Most Scrapped in China (3 preserved) some sold to operate in North Korea
The China Railways FD (YH class ; later FX Class) is a class of locomotives which were Russian 2-10-2 steam locomotives of the Russian FD locomotive type imported from Russia and regauged for use in China. Some of them were sold to the Korean State Railway in North Korea between 1985 and 1997 and 85 became the 8500 Class .
History
The FD class locomotives were imported from Russia from 1958 to provide main line freight motive power for the Chinese railways during the Cold War . Over 1054 units were acquired and remained in service until 1985 . The Soviet Union led by Khrushchev give 1054 Russian FD Locomotives to China led by Mao . In the 1980’s Mikhail Gorbachev give 85 Russian FD Locomotive to North Korea led by Kim Il Sung .[1]
When imported the class were designated YH (YouHao meaning 'friendship'), but after the breakdown of Sino-Soviet relations during the Cultural Revolution (see Sino–Soviet split) the class were renamed FX (FanXiu meaning 'anti-revisionist'). In 1971 the class were returned to the original designation 'FD' of soviet Russian origin (after the Russian Bolshevik Revolutionary and Cheka Leader Felix Dzerzhinsky).[1]
