Without setting a step into the big open cast mines: we saw 34 active steam locomotives in a single week – still possible in China at the end of 2006!
This forestry line has been closed after the 2004 logging season. They dismantled the track except the first 6.5 km. From there they built a “tourist line” on the embankment of a long ago dismantled logging branch line, as indicated by my trip report Winter Spectacle 2003. The total length of the line is now 8 km. It splits off the old main line several hundred metres beyond Zhenzhu (km 6) and turns westwards uphill. There are two bridges on the rebuilt section. At the end they built a fancy station building with a shop. The area is called a forestry park but has nothing to offer apart from an artificial lake, some 20 year old forest and minor hills.
The parallel road is currently being paved with concrete. During the road construction passenger traffic on the road has come to an end. The railway has taken over the passenger service during the road construction from the summer until the end of October 2006 with a break for track repairs at the end of September. The tourist service never materialised and there are still no plans for regular tourist trains on the line. After the road construction has been completed (the date was given as October 28th) the railway will fall asleep again.
Beside serviceable railcars and one diesel locomotive they have two passenger coaches, a luggage wagon and three steam locos in the shed. Some freight cars are available as well. The numbers of the steam locomotives:
No. 54 was in good external condition. Even though the remaining section of the line is not the most beautiful there are several good photo positions. In particular the new extension offers one or two good shots with a hilly backdrop. The passenger train looks as it did when it was a regular train. It’s a pity they do not run tourist trains.
The turntable in Weihe is out of use. Locomotives leaving Weihe chimney first and return tender first.
After ten years I visited Yabuli again. The site has developed as expected, and you need to take a close look to identify remains of a once busy forestry line. The line through the city into the log yard is a park now and the station site has been built over. But you can still find some bridges, the station building and the loco depot. Opposite there is a newly built prison ...
Southeast of the line between the log yard and the station there is now a monument to the former forestry industries in this area. Beside other objects related to the forest era of Yabuli in a little park surrounded by concrete apartment blocks a C2 (numbered “01”) and some wagons are plinthed.
On the station plinthed two locomotives are plinthed: an SY (probably SY 0452), numbered as “2002” with a riveted tender and a C2, named “Mudanjiang”. The identity of the locomotive is unknown.
The situation is almost unchanged. God news is that the management decided not to dieselise the passenger service with the exception of the 106 km long Faku line. As there are no water facilities on this line any more they are using diesels (class DFH3).
The main reason are the operational costs for the diesel locomotives. On the average 20 km long line the operational costs of a diesel locomotive (class DFH3) is about 8,000 RMB per round trip while a steam locomotive (class SY) requires only 5,000 RMB (= 530 Euro). As the fare is only a symbolic price (one RMB regardless the distance travelled for miners and photographers who have purchased the official photographic permit, 2 RMB for other locals) the service is almost complementary to the miners as well as to the population in the area. Considering the purchasing and capital costs of the diesels a steam locomotive incurs only about a third of the costs of a diesel under the particular circumstances at Tiefa if used for passenger trains.
The freight trains have an average load of 2,000 tons. Sometimes trains can exceed 2,800 tons. During the steam-only times we saw a single SY which hauled an 3,040 tons train. This was not a usual load and far beyond the maximum permitted. The problem with the overweighted trains has been solved with the diesels. The maximum permitted load for a DF4B is 3,600 tons, while the (official) limit for an SY has been 2,400 tons. These loads are not suitable for the hilly Faku line, of course. Anyhow, although from the operational point of view it might be easier to use diesels, from the financial point of view it is not economic at all. The overall operational expenses for the diesels in freight service are 20 to 25 % above the costs of steam locomotives. This does not include the much higher investment expenses for diesel locomotives compared to steam locomotives.
As the company earns good money they could afford to purchase ten diesel locomotives. They started with second hand diesels class DFH3 and switched to DF4B later. The DFH3 were given internal numbers (2004 - 2009), the four DF4B following the nation wide number system. DFH3 2008 is already dumped. For the daily passenger service they use one diesel and three steam locomotives. Another steam locomotive is used for the shunts from and to the power station in Diaobingshan. The passenger timetable is unchanged from the published version of the trip report Northern and Central China, January 2006.
As the company is not short of money they stored all their SY’s in a shed which was built specially for these locomotives. Most of the locomotives are still in good external and technical condition and were taken out of use in 2004 and 2005. The locomotives in this house are (as lined up):
In use were:
SY 1561 was under heavy overhaul in the workshop.
The coal company is interested in developing tourism in this area. With this in mind they decided to build a narrow gauge line with a gauge of 760 mm (not 762 mm!). The line is about one kilometre long so far and should be extended to some 5 km. They are building an oil fired model SY for this gauge. It should be steamed up for the first time in November 2006.
They announced a steam festival week from January 19th 2007. They want to use KD6 487, YJ 269, JS 5029 and one SY for the passenger trains. The trains on the Faku line will be steam hauled as well. FarRail Tours offers a trip to Tiefa when all these locomotives are running!
For steam crane lovers: in Diaobingshan is crane Z151-15T 960 in use. The stabling point is Diaobingshan; all installations in Daqing have been removed.
Nothing changed from my previous reports. Locos getting still overhauls, the tracks are being repaired, the wages are paid on time. Locos in use have been C2 011, 043 and the freshly overhauled 168.
Here my improved scetch maps:
See my report Heilongjiang and Nei Menggu 09+10/2002 (Golden Autumn in Northern China, September/October 2002).
The most important thing we can report is that there are still double headed and banked trains! All the people who think that travelling to China is not worthwhile any more since JiTong lost its steam should understand that they are missing the last real empire of steam! Enjoy charter trains and preserved lines for the rest of your life, but be sure that there is something which you have been missed. At the moment you’re reading this report – just now – there might be a double headed train storming uphill – and you’re sitting at the computer. How boring!
We visited four systems: Didao, Chengzihe, Hengshan and Lishu. The morning and evening meetings for changing the shifts at the stabling point and the central control office are as impressive as ever.
Locomotives in service seen on the systems:
Chengzihe (8 SY):
Didao 6 SY):
Hengshan (7 SY):
Lishu: (2 SY)
One of the SY’s at Lishu got an overhaul at the workshop in Jixi. It’s possible to visit the depot, including the workshop, at Jixi but the situation is rather boring. Entrance fee is about 100 RMB.
The locomotives at the Lishu system run tender first uphill from Xinfeng to Pinggang. The line is beautiful. The line from Xinfeng to Sankeng has been closed.
During the “long holidays” (or so called Golden Week) from October 1st to October 7th both serviceable diesel locomotives (BJ 3132 and BJ 3241) have been stored in Xiamiaozi with all work being done by steam. In service we saw:
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