CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

China Railways JF13

class of 45 Chinese 2-8-2 locomotives

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 20, 2026
Entity authorityQ42851121 ↗
Source-derived summary

The China Railways JF13 (解放13, Jiěfàng, "liberation") class steam locomotive was a class of 2-8-2 "Mikado" type steam locomotives operated by the China Railway, built by the Škoda Works in Czechoslovakia in 1939.

These locomotives were originally built for the North China Transportation Company, which had been formed in 1938 to operate railways in the collaborationist Provisional Government of the Republic of China during the Japanese occupation of China. A total of 45 were delivered to NCTC, which designated them Mikaha (ミカハ) class.

After the end of the Pacific War, these locomotives were passed on to the Republic of China Railway. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, China Railways designated them ㄇㄎ13 (MK13) class in 1951, and subsequently 解放13 (JF13) class in 1959. The last of these locomotives known to be operational were JF13 3859, observed working at the Changxindian Crane Works in Beijing in 1981, and JF13 3876 at the Hegang Mining Railway in Heilongjiang province, where it was last seen in 1986. And retired 1990.

See also

List of locomotives in China

China Railways JF3: in common with JF13 of manufacturer.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “China Railways JF13” as class of 45 Chinese 2-8-2 locomotives. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around China, Railways and JF13.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1939, 1938, 1951, 1959—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with China, Railways and JF13 providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “China Railways JF13”, the useful work is to connect “class of 45 Chinese 2-8-2 locomotives” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q42851121. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1939, 1938, 1951 and 1959.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “China Railways JF13”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow China Railways JF13 primary sources, China Railways JF13 archive and China research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “China Railways JF13”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “China Railways JF13” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.