Well, another trip has come and gone! Much sooner than I had anticipated, a mere 6 months after the last one. As everyone knows, steam is disappearing quicker than ever before, so we decided to do this trip a little differently and rather than spending any length of time in one place, visit as many areas as possible. In the 15 days we had, we squeezed in seven steam systems, which as the independent traveller knows, is no mean feat - especially in a country like China. The steam centres we visited in order were; Yanzhou/Zou Xian, Xingyang, Yima, Yinghao, Liujiaxia, Yaojie and Shibanxi. All these places, with the exception of Yanzhou, are frequently visited by steam pilgrims so prior researching of these areas was very easy - many thanks to contributors to the qj-country.de website (now sy-country.co.uk).

The weather this time was mostly warm - very warm with a couple of days of (very) heavy rain as we moved west. The main problem with travelling at this time of the year is pollution. Much of this is not from factories (or steam engines!), but rather from farmers burning their fields and harvested plants ready for next season. I was hoping this would lift the further west we went, but to no avail.

Flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai, courtesy of Dragon Air lasted about 2 hours and we landed around 4pm at Shanghai Pudong International airport. Although this was my second trip to Shanghai, it was my first time to fly in.

I was hoping to be able to get to the Shanghai railway museum, but at the information desk at the Maglev railway, a pamphlet showed the closing time as 4pm. Bummer! Oh well, we took the Maglev train to Longyang Road - it's only stop. Many followers of Chinese railways show no interest in this line, particularly a few clucky members in the Yahoo Steam group who get their panties twisted every time it is mentioned, but it is truly a magnificent engineering feat by both German and Chinese engineers and definately worth the mention. Our top speed was 431 kph and the journey - all 30 kilometers and 40 Yuan (approx $US5) of it - was over in less than 7 and a half minutes. The Chinese are very proud of this, and rightly so. The most amazing aspect of all of this is that while China operates the fastest commercial train in the world, it is also still commercially using steam trains!

One of the Shanghai Maglev trains at Longyang road

Once we arrived at the Longyang Road station, we transferred to the Shanghai metro (green line) and then onto the red line to the Shanghai Railway Station (China National Railways). We bought tickets immediately for Yanzhou. Unfortunately the trains were full and the next available train (1228) would arrive at just after 130PM the next day. We took this one and waited a couple of hours at the KFC close by - too dark to take photos. The KFC unfortunately had changed a lot since our 2000 visit, where the entire restaurant was decked out with sandblasted glass panels of trains around the world above every seat and had a gauge 1 model railway running around the ceiling. The only evidence of any railroad theme left was a large painting of a Japanese steam engine in the window.

An hour before we got on board, we asked 10 employees ranging from Station master to gate keeper to take photos on the platform and got 10 different answers! Eventually we were let on by a very friendly platform cleaner and with the tripod and the magic of digital photography, came away with some very evocative night scenes. Our train (1228) was SS9G hauled (to Xuzhou - then DF4DK).

Shanghai Railway station ; SS9G 0160 with train 1228

We had soft sleeper class (238 Yuan each) for the 14 hour (810km) journey. Nothing of interest seen during the night but when I woke up at Bengbu at about 730am, the following locomotives were seen in the following sections;

Shanghai - Bengbu
Freight locomotives predominantly ND5 with the odd SS4G and DF8B
Passenger locomotives DF11G, DF11 and DF4DK

Bengbu - Suizhou
Freight locomotives ND5, early SS4G (dark blue/white)
Passenger locomotives DF11, DF4D/K

Suizhou - Xuzhou
Freight locomotives DF4C, ND5 (mostly double headers)
Passenger locomotives DF4D, DF11, DF4B, DF11G

Xuzhou - Yanzhou
Freight locomotives ND5, SS4G, DF4C
Passenger locomotives DF4D/K, DF4B

Xuzhou passenger station is using a DF7 for it's shunting operations in a rare red/silver color scheme.

Ballast is applied much the same way Kettle chips are made

We arrived on time at Yanzhou and spent a few minutes photographing this busy section of line. We stayed at the Guang Tong Da Sha hotel, double room for 160Y. Typically Chinese. We decided to spend the remaining daylight on the Zou Xian system and the next day at Yanzhou. We took a taxi from Yanzhou to Zou Xian CNR station for 20Y, and from there to Da Dong Zhang (the main yard on the Zou Xian system) via motorbike taxi, thinking it would be best for a Zou Xian local to locate the areas we wanted to go. This almost proved our undoing after being sideswiped by a truck. Of course being China, both drivers kept going as if nothing had happened. From the trike we passed a depot from where I saw a pair of QJ's with metal boards welded over the windows.

The drive to Da Dong Zhang took about 15 minutes, which is years in a trike over such a bumpy road, and located the yard with no problems at all. Behind a string of C62 hoppers I could see the wheels of a QJ. We decided to go to the office first to make our presence known, and just as well. This is an extremely sensitive place and we were originally told we were not allowed to take photos. But after some tea and some Aussie train photos we were given 20 minutes to take pictures of the trains with the condition that we show our photos after I had taken them, and then asked to leave the area and not return. We met the top manager of the yard and his deputy. They are nice folk, but firm. If anyone decides to go, please treat this area with respect. The depot is off limits and any photos of the yard building or anything that shows the location are not permitted. Pre-organising a visit may be an option, although I wasn't able to get a phone number. Alternatively, one could spend time on the line and not bother with the depot or yards and would probably run into no obstacles.

Heaven is a working QJ. Or two.

In steam, but idle in the yard, were QJ's 6814 and 7189. After taking many photos and giving out some coins to the very friendly crews, I went back to the yard depot to show the lads the photos I took and have another chat. 7190 rolled into the yard in unspectacular fashion with 70 loads. The manager told me to take the camera out and get photos of it as it was the last working of the day.

3/4 shot of QJ 6814 ; QJ's 7189 and 6184 all steamed up with no where to go

He then organised a cab ride back into Zou Xian aboard light engine DF4DD 1020 and we were taken to the depot where we had seen the boarded up QJ's. I thought there were only a couple, but this place is huge and is full of treasures! There are no less than 11 QJ's stored here in various degrees of decay. The best part is that these engines are TOTALLY complete. Nothing is missing, running gear - even builders plates. It's still all there. This however may not be good news for the future of these engines. At many depots, dumped engines are cannibalised to keep the others going but it seems that this isn't the case for these. Some of the staff mentioned that a couple of the engines have been in here for 3 years, with the most recent addition high deflector 7126 (overhauled March 2006) only a week. You can see below in the sketch not to scale) of the depot and the locations of the engines. Two of them I was unable to get a number, but you can probably find them on the qj-country.de website. A lot of the engines seem to be in OK condition, others have ivy growing all over them. Either way though - they're all out in the open, and that is not a good sign that we will see them in service again.

Two of the many dumped engines ; Latest arrival is high delflector 7126

From the reported steam locomotives in the Yanzhou and Zou Xian areas, it soon became apparent that Yanzhou is now dieselised. The Yanzhou engines are now on the Zou Xian system, and the old Zou Xian engines are now in this depot. Naturally, some one is more than welcome to correct me on this, but I can't see any other explanation. Oh - and steam at Zou Xian will be gone by the end of October. We saw the latest batch of diesels - DF7's judging by the blue/yellow/grey livery in the shops receiving their final touch ups before being let loose.

We took a taxi back to the hotel in Yanzhou. Wonderful full body massage for an hour and a half for 40Y. Lovely girl :-)

Rather than what I saw as a waste of time exploring a steam free Yanzhou, we decided to head back into Zou Xian - giving the depot and yard a wide berth of course - and try and get some steam movements on the line somewhere. There is a fabulous concrete viaduct that must go for 3 or 4 kilometers in length - long enough that it was almost impossible to see the end of because of all the burnoffs in the area. We spent a few hours there and eventually saw a DF4C with a mixed freight and a light engine DF8B, but no steam, so we gave in and spent an hour on the CNR mainline (Jin-Pu line) photographing ND5's, DF4B's (many of which are in green/gold colors) SS4G's, DF4D's, DF11's and DF11G's etc, etc. This section really has a fabulous array of engines and train types to photograph. But the area is quite flat and the pollution makes it a challenge to shoot anything remotely aesthetically pleasing. Returned to Yanzhou, checked out of hotel and went to Yanzhou station. Hard sleeper tickets to Zhengzhou were easy to get for Service 2515 (103 Yuan). Departing at 437PM, it seemed we were wasting time with a day time service, but we couldn't see ourselves getting anything steaming on film without breaking our promise and heading back to the depot. We made friends with the CNR staff while we waited for our train and they were very accommodating in holding our bags for us while they escorted us onto the platform to take photos. The station master was very friendly and gave me a hat badge. The highlight of the time we spent on the platform was a passenger train - hauled by an ND5!! Surely a very rare sight. This was on an excursion train from Qiqihar to Heze.

Our train was DF4B to Zhengzhou, most of the other traffic was also DF4B - both freight and passenger, although I did see a very early SS1 in green/yellow livery. We arrived very late evening and after failing to find the hotel we stayed at in 2005, we checked into the Feng Yuan Business hotel. A fairly naff affair with PC & Internet in the rooms! 338 Yuan for the double overnight. Cheaper rooms of course.

DF4DK at Yanzhou ; Some DF4B's on the Jinan - Zhengzhou line

Early start for my first Chinese narrow gauge system! I was naturally very excited. We found the busses without too much trouble, first enquiring at the bus depot opposite Zhengzhou railway station (see my Pingdingshan trip report for a map) who directed us to Zhengzhou West (bus) station. To get there, take a bus number 7 (1 Yuan) and then a midi-bus to Xingyang. Note - bus number 7 is a metro bus, not taken from the long distance bus station. The metro bus stops are on the main roads that lead away from the station. If you are facing the train station, Bus 7 leaves from the stops on the street to the left. After enduring heavy passive smoking for 40 minutes, we were dropped on the mainroad at Xingyang. A trike took us to the brickworks plant eventually and we found the manager at the plant quite receptive after we explained what we were doing there and in the area. He explained the functions of the plant and wanted us to come for tea, but after hearing a whistle in the distance, we politely declined and headed up the tracks to the service depot. A worker told me we had just missed the train to the loading point, but would be back in an hour. From looking at our maps, we quickly headed off down the line to try and capture the train at the sensational brick arched viaduct which crosses over some lakes. The sun came out for what would be the only time for the next 10 days, a couple of minutes before C2 207 roared over the viaduct with a long train of clay hoppers. I was able to get some of my best video ever here, plus some pretty decent photos.

C2 207 rattles over the viaduct with a string of loaded clay hoppers

A road crossing sign ; A recycled G60 tank car now supplies water to one of the brick works

We walked back to the service track to find 207 taking on water and coal, interesting to say the least. 207's tender had a few rather large holes and it was leaking water probably as quickly as it was being filled! The fireman told us she would be overhauled soon and 07 would take over. For the rest of the day we followed the train up and down the line, saw 6 trains including some amazing 'fly shunt' workings at one of the brickworks, whereby after the wagons have been unloaded, the train reverses a few hundred meters down the mainline, then returns bringing the train to speed and disconnects from the wagons and flies into the siding, while a switchman diverts the cars down the mainline. There is just enough speed for the last cars to roll past. The engine then reverses out of the siding, couples onto the rear of the train and takes them back to the loading point.

Quenching a hard earned thirst

C2 207 preparing to flyshunt wagons

Back in Zhengzhou and bursting for a cheeseburger, we got to a large McDonalds where we met a young couple of female backpackers from Germany, who were having trouble getting to Shanghai. Vinci was able to help them out with some written passages to give to the station staff. For ladies, they weren't in the least bit surprised we came here to see steam trains and even suggested we head to Germany to see the tourist lines there. We spent another night in Zhengzhou - same hotel, new massage. Pricey at 88 Yuan for an hour, but... damn! What a hottie.

Early train to Yima, service 1353 departed at 7am. As this was only a 2 hour journey, we braved hard seat and were able to sneak into the dining car. The diner had no customers, but loads of police and China Rail crew. They knew exactly what we were doing, but took pity on us and let us stay in there. I gave out some Aussie coins, always a good ice-breaker and we left as very good friends. The motive power on the line from Zhengzhou - Yima is mainly SS4G on freight (and Mitsubishi Bo-Bo-Bo 6K's electrics after Luoyang), and SS7D's (also Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement) and DF4D's on passenger work.

Just before arrival at Yima station, I spotted the rusty hulk of JS 5937. We were offered a taxi for 50 Yuan to the old depot, which even another taxi driver scoffed at and offered us 10. A small argument broke out between the pair of them, so we walked off up the line and reached the depot within minutes. Asides from 5937, there is a also pair of old steam cranes - one which had 1969 builders plates, is a 601 class, a large 6 axle job, the same as the one we saw at Hegang back in February, the other a Z151- and rakes of KF60 self dump hoppers, all in less than perfect condition.

The sheds which house the stored engines look like one, but are actually two seperate sheds. The main one holds 5 locomotives, SY 1419, JS 8276, 8087, 8092 and high deflector 6215 without tender. At the rear of shops sit JS 6061 and SY 1435. Another JS (8275) sits in the other shed with some KF60 hoppers. The manager gave us as much time as we wanted to photograph in the shed and later took us to the enclosure behind to photograph the two very dead engines. No amount of persuasion, photos, coins or even an inch stack of 100 Yuan bills were enough to let him part with the fabulous 6061 number board! Oh well, maybe I'll find one on eBay some day! He told us steam finished in April.

Inside the main locomotive storage shed at Yima

We soon found out why he was so friendly, and that was so we would invest in an idea of his to set up a tourist railway here - or at least help him find investors. Below is a translation of his press release.

Invitation to Invest

China, Henan province, Yima Coal Corporation, Tian Xin Company. Located in the West of Henan, "Dragon Sea" Railway running south of Tian Xin. North of Tian Xin runs the Lianghuo Highway. A government built road, route 310, runs through the middle of the mine. Good location and easy access. Remnants of a tree since from the Jurassic period were discovered in the old open cast mine. Artefacts from the Yangshao culture were discovered in the mine . In the east lies Luoyang, the capital of nine dynasties. The entire area is rich in culture. An ideal place for students of culture and history to find answers to the mysterious culture. A good place for international friends to visit. A unique travel destination.

Tian Xin Company is looking for financial support and/or investment to restore, operate and protect a viable steam railway. Interest requested from both individual investors and corporations alike.

If you are interested in involvement with this project please contact: Mr. Wang Guo Xi, Yima Coal Co. Tian Xin Company, Yima, Henan, China. Telephone ; 0398-5983513/4 - Fax 0398-5893740 - Mobile 1393-9865079.

The manager and his assistant took us for lunch and then helped us get a bus to Yinghao, our next steam destination. We switched busses closer to Yima city (yes, it's some distance away from the mine and Yima CNR station). Bus took about 3 hours as there was a large traffic jam at the level crossing. Of course if everyone had waited for the car in front of them to move, there wouldn't be a problem, but this is China! A large overloaded truck with sacks of corn had overtaken a car on the crossing and got stuck. Plus half of the crossing was being rebuilt! The bus driver switched off the engine, but still pumped his horn for no apparent reason. We must have been a hundred vehicles away from the crossing! Our bus dropped us off outside the biggest binguan in Yinghao eventually. Unfortunately the best binguan here was the worst place Vinci had ever stayed in and.. well... she cracked. Can't really blame her, it wasn't a particularly nice place. The manager was friendly enough (not sure about his 80Y price per night though - we've stayed in palaces comparatively speaking for around the same price). After consoling Vinci, who was obviously unimpressed with the situation, we agreed it would be best to go for a walk and spend as much time away from the binguan as possible. We covered the section of line between the level crossing on the main road to Mianche and the drop off point at the Southern end of the system. I have seen a conveyor belt from the narrow gauge to the CNR main marked on every map, but I don't know if I saw it or not! Has it been dismantled? Underground?? I don't know. Anyway, we saw no trains and it was starting to get quite dark so we went back to Guantanamo bay.

Terrible nights sleep. The cockroach we found in one of the beds made it impossible to sleep simultaneously, so we were both on "roach patrol". Got up at 5am and 'checked out'. Left the bags downstairs minus the cameras and started the long walk up line to Xiangyang. We caught an unnumbered C2 with a rake of loaded coal hoppers near Huoyan. Just before the tunnel at Xiangyang, we stumbled across a snake cut into thirds across the track. I wanted to take a photo, but Vinci was in such a state now I decided to take a more sensitive role and sooth her somewhat. She can't handle snakes constructively. We did manage to get some good footage of the unnumbered C2 storming the grade and going through the tunnel here. A very short walk past the tunnel into the small yards at Xiangyang presented us with the grace of locomotive 06. This is not a number I've seen reported on this line before. Is it masquerading as another engine? The unnumbered loco was nowhere to be seen for the time being. We got some interesting footage of an irate driver navigating his locomotive through a flock of sheep and an equally irate shepherd trying to move them off the tracks. The other locomotive returned from Liangjiawajing mine with a short loaded train of coal hoppers. One thing I noticed that I've not seen in photos is that most of the rolling stock has a disclaimer painted on! The paint work seems to be quite fresh and basically translates as, "If you climb on the train, you do so at your own risk". Has this been put on for us mad buggers? I got some good footage here, with two engines working simultaneously shuffling around coal cars before one of the engines left for Yinghao and the other went back to the depot. The workmanship displayed was very efficient and the workers were obviously very experienced. One thing that amazed me was the speed in which these engines can change direction!

The abandoned church ; The un-numbered kettle

We decided that the very heavy pollution, the cockroaches, snakes and the fact God had left the town (leaving a pile of bricks in the parking lot on His way out) convinced us it was time to change plans and head off to Xian a day early. So we took a bus back to Yima (only an hour and a bit this time) and took train L429 - a temporary service - to Xian for 25Y each. SS6 0015 was our locomotive. We upgraded from hard seat to soft sleeper class once on board to make the journey a little more comfortable and to try to comfort a very traumatised Vinci.

SS6 with hopper train ; Two Mitsubishi 6k's and an SS6 (dead) on a long mixed freight

The line between Yima and Xian is very beautiful with huge sandstone cliffs jutting out from every side of the line. Lots of man made caves are cut into these. There are many huge viaducts and tunnels along this line almost like a model railway. Motive power seen on this section of line included;

Freight locomotives Mitsubishi 6k's, SS6, SS3 and SS3BG (double units) - to a lesser extent Passenger locomotives Mitsubishi 6k's, DF4B's, SS7D/E & SS6

SS7D Tri-Bo ; SS7E Co-Co - the prototype overtakes our train

We arrived at about 6PM and we called our contact Mr. Zhao - a Xian local and fellow railnut - whose contact details were given to me by Henry Tang of the Hong Kong Railway Society. He recommended a good hotel to stay at called the Melody Hotel. He couldn't have found a better location! It is situated a kilometer or two south west of the CNR train station and over looks the bell and drum tower and a large garden/walkway. Many old style buildings are here. BUT - most importantly... A McDonalds. Even Vinci's eyes nearly popped out. Maybe she had had enough living off Mentos candies and Bananas for the past 36 hours!

Mr. Zhao met us in our room early morning and showed us photos of an SY only two stations away at Sanmincun that he took from his train window that morning, although he advised us not to bother because the town has been shut off from outsiders following a spate of accidents. But he did say it was sometimes possible to see steam locomotive overhauls at Tianshui, so that was our next stop.

However, rather than rush off straight away, we decided to unwind a little bit and act like regular tourists and head out to see the Terracotta Warriors, possibly because I was getting the feeling that we would not come back to China after the events of the past couple of days, and it would be a shame to miss it. We also covered Emperor Qin's tomb. As I'm anything but a regular tourist, I could have done without that part (although I did get my photo taken with the very cute empress!). The terracotta warriors, I must admit however are fantastic. Well worth the 90 Yuan entry fee. I was prepared for the no photography signs, but there are none! There are however "no flash - no tripod" signs. No tripod? Vinci told me I was not allowed to be in the pavilion - good to see her sense of humour was returning! On a serious note, there is a tripod for hire - at only 150 Yuan! I refused to use it as I would much rather another five massages, 8 McDonald's meals or an extra Bachmann carriage, and came away with some incredibly nice pictures anyway just from resting the camera on the handrail. Upon leaving, it was easy to see where our money was going. The police car inside the grounds was a lovely S500 Mercedes Benz with personalised plates of 0 00000! Very different from the police car we saw in Yinghao. Great to see Communism is working so well!

The drum tower seen from our hotel window ; Copper's travel in style in Xian

The humble warriors of Terracotta

We took a bus back to Xian railway station. There were only two other people on the bus, and only 2 Yuan each. On arrival we got tickets for Tianshui for the following day - only hard seats available for 48 Yuan. With China's National day and mid autumn festival fast approaching, tickets were becoming scarce. Unfortunately, the next train out of Xian was an afternoon service.

Spent the morning taking in the local sites and a spot of shopping in central Xian, before heading to the station. Spent an hour in an Internet cafe built into one of the watchtowers along the city walls (coming out of the station, turn right) before going into the station and enduring a spitting/coughing frenzy. Our train was delayed and we started to realize it would be getting quite dark by the time we got to Tianshui so we upgraded to Lanzhou with the intent of going to Tianshui on the way to Chengdu. Opposite us were two guys from Hong Kong who said they saw us on the bus going from the Terracotta warriors! We upgraded to soft sleeper and they joined us for a chat and a few laughs. It was great to talk to a non-smoker and one who also found the snot-snorting to be less than pleasant. There was a man singing his heart out in the cabin next to us, so I joined in with him much to the amusement of the conductor and the fellow passengers. He went on for the full 8 hours. The onboard tickets were very nice painted metal tags with the China Rail logos. Having learned from a previous that they cost 5 Yuan to replace if lost, we accidentally on purpose lost these ones too! Incredible scenery on the Xian - Lanzhou line, some amazingly long viaducts, plenty of tunnels, rivers, valleys all to the sound of a Chinese Pavarotti.

Arrived at Lanzhou a bit after 10pm. We went straight to the hotel recommended by Mr. Zhao only to go through an experience we had never been through before. I was rejected as I could not fill out the hotel form in Chinese, and having no Chinese name (apart from how Vinci calls me "Peetor") it would be illegal for me to stay! Even though Vinci had no problems as she has her China ID card, plus the fact we are married, they wouldn't budge! We tried a second hotel close by, a very large one called JJJ (?), thinking that this was a much more upmarket hotel we should be right. Same thing!! We eventually got to one called the Hua Chen - which has a chain of hotels all over China. Pretty standard for a Chinese hotel, but this place had some of the best examples of engRish I have EVER seen!

Don't mind if I do...

Today took us to Hekou-nan. We took a bus - or rather a series of busses (three) with the combined journey lasting a little over an hour and a half. Probably quicker ways to get here, but definately the cheapest. Cost us 4 Yuan each. Although steam ended here a few months ago, I still wanted to check out the area and get in a spot of modern motive power on film. Quite a few different locomotive types pass through Hekou-nan. The freight locomotives are primarily SS3 and SS3B. Also in force are the DF4B's and a few SS1's popped their heads up occasionally too. The Hekou-nan depot shunter is an early DF5. Most of the freight at this station is oil tankers. Long strings of these are constantly being pulled in and out of the station. We also saw an army train pass through, which I perhaps shouldn't have taken photos of, but went unnoticed.

A photo of seven trucks ; When trikes go through puberty...

The passenger trains we saw included two trains to and from Lhasa double headed with DF4DK's, SS7D (Bo-Bo-Bo's) and SS7E (Co-Co's), the NZJ2 High speed e.m.u. (number 0009) and DF4B's, one of which was highly decorated (yet tastefully for a change) - number 1105.

Once we arrived at the train station, we hired a trike to take us down the former steam hauled areas between Hekou-nan and Liujiaxia, getting as far as Xigousi. I got on video some very nice footage of a DF4B mixed freight coming through the tunnel north of Xigousi and curving its way through the gorge. What a sight this must have been during days of steam! We spent some time at the large viaduct that crosses the Yellow river, before heading back to Lanzhou. We took a train back from Hekounan - which comprised of one of the strangest consists I've ever seen! SS1 was at the helm with SS7E in tow and only 4 hard seat cars! The station master here is a grumpy woman. When we were all released onto the platform, hundreds of people were along the edge of the platform, but she didn't want me anywhere near it and tried to keep me next to the station building. Of course when our train came rolling in, I told her I would be happy to stay away from the platform if she could get the others back also and ignoring her protests - photographed a very rare passenger train indeed.

SS3's awaiting a green ; Lovely old SS1 still in service

On board we met an ex-railway worker, naturally very friendly and went back to his house to share photographs and a few stories. He gave me his old China Rail pass and told us if we gave him a call tomorrow, he would get for me his old uniform!

Early morning start to Liujiaxia. We got a bus from Lanzhou railway station to West station (bus) to get a connecting service to Liujiaxia. We were initially harassed by some moron who tried to sell us tickets for 80Y, including travel insurance. Naturally he didn't have an insurance prospectus or any paper work. Vinci tried to tell him to get lost which didn't work. He soon brought his price down to 50 and then 30 . When questioned by Vinci why we pay more than the standard fare, he told us because I was a foreigner I should pay more. Vinci went berserk and angrily told him she was married to this foreigner. He still wouldn't go and tried to give us directions to a different bus station. So I took out my camera and photographed him that sent him on his way quicker that Grease Lightning. We purchased tickets from the office for 12 Yuan. Some difference. People on board smoking heavily. Again.

This little JS (8223) went to market

We arrived just in time to video and photograph the amazing JS 8223 with two YZ 22's and an old P50 boxcar, pulling into the street market station - a very different photographic experience to what I'm used to. Unfortunately this was the only train for the rest of the day in daylight hours. it was to return at 730pm. Too bad, we trekked up to Gucheng (depot) and saw 8227 idling on the service track. The other two engines are in separate sheds. One of these engines carries a duplicate 8223 board - it has white on red side number boards. The manager on duty at the engine shed was very receptive and explained why this was done. I guess one way to summarise what he said, would be to save on insurance costs! The Liujiaxia steam engines are lovely machines and are all in very good condition. The 8223 we saw running has brass boiler bands and a cast brass China Rail emblem on the front-end cowling surrounding the chimney. JS 8227 sports a very large red star. Liujiaxia must be one of the very last places in China to see semaphore signals. We missed the last bus back to Lanzhou (which departs at 6PM) and took a taxi back for 100 Yuan, which judging from other's trip reports, is not a bad price at all. We got his business card which I am trying to locate, and will post his details here when/if I find it.

JS 8227 is very busy doing nothing at the depot

We got train N901 to Haishiwan, departing Lanzhou at 630AM for 10 Yuan, taking a little under 2 hours. We took a trike to Yaojie from here for 15 Yuan, getting dropped off on the bridge over the rail yard. The trip - although bumpy - is quite incredible, and the steam hauled trains now a thing of the past must have been some spectacle! At the yard was SY 1713 idling and a new DF7G . A local told us this engine was what ousted the steam from the gorge section. Whether or not that is the case, I'm not sure. The same local also told us that it was a fantastic engine because of the "high pollution of the steam trains" . Of course the power station belching thick clouds of coal had nothing to do with the state of the place! Yaojie is a very poor and dirty place. The air was very thick with pollution and poor Vinci had respiratory problems on arrival until we left which substantially limited the amount of ground we could cover. Nevertheless, we did catch 6 train movements in 5 hours, all with SY 633 on point, and we got some of the best video footage charging the curved bank before the viaduct. All trains had approximately 10 C62/64 hoppers heading north and returning back to Yaojie light. We got a bus back to Lanzhou that cost 10 Yuan and about 3 hours journey.

SY 0633 returns to Yaojie light for another rake of C hoppers

We collected our bags from the hotel and got overnight K228 service to Baoji where we caught up with Mr. Zhao again. He escorted us up to Qinling, two stations south of Baoji on the mainline to Chengdu. This section of line has to be seen to be believed. It remains China's steepest mainline (I think I recall a 3.3 percent grade - someone correct me if I'm wrong here) and was built electrified originally using SS1's - and lots of them! Unfortunately when we arrived, it was raining very heavily so our stay was rather short and visibility of the railway from our vantage point on the main road soon became impossible when the clouds rolled in. Early SS4's (the only place you can see them in Chian is here) and SS4G's are used to pull and/or bank trains up the mountain. It is possible apparently to see as many as FIVE SS4G double units on a single train! We saw 3 trains, the first an SS4G and SS6 with a 22 class passenger. The second was a freight with early built SS4 at the reins and banked by another SS4 AND an SS4G! The last train we saw was a triple-header - SS4G, SS4 and SS6 on a passenger (no banker). In good weather, this is definitely an electric traction paradise! The scenery is absolutely incredible. Very green and plenty of trains. We took a bus back to Baoji when the rain became too heavy, and spent the afternoon in a tea-house close to the station.

SEarly SS4 pulls up mixed freight up the steepest mainline grade in China ; Another SS4 and SS4G banking the same train

Overnight train 2119 to Chengdu from Baoji, hard sleeper and 100 Yuan. Fantastic trip! I witnessed my first brawl! A passenger from another car had stolen a blanket and pillow from one of the beds, which saw the victim take out her frustrations on the poor conductor - a very sweet young lady, obviously quite new to the job. Soon after the yelling started, four more conductors came into the car. Instead of trying to calm the woman down, a massive argument broke out with half of the passengers. I was on the middle bunk down one end of the car and I was really enjoying myself even encouraging them with chants of "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!". Of course Jerry Springer is banned from Chinese television, but some of the passengers found me funny enough to join in - unsure of what they were actually chanting! The whole row lasted some 2 hours, after which I was exhausted from laughing so much. It ended when one of the conductors simply opened a cabinet and produced a new blanket and pillow! Why all the fuss??

Arrived at Chengdu at about 930. After two consecutive overnight trips - i.e. no shower for 2 days, rather than spend time in Chengdu we caught a bus to Qianwei almost immediately. We were again subject to some clown who tried to rip us off 300 Yuan to get there, and he quickly got the picture as soon as I brought out the camera and aimed it at his direction. We got bus 28 from the bus depot next to the train station (just on the right as you walk out) to the end of the route. This takes over an hour and costs 2 Yuan. From here, an intercity bus took us to Qianwei for 45 Yuan each - about 3 hours journey.

Once again we had a rather good time on the bus. The seat next to me was broken and would fall onto the passenger's knees behind with the slightest provocation. Naturally, by chance it was occupied by very obese man who asked me to sit there (from what I gathered from his gestures. He was quite nice, and talked to me for about 10 minutes and I smiled, nodded my head occasionally and let him waffle on. Of course, as I don't speak a word of Chinese, all I could do was say "Pudong" (don't understand) when he finished and laugh in his face, which sent got of the other passengers laughing as well. Fortunately for him he didn't have to wait for too long for another seat. We got off the bus outside the Tianbo hotel arriving at about 2pm. Checked in - and had a shower, something I'd never appreciated so much in my life before! We were going to make a short visit to Shixi, but unfortunately Vinci had trouble containing herself and spent the rest of daylight hours on the loo. I got a photo of her on here just for shits and giggles, but I will spare her the embarrassment. Dinner at the Tian Bo restaurant, pricey and not much chop.

We now had two full days to explore this amazing place. And it is just that - amazing. Once out of Qianwei and into Shixi, the whole world transforms almost into a paradise like place. Even Vinci was impressed. Before getting onto the train, we were ushered into the police office to sign in. Some very famous (and infamous) names in the ledger! We took the train up to Caiziba.

Beautiful butterflies and snakes are everywhere - fun for the whole family!

A praying mantis makes out with my Nikon F90x

The tickets for foreigners is 3Y per station. Vinci enjoyed the local price - although she is married to me and lives in the same country, same house etc. The conductors are sharks and generally quite unfriendly compared to most other places we've been to in China. From the four trips we took over the 2 days, there was never a time where we weren't asked for more money by the conductors because I hadn't paid enough. Of course, I didn't need more money. I have a Vinci. Although the prices are still cheap by any standards, its not a very nice feeling to be taken for 3 times what everyone else has to pay, just because I've got pale skin and a big nose. Still - a very magical journey curving around the mountains, with very rattly carriages, livestock and a very hard working C2 pulling up the seven car train up a grade. Worth a hundred times more than what we have to pay! Very friendly security guard who showed us the locations for good photos.

Like most places in China, the locals are very freindly

We arrived at Caiziba and stayed around the horseshoe curve here for a few hours, seeing two trains - a loaded coal and the return passenger service. Soon after we walked down line back towards Shixi and saw the next passenger service and an empty coal train. Our next photo stop was at the tunnel in between Caiziba and Mifengyan. Although I could rave about how beautiful the scenery is on the whole line, for photographs, this tunnel really takes the cake. There are huge imposing cliffs all around it. After the next engine first service, we quickly walked to Mifengyan to return to Shixi on the same passenger train we had just seen on the return working. On the way back we heard a rustling in the gutter running adjacent to the tracks and after a quick inspection, noticed a beautiful brown snake. Once again Vinci went mental, but it did give her the inspiration to pull the lead out and get to Mifengyan before the train came back!

It's moments like these you need more than a minty

We shared the train with members of the East Europe Rail Tours group led by Jim Colley. Got some photographs of unloading pigs at Yuejin before rolling back into Shixi, as expected this is an interesting sight (and sound) to say the least! On arrival at Shixi, we stayed around the station for some time videoing the switching movements. If the crews impressed me at Yinghao (which they did), these guys are off the hook! There is only a few seconds for the engines here to go from forward to reverse and they zip around in their engines with incredible skill. True if they were in Australia, they would breach just about all the safety regulations in a matter of minutes, but still very impressive stuff. On this day we saw three steamers in action - which I believe is all of them. One of the electrics was also working coal trains from Shixi to Yuejin. Returned to Qianwei by share taxi for 5 Yuan.

C2 taking coal (hand shoveled) ; A coal train coasts into Shixi

Electric loco with coal train at Yuejin ; Loading concrete sleepers onto a flat car

Typical scenery in a not so typical place

Back at the hotel, we spent some time talking to a few of the East Europe Rail Tours group. This was the first time in 6 years we had actually run into any gricers in China! We had dinner at a swanky hot pot place fairly close to the hotel. At least here we had control over how things were cooked!

Woke up bright and early and were kindly offered a lift to Shixi by Jim in their swish bus, which was very gratefully received. Vinci and I took the train up to Jaoba and got to the horseshoe bend just in time to record the return passenger and a coal train engine first. The sun still wasn't showing its face - but being in Sichuan, I guess we were blessed that it wasn't belting down with rain! From here we walked to Caiziba - quite a decent hike, which requires passing through a couple of tunnels - one on a slight curve. Vinci was still traumatised from the snake the previous day and it took us about 1/2 an hour to get through one of them! Only a minute later, the return coal train blasted through the tunnel! Damn!!

A coal train on a curve ; Tender first through a long tunnel

Once we arrived at Xianrenjiao, we bumped into the friendly security guard again and Vinci sat down to have a drink and a chat with him while I photographed some of the local surroundings - including a pair of pigs, which were to be loaded onto the train. The passenger train arrived and I would have got some very good footage of the loading proceedure - had it not been for a crazed Chinese tourist who jumped in front of the video camera to take my picture! He quickly realised his folly and appologised - but too late. I wondered what Rob Dickinson would have done in my situation...

Sichuan's answer to Chicken Shake N' Bake ; Yo! Is this the place that ordered the mother of all pizzas?

On the walk from Xianrenjiao, we photographed a mixed passenger/freight, followed by a 3 car coal train and I lamented a double header return, but alas - not that lucky. Train back into Yuejin for some video of the final passenger departure of the day where the tracks run above a market. We walked from here to Shixi - about an hour and a half (plus another half hour for another tunnel!) and took what night photos I could of the C2's an almost impossible task due to the speed of the shunting movements. We missed the bus, but got a taxi with no problems. He tried to rip us off when he covered the meter with his hand. Suddenly the rate was bumping up at 2 Yuan every 100 meters! Vinci and I noticed this very early on, and let it go. When I got out I photographed his taxi and he quickly reduced his 40 Yuan fare to 10 and asked us not to tell anyone. Of course no one rips off Vinci, and she made him know it! Here is his rego plate - L 60783.

A mixed freight departs Caiziba

Having achieved some great photos (over 700) and over an hour of video from the two days, I decided to put a smile on Vinci's face and cut our visit to Shibanxi a day early to visit the Grand Buddha at Leshan - something she had wanted to visit since seeing it in a popular Chinese movie. Very expensive, but quite impressive. The buddha is cut out of a cliff face and faces Mount Emei, at the point where three rivers converge. It is about 220 feet tall from memory and is over 1200 years old. The place was packed with Chinese tourists, being a Saturday and also the day before China National day - I guess we got what we deserved! The monastry and the grounds are very well kept though, and if you are into touristy things or if it's raining during your visit to Shibanxi, this may be a good alternative to sitting in your hotel room!

Once back in Chengdu, we stayed at a hotel across the road from the station to make the next day midday flight back to Hong Kong. Lo and behold - Chengdu has a McDonald's! There is also about 10 camera shops all together in a small shopping center right on the corner street across the road from the station. It looks like a small supermarket at first glance, but in the back corner there are steps leading to lots of little shops. Prices quite good, better than some prices I saw in Hong Kong.

Summary

Yanzhou/Zou Xian - Seems to be one of the lesser visited areas compared to many of the other remaining steam lines in China. Quite surprising as this is one of the last QJ operations. This may however be due to the isolation from other steam areas and/or it's uninteresting environment. Of course the chance to see working QJ's was too much for me to pass up, especially with the realization that the QJ's will most likely be the first of the classes of steam to become extinct. Yes, there's a pair running in the States now (which is great news of course), but it's not the same thing whichever way you cut it. We had seen the QJ's at Pingdingshan back in 2005, but as we wanted to see a new area, a return visit here was passed up. I will of course not be able to return before the Zou Xian QJ's are taken out of service, but on a hypothetical basis, Pingdingshan is definately the better of the two places for the reasons of high levels of traffic and ease of access.

Xingyang - Many people have called this an unpredictable line, closed for much of the year, or not working for whatever reason. You'd never know it from the time we were there however! It was in full swing and poor old 207 wasn't allowed to rest for more than a few minutes before being put to work, and boy - did they work her! Sunlight, black smoke (substitutes for the lack of steam effects in the winter), lots of trains and being a very short distance line made this an extremely worthwhile place to visit!

Yima - This place is as dead as a maggot. But, if you're like me and enjoy sheds with stored engines - dead or alive, this place is a cracker. The main shed with five engines housed inside is surreal.

Yinghao - Many enthusiasts hail this line as being one of the best narrow gauges. I'm not sure if it was the heavy pollution, the Binguan (which really upset the missus), the limited food choices (if you care about diarrhoea) or the very few mainline trains we saw - but I have to admit that I didn't enjoy this system as much as I was expecting and given the time again, I would have much sooner spent an extra day at Xingyang. Independant travellers should avoid taking their spouse if they are as sensitive as mine (unless you are trying to get divorced, of course).

Liujiaxia - Has some very good photographic potential with excellent scenery and very handsome JS's, but as we visited on a Sunday, there was very little traffic.

Yaojie - As Liujiaxia. Some incredible scenery and photo opportunities. Traffic seems to vary according to reports from others and my own observations. We saw 3 trains in 5 hours and the same amount of light workings. If I could spend another day or so at any of the locations we visitied this time around it would surely be this one, simply as we only saw a very small slice of the pie.

Shibanxi - This place is absolutely amazing. The scenery really has to be seen to be believed. The trains are great too - particularly if you like narrow gauges. This is THE one to spend a few days at least. There are some aspects of this line I do not like, many of which Rob Dickinson has mentioned in his recent report. It would be much more appealing if it had been left in its original state. The conductors uniforms stick out like dog's nuts and have the potential to make photos look a little theme park like. However, the gorgeous landscape, amount of trains and the loading of pigs is worth all of this and Shibanxi will live in my memory as being one of my favourite lines in China.

All up, this was a difficult trip for a number of reasons. Travelling to see steam in many of the places we visited is definitely not for the weak hearted. Organised tours may be a better way of travelling, even though the expense is much higher, itineraries are more restricted (if you are with a large group) and of course there is no guarantee you will see anything at all. There are of course some places in China where steam is quite plentiful and easily accessible for the independent traveller - namely Pingdingshan and Jixi, and I remember Meihekou quite fondly also.

Although I will never say never, this was probably our last time. Either way, if you haven't been before, you should have gone at least a few years ago, when there were more possibilities and much more steam. If you think you can brave it (or go with a group), you need to start making plans now! Anyone is very welcome to ask further information about any of the places we've visited, and I'll be all to happy to assist in anyway I can.

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The photos in this trip report and more, in larger format, can be found in the photograph gallery.