The locomotive does not appear to have an essential steam dome on the top surface. There is giant bell where one might expect the dome to be positioned. So the answer to your question is that it is most unlikely that this was a steam locomotive. More likely to have been powered by a petrol engine. There is a manufacturer’s plate on the front frame below the smokebox door. If the photo image was of higher resolution, we might be able to see detail about the origin of the locomotive.
Some time ago I suggested that it may have been a product of the American ‘Cagney’ company or its spin-off companies who manufactured what were termed ‘Park’ locomotives. Cagney or its antecedents appear to have exported their products widely including to the Far East.
No doubt a petrol engine conversion could be more easily managed in Hong Kong given the stringent rules and regulations surrounding the operation of steam boilers. Such conversions often used the engine’s coal tender to hide a small petrol fuelled engine to power the train.
The posted image was apparently a screen-grab from one of the YouTube videos of Hong Kong’s past. Hence it is not sufficiently sharp enough to decipher the builder’s plate on it.
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"steam" locomotive
The locomotive does not appear to have an essential steam dome on the top surface. There is giant bell where one might expect the dome to be positioned. So the answer to your question is that it is most unlikely that this was a steam locomotive. More likely to have been powered by a petrol engine. There is a manufacturer’s plate on the front frame below the smokebox door. If the photo image was of higher resolution, we might be able to see detail about the origin of the locomotive.
Luna Park locomotive
The locomotive and its “train” can be seen in the centre of these images.
https://gwulo.com/media/23742
https://gwulo.com/media/23743
Some time ago I suggested that it may have been a product of the American ‘Cagney’ company or its spin-off companies who manufactured what were termed ‘Park’ locomotives. Cagney or its antecedents appear to have exported their products widely including to the Far East.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_Railway_Company
No doubt a petrol engine conversion could be more easily managed in Hong Kong given the stringent rules and regulations surrounding the operation of steam boilers. Such conversions often used the engine’s coal tender to hide a small petrol fuelled engine to power the train.
The posted image was apparently a screen-grab from one of the YouTube videos of Hong Kong’s past. Hence it is not sufficiently sharp enough to decipher the builder’s plate on it.
https://gwulo.com/media/19512