Locomotives.....
Early Steam
This page concentrates on earlier steam locomotive classes. Finding this sort of information is not easy. It will be added to as more photos and data is found.
Most Vietnamese steam locomotives seemed to favour using the Belpair type of firebox and almost all seem to have been built in France by SACM or one of it's subsidiaries.
These locomotives were all employed by the Chemins de Fer l'Indo-Chine (Indochina Railway) and it's descendants.
Above: This is possibly the 22-101 class listed on Mr Smith's table below. It's the only 4-4-0 tank I've found so far.
Above: This type of locomotive was used on the Saigon-Cholon Tramway
Above: 4-4-0 locomotive stored at Thap Cham in the late 60's. This could be an example of the 220-101 type locomotive as listed in Mr Smith's table. It appears to be similar (identical?) to those shown below. The photograph appeared on a now defunct website.
Above: 4-4-0 (2-2-0) The text underneath appears to say it was built by Societe Anonyme (not clear) Franco-Helge a Nalmen (difficult to read) (Nord).These or similar locomotives appear to be in use around Hanoi.
Above: Very similar locomotives at Hanoi. The facing machine above appears to be numbered '9' or perhaps N 9..
Above: This appears to be a similar type of locomotive to the one below. 4-6-0 (2-3-0). The number is just discernable as 313. The text underneath the photo states that the class consisted of numbers 301 to 320 and was built in 1906 so it may be slightly newer.
Above: 4-6-0 (2-3-0) type locomotive number 103 at Hue. (If this is the same class as above perhaps it should be 303)?
Above: 4-6-2 (2-3-1) locomotive number 1008 minus it's tender. I'm wondering if this is the same locomotive as the 231 class listed elsewhere on this website, or perhaps an earlier version. The number seems a bit odd. My guess is that it is a member of the 231-301 class, because the cylinder size matches the table details below. Information about this locomotive includes:
Constructed by: SACM
Length: 11,010 mm
Weight: 52000 kg.
Weight in service: 58000kg
Diameter of cylinders: 420 mm
More Early Steam Data
The following Data was collated by J.D.H. Smith a few years ago. Some matches what we already know, but some raises more questions than answers. The 141-501 listed is clearly the original French built 141 locomotive. The 131-401 is the Japanese 131 2-6-2 tank locomotive. The 31 and 40 class are the two types of rack locomotives used on the Dalat-Thap Cham line.
CF de l'Indochine steam locomotives
All dimensions metric: lengths in mm, areas in m2, weights in metric tons, pressures in atmospheres.
| Class | Axle Arr. |
Dr. Dia. |
Cylinders Dia. x Str. |
B.P. | Adh. Wt. |
EW WO |
Grate Area |
Evap Surf. |
Sup. Surf |
Remarks | |
| 22-101 | 2'Bt | 4-4-0T |
1200 | 300x460 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 1.0 | 50 | none | |
| 31-201 | 1'Crt | 2-6-0
RT |
910 | 420x480 | 14 | 35 | 42 | 1.4 | 67 | 17 | 420x480 rack |
| 32-001 | 1'C1't | 2-6-2T |
1350 | 425x600 | 12 | 33 | 50 | 1.6 | 70 | 26 | PNKA C30 |
| 40-301 | Drt | 0-8-0
RT |
865 | 455x450 | 14 | 45 | 45 | 1.7 | 72 | 21 | 455x450 rack |
| 131-401 | 1'C1't | 2-6-2T |
1400 | 400x610 | 14 | 32 | 50 | 1.3 | 54 | 20 | JNR C12 |
| 141-501 | 1'D1' | 2-8-2 |
1200 | 450x610 | 16 | 50 | 63 | 2.9 | 142 | 43 | |
| 150-301 | 1'E | 2-10-0 |
1100 | 500x550 | 12 | 50 | 57 | 2.7 | 140 | 45 | |
| 220-101 | 2'B | 4-4-0 |
1400 | 360x500 | 12 | 20 | 29 | 1.2 | 69 | none | |
| 230-001 | 2'C | 4-6-0 |
1260 | 400x508 | 12.7 | 25 | 38 | 1.8 | 72 | 35 | PNKA C52 |
| 231-301 | 2'C1' | 4-6-2 |
1400 | 420x610 | 14 | 33 | 54 | 2.3 | 126 | 36 | |
| 231-401 | 2'C1' | 4-6-2 |
1370 | 500x550 | 12 | 31 | 56 | 2.7 | 126 | 40 | |
| 231-501 | 2'C1' | 4-6-2 |
1400 | 450x610 | 16 | 33/39 | 60 | 2.9 | 142 | 43 |
© 2005 - 2007 J.D.H. Smith
CF Indochine - Yunnan steam locomotives
All dimensions metric: lengths in mm, areas in m2, weights in metric tons, pressures in atmospheres.
| Class | Axle Arr- angement |
Dr. Dia. |
Cylinders Dia. x Str. |
BP | Adh. Wt. |
EW WO |
Grate Area |
Evap Surf. |
Sup. Surf |
Remarks | |
| 1 | 2'B | 4-4-0 |
1400 | 360x500 | 12 | 20 | 29 | 1.2 | 69 | none | AM51 |
| 51 | 2'C | 4-6-0 |
1230 | 380x520 | 12 | 30 | 39 | 1.4 | 122 | none | TH51 |
| 124 | 1'D1't | 2-8-2T |
1050 | 450x500 | 13 | 38 | 50 | JF51 | |||
| 231-A-001 | 2'C1' | 4-6-2 |
1400 | 450x610 | 16 | 33/39 | 60 | 2.9 | 142 | 43 | CFI 231-501 |
| 141-A-101 | 1'D1' | 2-8-2 |
1200 | 450x610 | 16 | 50 | 63 | 2.9 | 142 | 43 | CFI 141-501 |
| 201 | 2'D1'-1'D2't | 4-8-2-2-8-4 |
1090 | 420x560(4) | 12 | 80 | 126 | 4.1 | 189 | 35 | KUR EC |
| 205 | 2'D1'-1'D2't | 4-8-2-2-8-4 |
1090 | 420x560(4) | 12 | 85 | 133 | 4.1 | 189 | 35 | EAR 50 |
© 2005 - 2007 J.D.H. Smith
Steam Locomotives generally used the traditional
French classification system. A steam locomotive with a 2-8-2 wheel
arrangement is classified as 141 class, a locomotive with 4-6-2
wheel arrangement is classified as 231 class etc. Pretty straight
forward, except what did if two classes had a 2-8-2 wheel
arrangement I'm not sure. It didn't happen so wasn't a problem?
Diesel locomotives have a completely dfferent clasification system.
All diesel classes start with the letter 'D' (for diesel?) then a number which I believe is related to the locomotives power output. The third character defines Electric' (E) or hydraulic (H).
e.g. D5H class = Diesel + 500 hp + hydraulic.
Again, what happens if two classes are the same I don't know.
I am still investigating pre 1975 classifications. Some are the same e.g. 141 steam class, and some are different e.g. 'BB' class instead of D9E.
Created with Kompozer
the Open Source Web Designer
Railways in Vietnam
website © 2009-2011 David Gurnett
Updated January
2, 2011
All images remain the copyright of their
original owners and are reproduced purely
for the purposes of research.
Please feel free to contact me at
railwaysofvietnam@gmail.com