A close run thing

The midwinter sun sets fast and early in central China and this makes afternoon photography an interesting prospect in the deep valleys threaded by the Baiyin Mining Railway. I wanted to catch the uphill passenger in sunshine well up into the hills and this restricted the possible locations. Having chosen my spot and perched myself on a rather precarious hillside I waited for the action. The sun was slipping behind the hill and the shadow was encroaching on the line. I could hear the train in the distance, but would it reach me before the shadow covered the tracks? When SY 2008 finally arrived the sunny gap was just big enough for the locomotive and a bit of the first coach. It had been a close run thing but the result was worth it.