To make a short story even shorter: Yes, it’s still worth going to China in search of regular steam trains. Definitely!
Contents:
Here is the list of all locos we saw (actually we saw even more, but we couldn’t identify their numbers):
The 127 locomotives we have seen in service:
Read, what was promised in the itinerary:
“However, there is no guarantee at all that it is still possible to see so many locomotives in just 16 days in 2007. But, the longer you wait, the less the chance to get this steam concentration in regular use. You can hardly beat this by visiting preserved steam operations.”
Although the calculation was made to be on the safe side, it was impossible to promise anything. But, once more, the tour proved that steam is alive, and that every day you don’t leave your armchair is a lost day in which you could have experienced it!
Ok, there is some bad news, too. So let’s start the “location by location” survey about the visited places.
We saw these locomotives in service (all SY):
... and these SYs cold in the depot/workshop or dumped:
There is no news and no changes to the operations. A small one: one of the sheds in the workshop where small repairs were done has been closed. But more than sufficient tracks remain to maintain the locomotives until the open cast mine closes in 2010, probably.
We only listed the SYs, no museum locos or the long row of dumped and stored locos. The narrow gauge SY was under steam for Chinese tourists who also chartered the special passenger stock plus SY 1772 for a tourist journey. We were offered a ride with the narrow gauge diesel-steam loco (a diesel engine in the tender is powering the oil burner) for 50 Yuan, but no-one of the group wanted to play Disneyland ...
These engines have been seen in service:
Cold in the shed we found:
Diesels seen in service:
Diesels seen dumped or cold in the shed:
The most remarkable thing was that they changed the passengers trains from steam to diesel and some of the freights from Diesel to steam. We have been told that the DFH3 diesels are worn out and not powerful enough to haul heavy trains, so they returned to steam on some of the trains. In addition it is much cheaper for the company to haul trains by steam (which we all know). I wondered why they choose the 1975 built SY 1075 for their next candidate to be overhauled, but no one could give me an answer on this. However, it’s nice to see that a 37 years old locomotive gets a full overhaul after more than two years of sitting, getting flat wheels on the track for dumped locos ...
The future is uncertain, but at the moment it looks like they want to retire the DFH3 and replace them by steam again.
These 16 locomotives we have seen under steam (all SY):
These engines were seen dumped (mostly out of use):
Bad news is the arrival of two new diesels. They took over all passengers in July 2007. Their first diesel was cold in the shed:
No one could say anything about additional diesel locos, but it’s a question of time only. However,16 SYs in use is not too bad and will justify further visits.
As there was no sketch map or city map available (at least I could not find anything appropriate) I drew my own sketch map which is shown here. Once I have time I’ll draw it better (I have a map of all remaining tracks including the proper station names). Don’t expect this to be soon – if ever – I’m working 14 hours a day - and writing this on the flight back from Beijing, being rewarded with an upgrade to business class with power supply for my laptop.
It seems they don’t want to get rid of their steam locos soon. There are still four in use (all SY):
Another one will return very soon, it’s ready in the 701 Workshop: SY 1299.
The BJs have been employed as usual. No changes, everything is as always, as previously reported.
This was not on the program, I added it as a surprise feature to the tour participants. We saw the following locomotives:
A third QJ, QJ 7040, was overhauled for shipment to the US. The other two were still awaiting their call from the US to be purchased and overhauled.
JS 6211 belongs to the power plant Jinzhou, SY 1495 to Fushun steelworks. These are the statements of the workers, it haven’t been checked properly. Remarkable is the overhaul of one of the elderly SYs, SY 0313.
It looks like the workshop has another year to live. So far they could acquire nine overhauls for 2008. Another eight and the works will survive another year!
We saw these SY locomotives in service:
Beside these we found two engines cold in the shed:
The steelworks still has 16 SYs in use. We couldn’t see all of them, as there are more and more restrictions to visitors. However, the three most interesting sites are still allowed: furnace blast area, depot and slag tip. No news about the future of steam.
The line of tank locos behind the office building in the depot has been shortened. Only ET7 5328 and 5332 could be found, the XKs disappeared. JS 58001 and YJ 232 are still in place. The two plinthed locos as well ...
Here we found only five SYs:
The army used their diesel (DFH5 0117), but still have serviceable SYs. No news about dieselisation, no changes in the timetable or operation.
SY 2008 (original SY 0701) now carries an Olympic Games sign above the smoke box! This loco was scheduled for the freight to Shenbutong, very impressive to see how they celebrate the Olympic Games – with hammer beat exhaust uphill through the Loess mountains!
I only noted a few of the dumped cold engines:
Yes, you’re right, it’s not worth a visit because most trains are banked. All soooo boring. Who needs to see 32 locomotives in hard use, semaphore signal boxes at the end of the trains, all steam hauled, and banked trains through a moon shape countryside and so on? JS hauled and JS banked 50 wagon long freights, passenger trains, several trains in view at once ... Stay there at home with your feet up. Read a novel. You’re not missing anything - not anything at all. Oh no!
Of the 47 locomotives owned by the mining operation 32 are in use. We could gather the numbers for 28:
Cold, under overhaul and out of use we saw:
Sandaoling was the last enterprise in China (= in the world and probably in the Universe ...) which got the licence for overhauling steam locomotives. Since July 2006 they are officially allowed to overhaul their own locomotives. They have no intentions of buying a diesel locomotive, but they have plans for mining more than 20 years ...
JS 8194 carries a 1995 worksplate!
Still a steamy place and well worth a longer stay. Still! They’ll get another five diesels very soon, in 2007. This should be the end of the class QJ on the Yüzhou line. Here we saw four QJ locomotives in use. In November this should be history. However, the repairs on the QJs continue normally, and we found QJ 6690 in the depot with the axles removed. JS 8065 was seen under heavy overhaul. No dumped locomotives could be found in the depot, all locos were seen in service.
Here comes the list:
Under repair:
Any conclusion necessary? I don’t think so, all the advise someone could give is incorporated already. So, see you next time in China! This tour was sold out, the next one (January 2008) is overbooked as well, but in March 2008 there another chance to inhale steam and smoke from a regular steam train!
By the way, the tour prices are not getting higher because I want more money; it is the rising prices from China that lead to higher prices. Since 2000 you can say that prices have doubled, roughly. The last price I got from China for one part of the March 2008 trip was 1,700 Pound Sterling for the land only cost – and without special train arrangements! Olympic Games are approaching and inflation is very real ...
A last thing: Huanan stopped the service again late September for at least three weeks, but this wonderful narrow gauge line will be back.
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