After an 18-year absence from Vietnam’s tracks, it looks like steam locomotives are making a comeback.
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Vietnam has a long history of steam-powered locomotives which stretches back to the early days of French colonization. Once the workhorses of the country’s vast rail network, they also pulled the weight of Saigon and Hanoi’s intercity lines.
To revive the glory days of steam power in Vietnam, the Di An Train Co., based in southern Binh Duong Province, has successfully restored Tu Luc 141-190, a Chinese-made locomotive that was put into operation on the Ha Noi-Hai Phong route in 1966, reports Tuoi Tre.
When steam engines were replaced by the modern diesel variety in 1996, the locomotive was broken down into a pile of scrap and sat rusting away in Hanoi depot.
In 2009, it was purchased along with two others by Indochina Rail Co. with the intention to restore them and put them back into service for tourism purposes.
It took five years (and $282,406) for engineers to reassemble around 3,000 components to bring the relic back to life, and last Sunday, Tu Luc 141-190 made a successful 30km trial run from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Nai Province’s Trang Bom District.
The locomotive along with four period cars are expected to be put into operation on the line that runs between Da Nang and Hue.
If you’d like to learn more about the history of Vietnam’s steam engines, head over to Tim Doling’s Historic Vietnam.
