Chinese Railways

Tipping small coal onto the massive pile at the tip by the washery at Didao near Jixi. It was a steep push up for SY 1213, but an easy roll back down once everything was empty.

The early morning sun reflects from the driver's window as a freight leaves the summit tunnel and begins the long descent from towards Reshui on the Jinpeng section of the Jitong Railway.

Regular passenger locomotive SY 1498 leads a morning passenger service to Hegang towards Dalu as the rain and sleet falls steadily. I really enjoyed visiting this line as it had a great variety in traffic and gritty mining scenery.

This is one of the larger mines in the Nanpiao area and this particular evening it was being shunted by SY 1092 which was the local favourite and kept in better external condition than the other locomotives on the line. Some of the wagons in the train still had wooden bodies, but these were restricted to internal use and did not appear on the China Rail network.

The wide open spaces of this part of the Mongolian Autonomous Region are clearly visible as this eastbound train arrives at Gulumanhan on the Jitong Railway.

A pair of QJ class 2-10-2s cross one of the many viaducts on the Jitong Railway as they head westwards towards Chaganhada, and then on to Daban where they will be changed for a diesel to take the train over the Jinpeng section.

The Baiyin Mining Railway always guaranteed a good thrash on trains up the branch to the Shenbutong copper mine. On my last morning there SY 1583 is making good progress with the morning empties.

The Yinghao Coal Railway was still busy in early 2006 shifting coal from a mine at Liangjiawajing to tghe town of Yinghao. A loaded train is seen here departing the junction at Xiangyang where the traffic was exchanged with the mine branch. Loaded wagons were brought up the steep gradient from the mine three at a time by the locomotive seen on the left. The main line in the background served the workshops at Huangmen where the mine had been closed for some time.

The decorated headboard indicates the pet locomotive of the Nanpiao mine railway fleet. SY 1092 is preparing to leave with a load of empties for the Sanjiazi collieries as soon as the afternoon passenger service has gone ahead.

Nice evening light provides a little glint as an eastbound freight crosses the long viaduct west of Jinpeng. Within months there would be a diesel at the front rather than a pair of QJs.

The gleaning gang take a break as C2 06 awaits departure from unloading shed at Yinghao for a run to the mine at Liangjiawajing.

Deflector fitted yard pilot SY 1416 pushes a couple of loaded coal wagons up the bank from the Jalainur washery to an industrial siding a short distance away. Unlike the loco crew, the shunter perched on a wagon has to brave the extreme cold.

Old over new on the Yinghao Coal Railway.

Out in the murk the afternoon passenger service heads back north towards Dalu Mine on the Hegang Coal Railway. The train locomotive is easily identified as SY 1498 due to the polished boiler bands. The winding tower of one of the many local collieries is seen beyond the distant ridge.

Having brought the early morning passenger service up to Sanjiazi, SY 0973 heads back at sunrise with the coal that was loaded overnight. The winding sheave in the background is typical of the many small drifts to be found in this area alongside the deeper large mines.

On C2 06 shunting the unloading building at Yinghao. The coal is transported to the main line transhipment sidings some distance away by an underground conveyor.

Jalainur was very special. It may have been extremely cold in winter but the steam was spectacular. I wish I had gone there more often.

The Pindingshan Coal Company operates at least thirteen large collieries around the city of Pingdingshan in Henan Province, Central China. The output is exported for power station use and also converted at several coking plants operated by the company. Considerable expansion is taking place at this mine with new coal handling and washing facilities being developed