Loose_Grip/Pete's photos with the keyword: Manchuria

A heavy mixed freight train heads south at speed out of Changchun double-headed by 2-10-2 QJ 120 & QJ242 on the evening of 21st October 1983. Our RT&P group had flown to Peking on Pakistan Airlines via Islamabad & after a few days around the capital flew to Harbin & from there, always with minders, made our way south through Manchuria to Dalien on the coast - steam all the way!

Now that we can no longer travel very far, a post from better days - 20th October 1983 in China. We spent an afternoon on the lineside southwest of Harbin in Manchuria and the last train we saw on this day was Chinese Railways QJ 2-10-2 273, built in 1966, as it slowly made its way out of the yard to run down Wanggang bank into Harbin. Open countryside in 1983 but looking at Google maps the whole area seems to be built up today!

A railwayman cycles with his child past a row of China Railways locomotives in the yard at Shenyang loco shed. Streamlined SL7 4-6-2 751 was constructed by Kawasaki in 1934 for the South Manchuria Railway and was operated for the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. Pre-war, SL7s pulled the Asia Express & trains reached a top speed of 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph). The other engines are QJ 2-10-2s.

QJ 2-10-2 2584 is being prepped for its next duty on Harbin shed.

QJ 2-10-2 427 is turned on the turntable at Harbin depot.

Withdrawn JS 2-8-2 6068 is part of a northbound freight in Harbin yard while a QJ 2-10-2 prepares to depart with a southbound freight.

Chinese steam working hard. 2-10-2 QJ 440 &QJ at Honggong. A double-headed freight train heading south on the railway out of Harbin powers up the Wanggang bank. Back in 1983 independent visitors were not allowed. I spent 3 weeks with a group of enthusiasts on an organised tour visiting railway, and cultural, sites across China where steam still reigned on the main line. Investment in new lines was high even then and it's interesting to realise that the lines in western China where the last steam strongholds were recently dieselised were not even built at the time of my visit.