recordings of noisy steam and diesel locomotives

Recordings can be played or downloaded directly from this webpage.

Chinese C2 0-8-0 No. 044 on the Huanan Forestry Railway

A narrow gauge 0-8-0 hauling an empty coal train up the bank from Tuoyaozi on the Huanan Forestry Railway in North-East China.

link to it here

Chinese DF8B 5285 approaches Gubeikou

The DF8B is China's favoured heavy freight design at the moment and in common with most Chinese locos they are unsilenced and make a fine noise.

DF8B 5285 was heading east with a freight on the scenic main line from Beijing to Chifeng when it was recorded emerging from a tunnel high in the mountains near Gubeikou.

link to it here

Unsilenced Czech 751s climbing to Ramzova

Southbound freights on the Jesenik - Hanusovice line face a stiff climb from Lipova Lazne to Ramzova, the summit of the line, 760m above sea level. Bankers are the norm on this section and heavier trains are double headed as well.

To someone brought up on booming English Electrics and spluttering Sulzers, the remaining unsilenced 749s and 751s sound fantastic. On the evening of 18 August 2006, unsilenced 751 041 double headed silenced 749 246 on Pn45264, the daily Mikulovice to Hanusovice freight, with unsilenced 751 338 banking to Ramzova. The train was recorded climbing the last kilometer or so to the summit from a field inhabited by several million chirping crickets, hence the extraneous noises. The two 751s can be heard clearly but the silenced 749 is barely audible. MP3 format, 1'52", 1.7MB

WARNING : Listening to this recording at excessive volume may cause structural damage.

link to it here