Volume 5

Update on the Pacifics book. It is currently at the printers. I cannot yet give a date for when it will be available although I think it is likely to be on sale in June.

Volume 5 The Pacifics

This is in the final stages of production and should be available by April 2022. I cannot give a price yet as I do not know the final cost of printing. There will be around 128 colour images in addition to a lot of grayscale images. The book also amends and supplements Volumes 1, 2 and 4, including additional images, and runs to 344 pages. I could not fit in additional info/images also for Volume 3 (the QJ Class) and keep the book to a reasonable size.

Coming soon....

The next book, the Foreign Steam Locos, is in the final stages, which is an endless process of checking and amending, and some ab initio research when necessary. One sign that I am getting near is that thoughts start to turn towards the cover design, which basically means colour and images. The attached is a draft and will probably change, but will hopefully whet your appetites.

Talk to RCTS Birmingham 5 November 2018

I am giving a talk to the above on the books. As usual, the talk will be revised from the last one and will contain more about the next volume on the Foreign-built Classes. The research is proving to be very interesting and throwing up some really great images and info. I was recently at the Maritime Archives at Guildhall to work out exactly when and to where the Vulcan Foundry 4-8-4 locos were shipped, as published sources conflict, so hopefully that story can now be put to bed.

Talk to CRC 10 May 2018

I am giving a talk to the CRC in London on the books, on Thursday 10 May. 

Details of the meeting can be found at http://www.trainweb.org/continentalrailwaycircle/london_area_meetings.html

The QJ Class available shortly

The books are expected from the printers by 5 December.

The QJ Class

The new book is nearly finished. However, a lot of checking and finalising is required and I have been promised a few more images, so it is looking like October will be the earliest date. The book is going to be almost twice as big as the previous two volumes, because of the number of locos in the class. Below is one image that did not make it into the draft, QJ 580 of Zhangdian (Zibo) depot arriving at Jinan on 5 December 1980.

JS 8284

Further information and photos comes to hand updating or adding to information in the books. I have just noticed this article on the web   

http://www.florescencecapital.com/shehui/1743440.html 

about JS 8284, ex Jinchengjiang and Sancha, which has been preserved at Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College. 

JF6 Family

As you may have noticed, the second volume is out, which deals with the JF6, PL2, YJ and SY Classes. 

Work is in hand on the third volume, on the QJ Class, which seems to be the one everyone wants. This will be a fatter volume than the first two as there were so many locos in the class. Unlikely to be published before 2017 and it would be nice to sell more of the first two volumes to get a bit nearer breaking even.

Volume 4 will cover the Pacifics, the FDs and a few other of the classes that lasted into the enthusiast era.