Mogul Steam Locomotive Returns to the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway
The Mogul transported from Galadestai to Qinglongqiao.
Photo: The Mogul steam locomotive on display at the railway museum.
Beijing Youth Daily, May 23, 2025
On the evening of May 22, escorted and pulled by two diesel locomotives, a Mogul steam locomotive arrived at the Qinglongqiao Station, adding an even deeper sense of historic charm to this century-old station along the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway.
On May 23, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily visited Qinglongqiao Station and saw a dark green steam locomotive resting on the rails beside the 116-year-old station building, instantly transporting visitors back to a century ago when the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway was first completed. According to the book My Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway by railway cultural scholar Wang Wei, there were historically 10 Mogul steam locomotives on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway. They played a vital role in railway construction and transportation until they were decommissioned in 1955.
According to Beijing Youth Daily, with the retirement of steam locomotives from the historical stage, surviving Mogul steam locomotives in China are extremely rare. Previously, one Mogul steam locomotive was preserved at each of the following locations: the Reshuai Hotel on the Jitong Railway in Hexigten Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, and the China Railway Museum (East Suburban Gallery). The Mogul steam locomotive at Qinglongqiao Station was allocated and transferred from another province by railway authorities. During transit, it was first disassembled, then shipped to Kangzhuang Station in Yanqing District for reassembly, and finally hauled to Qinglongqiao Station to be exhibited as a historical landscape feature.
Regarding the Mogul steam locomotive, an article in the 5th issue of Railway Knowledge in 2023 introduced it as follows: The Mogul is a type of medium-sized steam locomotive with diverse sub-models, which was manufactured by the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, and China. Referred to as the "Mogul" type in countries like the UK and the US, Chinese railways phonetically translated "Mogul" into "摩格爾" (Mógě'ěr) when designating locomotive classes.
Opening officially to traffic on September 24, 1909, the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway is the first trunk railway independently designed and built by the Chinese people. Built in 1909, Qinglongqiao Station is the best-preserved complex of historic station buildings along the railway. The return and exhibition of this steam locomotive further restore the historical scenery and ambiance of Qinglongqiao Station.
By: Cui Yifei (Beijing Youth Daily)
Photography: Cui Yifei (Beijing Youth Daily)
Editor: Wang Haozhou
