Pingdingshan passengers diesel hauled
A visitor to Pingdingshan on 20th/21st August found all passenger trains diesel hauled (checked 21:50, 6:00 and 7:40) by "VERY new and clean diesels". This seemed to have been a very recent development with diesels being used starting about a week previously. No further details on the diesels as the purpose of the visit was a thwarted attempt to ride steam passenger trains.Yinghao
Yinghao has stopped using steam trains for transportation as we know for some time. I have found it out by phoning there that the reason why they have given up transportation of coal by rail is that the coal will not be sold to the end users in the far location areas. All the coal they produce now can be locally sold and used up. That is why we cannot see any more working steam locos on the line there.Huanan
There still has been working steam trains to be seen on the line at this season since they started this year in Huanan. But we cannot see as much more activities as it used to be as there are only two coal mines under production. The annual output of coal for this year has been reduced at the moment.Laiwu and Xintai, Shandong province
When Mr. Ishii visited Shandong in July, he noted Laiwu Laicheng power station had stopped its steam locomotive.
Qixiashan Cement Plant, Jiangsu province
The most recent steam pictures on Shibata Taro's site show JS 6533 in steam and JS 6587 (formerly of Zhenjiang Limestone Railway) out of use in July 2008.Tianjin Heavy Machinery Factory
The factory is near Nancang CR station which is 7 km north west of Tianjin CR station (Nancang can be found on Map 20B of the new edition of the Quail Atlas).Mr.Ishii also noted Zoucheng's high deflector QJ 7126 under repair at Laiwu.
Railography Loco Lists
The Lists have been updated to include sightings up to June 2008. The inclusion of historical data continues but progress is very slow. It can take hours to pin down a single sighting because many of the locations listed are very obscure. In contrast, entering 40 numbers from a web report of Sandaoling only takes a couple of minutes.
Many thanks to everyone who submitted reports to Steam_In_China and SY-Country or e-mailed me directly with information or links to items on
the Chinese bulletin boards. It's thanks to you that the list now contains details for around 400 industrial and local railways and 6900 individual locomotives.
(Duncan Cotterill, Steam_in_China 7758)
qj-country.de
In May 2008 Florian Menius removed the former content of his site. It now contains reports of his own trips in pdf format.
Having previously co-compiled the two excellent Extreme Steam China photo albums, Michael Rhodes has gone solo. His book has been produced as a tie in with an exhibition of 66 of his photographs, entitled 'The Last days of Chinese Steam', at the National Railway Museum at York. The book is set out in four chapters, The End of an Era, The Extreme Steam Team, The Exhibition and Every Picture tells a Story. The fine quality of Michael's photographs is revealed in the enlarged size of the prints in the exhibition, but suffers somewhat in the book where many are reproduced two to a page. In a covering letter Michael explains that although he had hoped to do another large format book in the 'Extreme Steam' series, it is not currently financially viable. This is a pity, as his pictures deserve a larger format.
I did notice one or two minor caption errors: page 54 the caption for exhibition picture 48, names the reversing station on the Shibanxi line as Mifung although the line itself names it Mifengyan, also on page 54 in the caption for pictures 59-62 Xingyang should be Xiangyang (otherwise two systems are being confused). On page 61 the caption for the upper picture describes the least photographed line from Yebaishou as being to Shenyang via Jixi which is certainly incorrect (should this be via Fuxin?) and on pages 86 and 87 Zhengzhou is misspelt Zenzhou and Zhenzhou.
I have shown the subtitle of the DVD to better indicate the content of the DVD programme as summarised on page 88 of the book. The steam action shots tend to be brief, except on the narrow gauge at Xingyang and Shibanxi. All too often there is a return to some activity with the team. Nowhere worse than when, after starting some action at Jalainur, there is a jump to shots of Michael having his hair washed in a salon. I am puzzled by the DVD's target audience, maybe it is intended for the 'Railway slot' on a satellite TV channel.
Thanks to Jeff Cartledge for a correction to the recent report of Nelson Poots on Shibanxi which mixed up the identities of locos 7 and 10. Nelson's report has been amended accordingly.
Quail China Rail Atlas
At long last the third edition of the Quail China Rail Atlas is now
available; Duncan Peattie has copies at £20 post paid (UK only). For further information, including non-UK prices and how to contact him, please see his
website http://www.chinatt.org.
Alternatively contact the Quail Map Company directly at http://www.quailmapcompany.free-online.co.uk .
(Duncan Peattie, Steam_in_China 7708)
Shandong Province
Shibata Taro and friends visited various locations at the start of June.
(1) Laiwu QJ 3460 working to the power plant. It runs two times a day, first is about 9-10 am, second is about 2-3 pm. See Shibata's attached map of Laiwu.
(2) Zoucheng Coal QJ 7189, 7190 remain in use from Dadongzhang yard.
(3) Zoucheng Alloy Metal QJ 7072 present but not working.
(4) Yanzhou Coke Plant QJ6936, 7188, 7191 in steam, but not shunting.
China: The World's Last Steam Railway, A Photographic Essay by John Tickner, Gordon Edgar and Adrian Freeman.
If you haven't yet purchased this book then read Keith Chester's review on Rob Dickenson's site.
Also note the book is available at substantially reduced prices from amazon.co.uk and AAPPL, the book's publisher.
This is a very handsome book. The photographs have been taken over the ten-year period from March 1997 to January 2007, so don't expect pictures of RM and SL Pacifics. The book is arranged with an Introduction and eleven chapters, each with introductary text, with titles such as Last Rites for China Rail steam, Steelworks, Industrial survivors and Locomotives, sheds and workshops. The two maps on the inside covers identify the locations featured in the photographs.
I particularly liked the pictures taken on the CR Rujigou branch in February 1998. Perhaps my favourite industrial picture is on page 131 of molten slag being tipped at Baotou in March 1999. (Yes, I admit I appreciate conventional photographs.) From a non-locomotive picture, I learnt that the JiTong Railway's passenger train destination boards were tri-lingual, Chinese, English and Mongolian.
I wonder if the Malaysian printer has been challenged by two of the photographs, both the snow scene on page 34 and the background of the silhouette shot on page 174 appeared very grainy.
Are any pictures missing? With the subtitle of the World's Last Steam Railway, I would have liked "the World's Last Steam Express Passenger train" (L114, the Hailaer – Hohhot express, QJ hauled on the JiTong Railway between Chabuga and Daban in summer 2005) to have featured. I assume none of the three photographers visited at this time and, as they write in their Introduction, the majority of their visits have been in winter for which they list their reasons.
These minor criticisms can be ignored. If you buy the book, you will not be disappointed. Photographers in particular will enjoy comparing their results with those in the book and appreciate the skills demonstrated in the varied shot compositions and the variety of lighting conditions. (D.F.)
Order from the Society's Hon. Sales Officer (sales@irsociety.co.uk)
S.Geeson,
24 Dulverton Road,
Melton Mowbray,
Leicestershire,
LE13 0SF
UK
Shibanxi
The prolonged overhaul of No. 07 has been completed and it got at least as far as Sanjin on April 22nd where it was photographed by a Japanese enthusiast. The following day, in late afternoon, it worked a train of construction materials to Xianrenjiao returning light engine to Mifengyan where it collected two low sided wagons and returned to Shibanxi. On April 24th it worked the full length of the line with construction material for the museum at Huangcunjin, returning on a coal train. The next day it was also working a coal train. It is coupled to a Pengzhou "slope back" tender as is No. 09 which was the passenger loco throughout a four day visitYinghao
A contact of Mike Ma has informed him that the line is operating again with two locos in service
Jixi
Mike Ma reports as follows: I got some news from Jixi mining staff that there will be electricfied on the Chengzihe main line this year if they get the investment money. They will still preserve three steam locos for keeping use on the branch lines. It all depends on how soon they get the money for the electricfied. Maybe this year or the next year.
Nanpiao
I've been here since Feb 18th, and although there are 2 SY still working intermittently, all 4 BJ are also in use. Generally one morning and one afternoon passenger still steam. One semi-regular afternoon trip to Linhe also SY, but all else diesel. The CNR passenger service from Jinzhou is no longer running, and in fact there appears to be no freight on the line at present either.Jalainur
Feb 23. About 15 SY very active in pit transporting coal. A thick seam has been encountered, and very few spoil trains are needed. Only 4 or 5 came out of the pit all day. The line to the power station was also busy, with trains every 90 minutes or so.Tiefa
Feb 26 & 27 - Tiefa remains as previously reported. Daming, Daqing, and Wangqian passengers 100% SY.JS 5115
Robin Gibbons has found pictures of JS 5115 on a Chinese web site at
http://www.railway-club.com/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=17803&extra=page%3D1.
The loco is in steam (just) and in need of some loving care.
If Robin is correct, it is at Shacheng Bridge Works near Tumu, one station east of Shacheng. This is in Hebei province (Quail map 3, line 37, marked T) at 127 km from Beijing Nan.
(Robin J. Gibbons, Steam_in_China 7213)
Railroad Development Corp. QJs
QJ 7040 has arrived in the States but "sadly, the Chinese scrapped the 6998 and 7002 in early December" to quote the following Trains News Wire:
http://www.rrdc.com/article_01_03_2008_Chinese_steam_Corman_TRAINSnw.pdf
Shibanxi
It appears the branding "Pride of Leicestershire" of loco no. 9 and the tourist coaches has something to do with the leader of
Leicestershire county council.
Have a look at http://www.leshan.cn/lsnews/yingyu/yynews/userobject1ai120853.html
Derek Jenkins thinks it is the case that Leicestershire is twinned with Sichuan Province (or if not that has very close links with it) and more particularly Charnwood Borough Council (aka Loughborough) is twinned with Leshan. It is clear what the majority of enthusiasts think about this "Pride of Leicestershire" nonsense.
I just wonder what the good council tax payers of Charnwood think and are they aware of the negative reactions caused in various corners of the world.
Shibanxi, Yinghao and Xingyang
Zeb was our guide during this time. The locos working at Shibanxi were 9, 10 and 14. No. 9 has been overhauled/tarted up and is now the most unattractive C2 I've ever seen. It probably corresponds to the Chinese idea of how a toy locomotive should appear. It is running with the tender from Pengzhou no. 67. More in report later.
Yinghao not working on 16th Dec but three locos looked serviceable on shed. Nothing appears to have run down the line to the China Rail transfer shed for some time.
Xingyang visited on 18th Dec. No clay trains but no. 207 on track maintenance
duties - sleeper replacement. Drainage channels at either side of the line
recently dug out.
(Adrian Freeman, Steam_in_China 7087)
News from Shibanxi and elsewhere in Sichuan & Chongqing
News from Sichuan railway guide Zebedee (zebedee_chinaAThotmail.com) received 16 December 2008.
Shibanxi
10-14 December
Locos 7, 9, 10 & 14 have been joined by 2 locos from Pengzhou ZM16-4 67 and 72.
(These are also C2 type but with many detail differences from the Shibanxi locos
including
12-wheel slope back tenders and air brakes.) Zebedee reports that the new locos
have
been assessed for repair but are not yet in service.
Seemless Steel Company, Qingbaijiang (50km North of Chengdu) SY shunting or stabled here are 1613, 1523, 2008, 1612, 1390, 2010 (locos 1244 and 1207 are missing from here)
Jiangyou SY shunting or based here are 0378, 1133, 0671, 1207 (the latter is a Qingbaijiang loco originally)
Zebedee also reports that, in Chongqing, Ganshui (Datong Coal Railway) and
Nanchuan
are both dieselized.
(John Raby, Steam_in_China 7070)
Huludao
Message from Duncan Cotterill:
Huludao has 2 x DF10D, all JS stopped, one SY remains on shunts.
(Bryan Acford, Steam_in_China 7056)
Jixi
The beginning of the end: four diesel locomotives arrived and have been brought to Hengshan. There are now two SY and four diesels in use. On the whole system you can still see almost 20 SYs in service. No-one could say when the next diesels will come.
Hegang
In two months steam operation here should be over. The first diesels took over almost all the trains and steam is now relegated to ballast and construction work. When the next batch of diesels arrive, probably in December 2007, the remaining steam locos will be dumped.
Tiefa
Back to the roots! Some of the DFH3 diesel locomotives have been withdrawn for reasons we could have foretold before they first arrived - too expensive, worn out, too weak for heavy coal trains. Most of the rest of the DFH3s are used for light passenger trains now while some of the SYs have returned to the freight business. The days where you could plan your lunch break according to the steam passenger timetable are over!
Jinzhou 701 workshop
The tunnel workshop already has nine orders for overhauls for 2008. It seems they’ll manage to survive for another year.
Pingdingshan
Another five diesel locomotives are due to arrive here in November 2007. They will replace the remaining QJs. By the end of 2009 the full system should be free of steam locomotives. High noon!
(Bernd Seiler, FarRail Newsletter October 2007)Jalainur
Zhalai Nuer has a new boss who is not as co-operative as the old one was. You're officially NOT allowed to enter the pit on your own, you need a guide from the mine. Imagine what would happen if you'd enter a coal mine without permit in central Europe! However, if you follow some simple rules you'll probably not face problems. As soon as someone ask you to leave the pit, don't start to discuss, just say ok and walk out. You may enter the next day from another side ...
In the washery station they now have much more security than ever before. On our 100 locos in 16 days tour we counted seven of them. They came straight to our group - and during these seconds the fear was they will through us out because we had a permit for the mine with local guide, but we went there without (he was not ready in the morning as we wanted to go there, so we said to him we'll see you later - finally we never saw him in two and a half days). As they appeared me I said ni hao and told them what we're going to do (wait for the next departure). They interacted very freindly, and even forced me to have a look in the cab of the waiting SY, wanted to see some foreign coins and said we should watch out for trains before we cross the rails. Then they went away and haven't been seen by us for the following two days.
I know from others they had serious trouble with the local police. It's always better not to bump in the local police ... In general you can say it's still an easy going country regarding railway photography compared to many other "developed" countries. You need to be careful, behave approprioate and try to avoid incidents. It's a very bad experience to travel so far just to find the pit closed to your eyes because a local police man found that's not the kind of pictures China would like to allow to be published in the world. Such things may happen, but the probability to get superb shots from one of the greatest steam shows on the planet is much higher than to have any serious trouble. I'm talking about this: http://www.farrail.net/galleries/galerie_43-china-zhalai-n.html.
(Bernd Seiler, Steam_in_China 6963)Hegang
Further to Wilson's report below, the diesel hauling the passenger was GKD1A 0100 in orange livery, and from memory the other two diesels were 0101 or 0102 and 0103.
Qinhuangdao Local Railway
News from this rarely visited line in Hebei province is that the line through the city of Qinhuangdao was closed in early July 2007, so the SYs
which passed the city daily are dumped now.
The line outside the city is still
in use, but was dieselised together with the closure of the city line.
(Bernd Seiler, Steam_in_China 6811)
Jinzhou 701 resumes overhauls
In the above report, Roger notes SY 1387 from Lingyuan Steelworks ex-works in the China Railway yard at Nanpiao on 30th May. This loco was stored outside the depot at the steelworks on 15th March.
New steam line discovery with JS and SY
From Japanese sources, Louis Cerny reports a newly discovered steam
operation that is near the previously popular QJ-operated Wuhai-Jartai
line in Inner Mongolia.
This newly-discovered steam line appears to operate in three
directions from the end of the 53 km long Hai-La line (line 39D on
page 5 of the Quail map) at Gongwusu.
Reports show JS 6249 and 6251 in steam, with 6250 not in use; and SY
1315 in steam with 1053 and 0360 not in use. One of the JS in
operation does not have the cowling go forward to the smokestack,
giving it a unique look.
(Louis Cerny, Steam_in_China 6775)
Huangjinggou (Weiyuan) line closure
I phoned to Weiyaun these days and was told they have just stopped
using steam NG for coal transportation.
They have planned to use lorries and remove the NG railway tracks soon
as they have less coal to produce .Maybe in June or July.
(Mike Ma, Steam_in_China 6719)
Liujiaxia passenger services discontinued
Liujiaxia - the steam passenger services have been discontinued and no sign
of any passenger coaches. Saw the morning school train at Gucheng worked by
a draisine railbus. 2 locos in steam tripping and marshalling wagons in the
morning. Suspect freight runs early afternoon from Gucheng. I went to the
Shangxian end of the line for the 1830 but it didn't run at that time.
No changes at Baiyin or Sandaoling.
(Roger Blundell, from Hami, May 23rd)
Shibanxi, morning passenger trains re-timed
Changes to morning passenger trains - they now leave Shibanxi at 0600 (was 0700) and
0930 (was 1030). Afternoon trains unaltered.
(Roger Blundell, from Bagou)
English language Chinese Atlases
The airside bookstall in Beijing Capital Airport international departures is again stocking English language Chinese Atlases. In addition to the well established Atlas of China from the China Cartographic Publishing House, there is a new, more modern, Atlas of China from Sinomaps Press, first published in January 2007, price RMB 160.00 . Both atlases include gazetteers (indexes) of around 100 pages.
(D.F.)
Florian has directed me to the following site, www.h-schnepf.de/alben/china/linkpage, created by Heinrich Schnepf. It is a very comprehensive report (in German) of Bernd Seiler's Farewell to QJ Tour in November 2006. As Florian says, it contains some great pictures, including many of non-railway interest, that give you the real feel of a trip to China.
Ian Thompson has a China section on his site www.steamfinale.co.uk. It includes galleries on Fuxin, Huludao, JiTong, Jixi and Nanpiao.
Huanan, Huangjinggou (Weiyuan) and other narrow gauge steam
Huanan: the mines got their licence back! So trains will run from "around" week
14 again -
with steam.
Huangjinggou: after Chinese new year they re-started the service. Open end ...
Xingyang: running at the moment
Yinghao: running at the moment
Shibanxi: business as usual
(Bernd Seiler, Steam_in_China 6584)
Shaoxing ore line near Hangzhou
A Febraury posting on the Changjiang website shows two ND2 diesels now working the ore line at Shaoxing. The locos are 0277 and 0281.
Although some of the photographs posted show SYs at the little depot it seems likely that steam working on this line has now ended.
(Bruce Evans)
Pingzhuang, Yuanbaoshan Feb 2007
Five of the JS displaced by diesels at Yuanbaoshan are now stored at the Pingzhuang workshops.
At Yuanbaoshan itself, two JS remain at work alongside the diesels with two other JS locked up in the shed.
(David Scudamore, Steam_in_China 6544)
Hegang
The Hegang coal mine will get its first four diesels in May
2007. Another five will be delivered by December 2007. This is
the end of steam there.
(Bernd Seiler, Steam_in_China 6513)
Huanan
Huanan will not be reopened until mid March. Dependng on the
snow it might be even later. The railcar service is suspended as
well.
(Bernd Seiler, Steam_in_China 6513)
CHINESE NARROW GAUGE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE ARRIVES IN UK
Five Ffestiniog Railway volounteers have imported Dahuichang no. 4 to the UK. The locomotive will initially be taken to the
Ffestiniog Railway where it will be thoroughly
surveyed and its condition evaluated. A detailed plan
for the overhaul and certification of the locomotive
will be prepared, which may include re-gauging the
loco to 600mm gauge.
(Press Release, Steam_in_China 6481)
Coming to America
Ron Olsen's article, pages 42-51 in Trains, February 2007 is sub-titled "The behind-the scenes tale of two Chinese 2-10-2s that immigrated to Iowa. It commences with a double page spread of QJ 7081 on the Chabuga-Daban passenger in Nov. 2005. Then follows a description of the decision by Henry Posner III to have several QJs overhauled and brought to America for resale, and the move of QJs 6988, 6998, 7002, 7040 and 7081 to the Jinzhou 701 Factory where 6988 and 7081 have been overhauled. There is fascinating information about the 701 Factory and the work done on the two locomotives there, before their shipping to America. The article concludes with their arrival and operation of test runs and finally public trips in September 2006 before being stored in Newton, Iowa, pending sale.
Jixi - the beginning of the end
In May 2007 Jixi will get a first batch of diesel locomotives. It's not for sure when the next diesels will arrive, but they will!
The situation after May will be:
- Hengshan 1 steam loco left
- Chengzihe 2 left.
- Didao 5 left.
- Mulin 3 left.
- Donghai 2 left.
Donghaikuang will get no diesels, as well as Didao only get
one. But the other systems will fade out soon. The "banked
double headers" of Hengshan will be history!
Mulin seems to be Lishu and will not be dieselised in May as well.
So half of the steam locos will be replaced within the next five
months.
Is it worth to mention that it is high noon?
(Bernd Seiler, Steam_in_China 6473)
Fuxin - still plenty of steam action but the first diesel has arrived
In December 2006, 14 SYs were in use but the first diesel, DF5D
0066 built at Dalian in 2006, was being used interchangeably with
the SYs on trains around Wulong.
(Duncan Cotterill)
Chengde Steelworks
After the arrival of 9 diesels in 2006, there is only 1 SY
working remaining.
(Jun, CFITS Chengde)
Beipiao
JF 886 was not at work in December 2006, but stored.
(Jun, CFITS Chengde)
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© 2005, F.Menius, 2007 Dave Fielding