The Chinese engines went into main line freight service with Shanghai and Guangzhou bureaus and remained in those areas all of their working lives. Over the next few decades the arrival of larger locomotives, such as the FD class 2-10-2s, saw the KD7s demoted to more menial duties. By the late 1970s, when enthusiasts started reporting sightings, they handled most of the trip and shunting work in the Shanghai and Guangzhou areas. Over the next decade, most of the class were replaced by newly built JS 2-8-2s and withdrawn from service. The final reported sighting of a working engine was in late 1988. Surprisingly for such a useful class, there have been no reports of any going into industrial service.
At least four KD7 are thought to have been preserved. KD7 534 is at Beijing Railway Museum, KD7 587 and 641 at Shanghai's History and Railway Museums respectively and KD7 513 at the Datong Locomotive Works Museum. A fifth loco, KD7 511, was reported to be under restoration in Hangzhou in 2002.
Vital Statistics
| Class Designation | KD7 |
| Descriptive Name | |
| Number Series | KD7 501 - 660 |
| Builders | ALCo, Baldwin, Lima |
| Building Dates | 1946 |
| Number Built | (160 to China) |
| Boiler Pressure | 15.5 bar / 225 psi |
| Grate Area | 4.4 sq m |
| Total Heating Surface |
189 sq m |
| Superheater Area | 67.6 sq m |
| Wheel Arrangement | 2-8-0 |
| Driving Wheel Diameter |
1520 mm |
| Cylinders, Number | 2 (outside) |
| Cylinders, Diameter/Stroke | 560 mm x 710 mm |
| Valve Gear | Walschaerts |
| Tractive Effort | 170 kN / 19,800 kg |
| Power Output (Wheel Rim) |
897 kW |
| Maximum Speed | 90 km/h |
| Overall Weight | 152 t |
| Overall Length | 20.3 m |
| Coal Capacity | 11.5 t |
| Water Capacity | 25,000 l |
