Draft:RSR Japanese Pacific locomotives
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| RSR/SRT Japanese Pacific locomotives RSR/SRT nos. 283–292 and 821–850 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Preserved locomotives nos. 824 (back) and 850 (front), Thonburi engine shed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Reference(s) (unless where noted):[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Royal State Railway of Siam (RSR, later State Railway of Thailand (SRT)) Japanese Pacific locomotives were a class of 4-6-2 "Pacific" metre gauge steam locomotives manufactured by various Japanese locomotive and rolling stock manufacturers introduced in 1942 for the RSR/SRT. Largely based upon and standardised with the earlier Japanese-built 2-8-2 "Mikado" locomotives of the railway, not all of the first examples were placed in service until after the Second World War. Additional examples were ordered post-war, and these Pacifics continued to see service up to the end of steam traction in Thailand. Two locomotives, nos. 824 and 850, are preserved in working order at Thonburi engine shed to haul special trains.
History
[edit]During the Second World War, the first 10 locomotives which comprised the first batch of the class were delivered in 1942.[4] These locomotives, similar to earlier 2-8-2 locomotives built and delivered by Hitachi and Nippon Sharyo, obtained running numbers 283-92 and were also built by the aforementioned companies.[4] However, not all of these locomotives could not be put in service until after the war.[4]
After the war, more of these Pacifics were procured by the railway in 1949, considered as war reparations.[5] At that time, the Thai railways experienced an increase in traffic, and an initial batch of 10 Pacifics was amended to include 20 more in response.[6] The last two of these Pacifics, 849-50, would be converted to burn oil at the Makkasan engine works just after delivery, in contrast to burning wood. This conversion was done to trial oil burning on the steam fleet of the Thai railways.[7] Progressively, more wood-burning Pacifics were given conversions to oil-burning, but the 1973 oil crisis resulted in these engines being reverted to wood-burning again.[8]
A batch of five Pacifics built by Nippon for the railway in 1953 were built, but never sent to Thailand, where they would be allocated to the Jordan Hejaz Railway (JHR) after gauge conversion to 1050mm gauge and renumbering to nos. 81-5.[9]
The slow dieselisation of the Thai railways eventualy resulted in the gradual withdrawal and scrapping of the steam fleet. In 1975, 15 of these engines were put up on sale to the Bangladesh Railway; however the sale never happened,[10] and by 1976, only 13 of these engines remained rostered on the SRT.[11] Steam was withdrawn from the SRT in 1982[10] and by 1983, only two were left.[12]
Preservation
[edit]Pacifics nos. 824 (Nippon Sharyo 1524 or 25/1949)[13][14][a] and 850 (Nippon 1547/1950)[13] of the second batch are preserved in working order by the SRT at the Thonburi engine shed.[15] They are used on special trains chartered on six days of the year.[16] These locomotives had their boilers replaced with newly fabricated boilers in 2012.[17]
Nos. 81 and 82 are preserved and stabled at Amman. No. 83 has been scrapped. No. 84 is on display at the University of Jordan in Amman, and No. 85 is stabled at Wadi Rum.[18] Nos. 81 and 85 of the JHR were in steam as recently as 2022.[19]
Design
[edit]These locomotives were relatively similar to the earlier Mikados in principle.[4] The Pacifics were standardised to the greatest extent with the Mikados,[4] which were superheated two-cylinder locomotives.[20] The large size of their superheaters resulted in hotter steam, enabling higher thermal efficiency.[20] Their wide steel fireboxes were round-topped and their grates were horizontal.[20] However, the tender bogies were of the plate frame contrsuction on the Pacifics instead of the "Diamond" pattern used on the Mikados,[21] which saved weight and allowed an increased fuel and water capacity by an extra cubic metre.[21]
The Walschaerts valve gear on the initial batch was of the indirect pattern, and on all subsequent batches it was direct.[22] Their feedwater heaters were mounted on the top of the smokebox, ahead of the chimney.[9]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Ramaer (2009) seems to place the sequence of the works numbers from this specific batch in doubt.
References
[edit]- ^ Pass et al. 2024.
- ^ Kautzor 2015.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, pp. 83, 93.
- ^ a b c d e Ramaer 2009, p. 82.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, p. 92.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, pp. 92–93.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, pp. 94–6.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, p. 96.
- ^ a b Ramaer 2009, p. 94.
- ^ a b Ramaer 2009, p. 97.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, p. 100.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, p. 99.
- ^ a b Ramaer 2009, p. 201.
- ^ Pass, Michael; Green, Peter; Yapp, Chris; Waite, James; Garvin, Brian; Dickinson, Rob (20 April 2024). "Preserved/Extant Steam Locos and Steam Cranes in Thailand". International Steam. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ "Steam train pulls passengers back 127 years to birth of Thailand's railway". The Nation. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ^ Sources:
- Schofield, Ray (24 January 2020). "Excursion dates for special steam hauled trains, Thailand". International Steam. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- Barrow, Richard (6 June 2022). "Guide to Steam Train Excursions in Thailand". Thai Train Guide. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- "Steam train pulls passengers back 127 years to birth of Thailand's railway". The Nation. 26 March 2024. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ^ Green, Peter (4 November 2012). "Report about boiler replacement on Pacific locomotives". International Steam. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
- ^ Kautzor, Thomas (5 April 2015). "Steam Locomotives in Jordan, 2015". International Steam. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ Hoggett, Peter (6 May 2023). "Steam in the Middle East 2022". International Steam. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- ^ a b c Ramaer 2009, p. 56.
- ^ a b Ramaer 2009, p. 83.
- ^ Ramaer 2009, p. 93.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ramaer, Roel (2009). The Railways of Thailand (2 ed.). Bangkok, Thailand: White Lotus. ISBN 978-974-480-151-7.
External links
[edit]
- kevsmiththai Smith. Old Thailand steam locomotives.wmv. YouTube. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 2025-07-11. Video footage depicting these Pacifics and other locomotives at work.
- Smith, Jonathan. Rot Fai Thai (RSR/SRT) steam locomotives. The terminal: Standard steam locomotives. Iowa State University. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- Rotfaithai.com gallery: Japanese Pacific locomotives. Rotfaithai.com. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
- Tiger Steam photo gallery. International Steam. Retrieved 2025-07-10. Photo gallery including pictures of these Pacifics at work before withdrawals.