The last survivor

Our overnight train (the 23:55 sleeper from Beijing) arrived in Jinzhou at 5.30am. Bleary eyed we clambered out and boarded a charter bus to take us the final 40km to Nanpiao.

The railway that serves the Nanpiao colliery system sits in a particularly scenic landscape, long making it a favourite for photographers. However, things are changing fast here.

At the start of the year three SY class steam locomotives were in use but by the time we arrived only one sickly locomotive remained (SY 1299), relegated to shunting and minor freight workings. The passenger and freight workings on the line are now covered by four rather tatty BJ class diesel hydraulic locomotives (rather rare in themselves now) and a couple of DF5 class diesels.

The age of steam is almost at an end here.

A BJ class diesel-hydraulic locomotive at Zaojiatun

Frozen water at Xiamiaozi

Light engine on the Nanpiao coal railway

Sunrise at Xiamiaozi

I don’t envy telephone engineers in Zaojiatun!

The scruffy look of the future at Xiamiaozi!