China Railways AM1

Career
Career
Operators	South Manchuria Railway; China Railway
Class	SMR: A (1916–1920); SMR: アメ (1920–1938); SMR: アメイ (1938–1945); CR: AM1
Number in class	4
Numbers	SMR: 50–53 (1908–1938); SMR: アメイ1–4 (1938–1945); CR: AM1

China Railways AM1
Mantetsu Amei class (アメイ)
China Railways AM1; Mantetsu Amei class (アメイ)
	standard gauge
Driver dia.	1,727 mm (67.99 in)
Adhesive weight	40.30 t; (39.66 long tons; 44.42 short tons)
Loco weight	58.30 t; (57.38 long tons; 64.26 short tons)
Firebox:
• Grate area	2.42 m2 (26.0 sq ft)
Boiler pressure	12.7 kgf/cm2 (181 psi; 1,245 kPa)
Cylinder size	457 mm × 660 mm; (18.0 in × 26.0 in)

The China Railways AM1 class locomotives were a class of 4-4-0 passenger steam locomotives operated by the China Railway, originally built for the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu).^[1] The "Ame" name came from the American naming system for steam locomotives, under which locomotives with 4-4-0 wheel arrangement were called "American".

History

The Amei class was part of the first group of locomotives ordered by Mantetsu after the conversion to

Milwaukee Road

).

Designated class A under Mantetsu's first

Anfeng Line. Redesignated Ame (アメ) class in 1920, in 1927, all four were rented out to the Sitao Railway, remaining there until the Sitao Railway, along with other privately owned railways, was nationalised to form the Manchukuo National Railway in 1933. They returned to Mantetsu at that time, serving primarily on the Yingkou Branch Line between Dashiqiao on the mainline and Yingkou

, and occasionally pulling light trains on the mainline between Dalian and Xinjing. They became Amei class in 1938.

Owner	Class & numbers (pre-1920)	Class & numbers (1920–1938)	Class & numbers (1938–1945)	Builder
Mantetsu	A 50–53	アメ50–アメ53	アメイ1–アメイ4	ALCO

Postwar

All four were assigned to the

People's Republic of China, they were taken over by the current China Railway, which designated them class AM1 in 1951.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b 我们的火车站

[huochezhan-1] 我们的火车站

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