Xizhan Yard

I made three visits to the Yuanbaoshan colliery system at the edge of the Mongolian Autonomous Region. The first two were less than successful due to poor weather and lack of trains. In January 2006 it was clear that steam would soon be usurped by diesels and there would be no second chance if things went wrong again. Thankfully the cold, clear weather was matched with plenty of steam action.

Here JS 6246 arrives at Xizhan yard with a heavy load of coal for the nearby power station. Although there are a number of collieries in the area there is still a need to import coal via the main China Rail system.