The next trips to these location can be find here: Sunflower-Quickie and Late Autumn for Steam in China.
Everything is changing. But there are only a few things where it is crystal clear in which direction the change will go. For example the last remaining steam operation in China... It’s for sure that it will come to an end. The signs are many, for example, if you’re not colour blind you can hardly miss the orange wall in the depot at Pingdingshan. This orange wall is not the end of the development. Different people – different conclusions. Some already say that it’s no longer worth a visit to China for steam. (Of course, a weekend on a preserved line with just three working steam locomotives near your home and between traffic jams, wind generators and satellite dishes is a far more worthwhile “experience” than real steam in real action). Others think we are witnessing the last few glorious months of hard working real steam and should use these last chances – and so travel to China as often as possible. They understand the prices for good looking charter steam and know that the value for money is much greater in China with their regular trains than anywhere with chartered steam. Another clear development is the cost of chartering steam ...
So my personal conclusion, bearing in mind that we’re just seeing the last big steam locomotives vanishing should be known to you already, China, China, China! Just check the tour plan for the next few months ... Have a look here: Tour calendar.
Now, when everyone believes he knows that the show is over, I hear the question more frequently than ever before: is it worth travelling so far? For sure it is, this is the only honest answer I can give. Even with just a single steam locomotive as we’ve just seen in Nanpiao, it can be stated: steam still rocks! Real steam action can’t be replaced by a “steam gala” or something similar. Real steam is melting like snow in the March sunshine, so don’t stare like a rabbit facing a snake, do something! Capture the last glorious moments available in the world!
Please don't think we didn't take the usual 3/4 shots with the sun in the "right" position. We made many of those shots. But there is no need to publish them, you can find them everywhere. All pictures published here have been taken on Fuji Chrome Velvia 50, the original.
85 dumped freight wagons in Zhalai Nuoer – this means at least ten trains less in action, at least ten steam locomotives less than before! On the other hand – the other remaining 20 or so steam locomotives justify the statement that this site is the best steam orgy in the world. The huge excavator hole is the place with the highest density of exciting photo positions since JiTong was dieselised.
For number grabbers, we noticed these locomotives (all under steam)
Because of the impending Chinese New Year some of the staff were sent home for holidays already. That’s why they were using all their four diesels and only one steam loco. A diesel requires fewer personnel than a steam locomotive. All the smaller mines had stopped mining already. This single steam loco occupied us all day, we didn’t even find time to visit the depot. In the morning there was a freight train to Linghe, around noon one over the steep gradient towards the spoil dump near Zaojiatun, in the afternoon a shift to the power plant and in the late afternoon a train from Weizigou, ending up with another train to the power plant, but shadows were creeping up the valley already for this duty. It was amazing that we only just found some time for lunch and were busy all the time before and after. No complaints about the lack of picture opportunities, for sure. As stated in the trip report about the Ice Quickie 1 already, Nanpiao will remain on the agenda until the bitter end.
SY 1299 was in use, the other engines were stored in the shed.
The diesels are disturbing, really. Not only are all the passengers now diesel hauled, but also some freight trains are now behind diesel. However, at least eight steam locos were playing an active part in the daily duties. So Fuxin is still worth a visit. There are almost unlimited positions with dusty industrial backdrops, people, vehicles of all kind (speciality: three wheelers) and the remains of the Hutongs, vanishing at the same alarming rate as the steam locomotives.
Under steam we noted these locomotives:
We came a across two diesels as well:
The town continues to be transformed into a modern, faceless Chinese city. With the shut down of the open cast pits they have started to clear the area of its Hutongs and unused industrial buildings. Completely new areas with densely built apartment blocks, new, wide roads and shopping centres are popping up. There are many shots possible with all these changes going on. Pictures are many with the dust from unpaved or provisional roads, rural markets in front of broken down Hutongs and interesting people.
They have established a little museum close to the town open cast pit, next to Xiadaokou. This level crossing (= Daokou) seems to have no future either, they have built a brand-new street and a complete new level crossing with gate keeper’s house just next to the old one.
What a change from my last visit in October 2007! Like mushrooms after a warm rain in late summer new houses, sheds, streets and bridges have appeared almost overnight. The new ash-grey concrete century has arrived in Pingdingshan, powdered with and in a cloud of the dust from the coal city. Concrete bridges over concrete roads instead of lovely gate keeper’s houses and bumpy roads, framed by Hutongs made of bricks ...
If you’re not an enthusiast of boxy diesels, the morning meeting of (almost) all locomotives in the shed of Pingdingshan is just a shadow of its former self. A complete orange wall is building up in the depot at that time. Seen from the southern end it’s likely that you’ll not be able to spot a single steam locomotive beside all these orange monsters. But, hold on – it’s not time to say good bye yet to Pingdingshan. There are still seven locos under steam as spare and another nine working on the line, two of them for the passenger trains. One of the passengers is still traditional green, while the other, from the outside totally filthy, is orange. Now take a seat – Pingdingshan is the place with the highest number of QJ’s in line service. The new diesels haven’t replaced the QJ’s, not a single one. We saw four QJ’s within a few hours in Yüzhou. Where else can you see four QJ’s on a 48 km long line? If you know another line, please let me know ... Without doubt, the line has nothing special and the trains are few, but, a QJ is a QJ. There is no other similar large class of steam locomotives in the world which is still earning its money from hauling trains over a line. All the others suck the money we railway enthusiasts spend to see them running. These in Pingdingshan don’t swallow our money, they’re earning money for their company. Big difference!
We asked an engineer in the shed about the future development of steam. He said they expect the delivery of a further three diesels by mid-2008, he thinks in May or June. But this will not affect the passenger trains, they’ll remain steam. Probably they’ll retire the last steam locomotive in 2009. That’s why they’re continuing overhauls on steam. Grab your seat one more time, they’ve just started a heavy overhaul on QJ 6786! Only in Shandong province can you see something similar these days.
Here’s the list of locomotives seen under steam, including the orange plague:
The next trips to these location can be find here: Sunflower-Quickie and Late Autumn for Steam in China.
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