The DF8 is a type of diesel locomotive

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

 used in the People's Republic of China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

. It was in production from 1984 until the middle of the 1990s, with batch production starting in 1989. The revised DF8B is still in production today. DF8 are almost exclusively used for freight services.

DF8B

The second generation DF8, the DF8B, is powered by an updated 16V280ZJA engine with 3680 kW. Production started in 1997 and lasts until today. Qishuyan, Dalian and Ziyang manufacture 0, 3000 and 5000 series of DF8B respectively.

12 DF8Bs were exported to Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

 and are called DF8Bven, however they are identical to the domestically used DF8B. http://english.people.com.cn/200612/19/eng20061219_333958.html

Ziyang made a special DF8B which was originally intended to be used on the Qingzang line and was numbered DF8DJ-0001. The special model is powered by a Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...

 3516 engine (6,500 hp) and six AC traction motors. The Chinese Ministry of Railways rejected the proposal and it was renamed DF8B-5672. It's now running on Xiyan Line in Shaanxi.

DF8BJ

The DF8BJ, which uses the 16V280ZJG engine (4,000 kW), GTO VVVF inverter and AC traction motors, is produced by Ziyang . It was designed for Qingzang Railway

Qingzang railway

The Qinghai–Xizang railway, Qingzang railway, or Qinghai–Tibet railway , is a high-elevation railway that connects Xining, Qinghai Province, to Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, in People's Republic of China....

. Before arrival of GE locomotives for Qingzang, it was named NJ2.

DF8CJ

The DF8CJ version is produced by CSR and has a 16V280ZJB engine (maximum power 4.4MW) and AC inverter traction drive.

DF8DJ

The DF8DJ version has a CAT 3616 engine of rated power 4.8MW and AC asynchronous traction motors.

Manufacturers

The original DF8 was manufactured in Qishuyan by CSR Qishuyan Locomotive and Rollingstock Co.,Ltd., the DF8B is also manufactured in Qishuyan by CSR Qishuyan Locomotive and Rollingstock Co.,Ltd. and in Ziyang by CSR Ziyang Locomotive Works.