Re: hard-working steam

While John is accurate on the slipperyness of the QJ's, don't think this means they are devoid of sounds. Having had the please of seeing these engines in action in March of last and this year, standing at trackside while two QJ's are working up the hill to Shangdian is enough to increase your heartbeat several fold. And when they start slipping, ten drivers sending a roar up the stack is music to the ears (and frustration for the engineer). I had the privilege of running 7007 as the lead engine on a westbound freight for about an hour and while you couldn't work full throttle, I had about 3/4 throttle working up the loops above Reshui just trying to maintain 25kph (about 15 mph). Its the combination of throttle and cutoff that determine the sound.
Alas, diesels are taking over quickly and soon all will be gone. Then C&TS will be the one and only great mountain railroading show around.