRC Dalian Co., Ltd. (), often abbreviated as DLoco, is a company located in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China, producing railway locomotives, multiple units and diesel engines. The factory was established in 1899 during the period of constructio ...

; these were delivered in July 2002.http://www.cchere.com/topic/3893100 These are powered by the same 16V240ZJD as the Chinese DF4D, producing and have a maximum speed of . They are painted in the standard light blue over dark green, but their numbers are not known. Between 2006 and 2008, three batches of refurbished second-hand DF4 ("DF4A") and DF4B were delivered to

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

. These are numbered in the 내연200 series (내연 = ''Naeyŏn'', "internal combustion") and are in service for passenger and freight trains all over North Korea;Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), many are assigned to the Hamhŭng area. The total number delivered is not known, but the number is at least 36 units, numbered 내연201 to 내연225 and 내연261 to 내연271. Many are still in their former Chinese paint, but some have been repainted into the standard light blue over dark green, and two have received the dark green/yellow scheme applied to many M62-type diesels obtained second hand from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. There is at least one DF4D, in standard blue over green livery.

Gallery

File:DF4-0707 (Datong).jpg, DF₄ locomotive File:DF4B 9221 in Beijing North Railway Station 20110322.jpg, DF₄B locomotive File:China Railways DF4C 5127, Liuzhou Locomotive and Rolling Stock Plant, 20141019.jpg, DF₄C locomotive File:DF4D 0379 20101110.jpg, DF₄D(0000 Series) locomotive File:China Railways DF4D 3174 & China Railways DF4D 3265 20150725.jpg, DF₄D(3000 Series) locomotive File:China Railways DF4D 4019 20150725.jpg, DF₄D(4000 Series) locomotive File:China Railways DF4D 7007 20161217.jpg, DF₄D(7000 Series) locomotive File:Railway between Haikou Railway Station and South Port - 05.JPG, DF₄DD locomotive File:China Railways DF4DF 4035 20150709 02.jpg, DF₄DF locomotive which supports

head-end power In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive (or a generator car) at the front or 'head' of a train, p ...

File:DF4DJ0001 20111007.jpg, DF₄DJ locomotive

Preservation

DF4/DF4A

* DF4-0001: is preserved at the China Railway Museum * DF4-0002: is preserved at Fengtai Locomotive Depot,

Beijing Railway Bureau China Railway Beijing Group, officially abbreviated as CR Beijing or CR-Beijing, formerly, Beijing Railway Administration is a subsidiaries company under the jurisdiction of the China Railway (formerly the Ministry of Railway). It supervises the ...

* DF4-0084: is preserved at Baoji Railway Technicion College * DF4-0187: is preserved at Shandong Polytechnic * DF4-0212: is preserved at Hebei Vocational College Of Rail Transportation * DF4-2002: is preserved at

Zhejiang Normal University Zhejiang Normal University (ZJNU) is a comprehensive public university in Jinhua city, Zhejiang province, China. Its main campus is next to the Shuanglong Cave national park and covers an area of more than 220 hectares with a total floor space ...

* DF4-2012: is preserved at Jinan Railway Advanced Technical School

DF4B

* DF4B-1029: is preserved at the Shengyang Railway Museum * DF4B-1442: is preserved at Taiyuan Locomotive Depot, Taiyuan Railway Bureau * DF4B-1718: is preserved at Anhui Communications Vocational & Technical College * DF4B-1781: is preserved at Heilongjiang Communications Polytechnic * DF4B-1787: is preserved at Liuzhou Industrial Museum * DF4B-1884: is preserved at Heilongjiang Communications Polytechnic * DF4B-1893: is preserved at Fengtai Locomotive Depot,

* DF4B-1983: is preserved at

Central South University Central South University (CSU; ) is a national public university in Changsha, Hunan, China. The university is sponsored by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, China Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese state Double Fir ...

* DF4B-2127: is preserved at Qiqihar Technician College * DF4B-2244: is preserved at Nanjing Railway Vacational Technical College * DF4B-2298: is preserved at Qiqihar Railway Engineering School * DF4B-2480: is preserved at Liuzhou Railway Vacational Technical College. * DF4B-3179: is preserved at Huhhot Vocational College * DF4B-6210: is preserved at North University of China * DF4B-7019: is preserved at Southwest Jiaotong University * DF4B-7149: is preserved at Shijiazhuang Tiedao University * DF4B-7260: is preserved at Tianjin Railway Vacational Technical College * DF4B-9008: is preserved at the China Railway Museum

DF4C

* DF4C-4001: is preserved at the China Railway Museum * DF4C-4040: is preserved at the China Railway Museum * DF4C-5331: is preserved at the

Shenyang Railway Museum Shenyang (, ; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly known as Fengtian () or by its Manchu name Mukden, is a major Chinese sub-provincial city and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. Located in central-north Liaoning, it is the provi ...

Translate from Chinese Wikipedia: :zh:东风4C型柴油机车

References

* * *

External links

CR DF4B @ Trainspo
{{DEFAULTSORT:China Railways Df4 DF4 Diesel-electric locomotives of North Korea Co-Co locomotives Co-Co+Co-Co locomotives A1A-A1A locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1969 Standard gauge locomotives of China Standard gauge locomotives of North Korea CRRC Qingdao Sifang locomotives CSR Ziyang Locomotive Co., Ltd. locomotives Siemens locomotives