China Railways SS8

The Shaoshan 8, abbreviated SS8, is a semi-high-speed electric locomotive used on the national railway system of the People's Republic of China. It is based on its predecessor, the SS5, and was developed and built by the CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Works. On 24 June 1998 locomotive number 0001 broke the Chinese rail speed record, reaching 239.6 km/h on a test run between Xuchang and Xiaoshangqiao. The type worked the Jingguang line between Beijing West and Guangzhou and served the Shanghai to Kowloon and Beijing to Kowloon through trains. After the Guangzhou to Shenzhen railway was electrified, some SS8 locomotives were adapted with pantographs that met the Kowloon-Canton Railway's requirements, and as of March 2010 it was the only China Railway electric locomotive allowed into Hong Kong. Locomotive-hauled through services were cancelled after the COVID-19 pandemic.