South Manchurian 4-6-2 Locomotives in China

Class PashiNa (Pashi-7) (Locobase 3858)

Data from "China Railways SL7" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 16 August 2022. [] by Ejii Nozawa. See also "Lord K", contributor of "Sunday Streamline #24: Manchurian Candidates", 20 March 2011 at 8:00am at [], last accessed 8 June 2017.

If each driving axle bore an equal amount of weight, weight on the drivers would be 152,145 lb and the factor of adhesion would 3.98.

These surprisingly large and powerful Pacifics had a streamlined casing as befitted their role as premier express engines. Their designer, Mantetsu's Nobutaro Yoshino, adopted the inverted dimensions indicative of a Type E superheater, installed a feed water heater, fitted an automatic stoker to feed the quite large grate, and combustion chamber ahead of the firebox.

Dieselpunks editor puts the design's claim to fame in perspective: "Now, let's stop and take a deep breath. The year is 1934, streamline shrouding on steam engine is a novelty, every such locomotive is unique (the first mass-production class of 35 A4 Pacifics will be commissioned by the British LNER only in 1935) - and the Japanese are building twelve in a row!"

They pulled the Asia limited express, although Nozawa doesn't say between what two cities. Built at the SMR's Shahekou Works (3) and by Kawasaki (9), these locomotives pulled their trains at up to 135 kph (83 mph). Dieselpunks adds:"Pashina, dubbed "the Blue Mackerel", and Asia Express were widely used a symbol of technology and modernism in Manchuria, a showcase of the success of Japan's imperial project. SMR featured it on many of its fliers and posters, and Manchukuo children's textbooks included passages about it. Besides, it appeared on Japanese Betty Boop postcards (1937)."

The Asia Limited became an obvious luxury during and after World War II and fell out of favor altogether with the 1949 Revolution. Remarkably, at least one engine survived long enough to be housed in poor condition at the Sujiatun museum in the 1980s.

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Class PashiRo (Pashi-6/ShenLi 6) (Locobase 3857)

Data from "China Railways SL6" in Wikipedia at [], last accessed 15 August 2022.

[] by Ejii Nozawa says that these were built by Hitachi, KSK, Nippon and the SMR's works at Dalian. More (151) were built after the 1949 revolution (1956-1959) as the ShenLi 6 class. As the data suggests, these formed the basis of the RenMin class.