tarboat's photos with the keyword: beijing

Easy access to the steep heights of the Great Wall of China is attained by using this cablecar at Mutianyu. It is only a few years since tourists had to slog up many steps and slopes to reach the wall. The cars are lettered 'Great Wall Cable Car Service Coropration Ltd'.

Snapped from a bus on the outskirts of Beijing. The orange machine is erecting a high speed railway viaduct on the prepared pillars. The rate of progress is astonishing.

There was never any doubt as to which locomotive you were seeing at Dahuichang because the number was daubed on the tender cab and front in messy white paint. No finesse and no fancy number plates here. A down to earth limestone carrying railway with the tiny trucks. No.3 is here heading back to the loading tunnel.

Dahuichang Limestone Railway No.4 hurries its rake of small V tipping wagons back to the quarry. This locomotive is now at the Ffestiniog Railway where it is being restored and regauged.

Locomotive shed on the Dahuichang Limestone Railway in the outskirts of Beijing. The crudely painted numbers on the smokeboxes of C2 class locomotives 1 & 2 can be faintly observed in the gloom. Numbers 3 & 4 were out on the line. This interesting little railway closed in 2005 but two locomotives are reputed to remain in the shed. No.4 is now being restored and regauged on the Ffestiniog Railway.

Easy access to the steep heights of the Great Wall of China is attained by using this cablecar at Mutianyu. It is only a few years since tourists had to slog up many steps and slopes to reach the wall. China is changing fast and has already changed a lot.

Limeburners breaking, selecting and loading stone to feed the kilns at Dahuichang on the outskirts of Beijing. The kiln tops are just off to the left.

Not many double track narrow gauge industrial lines around, and certainly not like the Dahuichang Limestone Railway just outside Beijing. There is little room left for doubt as to the number of the locomotive in charge of this rake of empties heading for the loading chutes. Sadly the line only lasted for a few more months before being replaced by lorries. Locomotive No.4 from this line is now undergoing restoration at Boston Lodge on the Ffestiniog Railway in the UK.

Feeding the Dahuichang limekilns. These large traditional draw kilns were part of the Beijing based Capital Iron & Steel empire.

Situated not far out of Beijing, the Dahuichang limestone railway was a favourite stopping off point for steam enthusiasts. Only a short line, but full of interesting features and lots of action when it was running. This is the yard outside the tippling shed and the scene appears chaotic, although the staff always seemed to have things under control.

Limekilns of Capital Iron and Steel Group on the outskirts of Beijing at Dahuichang. This is a confusing site with old stone built running kilns on one side and these more modern steel cased kilns amidst a complex range of buildings and other processes.

In Beijing the approach to cleaning windows on tall buildings is rather different from that in Manchester.

One of the joys of arriving in Beijing in the early 2000s was the ability to be seeing steam within a very short time of arrival by travelling to the Dahuichang Limestone Railway operated by Capital Iron & Steel. Whilst the C2 class locomotives were fairly small, they dwarfed the tiny trucks that they hauled in long rakes over this short line between quarry and works. On the crossing shortly before the loading point is the crudely but clearly marked No.3. The line only had a few months left to run and closed in 2005.

Limekilns of Capital Iron and Steel Group on the outskirts of Beijing at Dahuichang. This is a confusing site with old stone built running kilns on one side and these more modern steel cased kilns amidst a complex range of buildings and other processes.

Feeding the limekilns of Capital Iron and Steel Group on the outskirts of Beijing. Seen through the heat haze rising from the bank of kilns.