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| The desert line is one of the last places you can see huge QJs hauling full freight trains over a considerable distance. The line serves two coal mines in the desert, and the empties have to travel uphill for pretty much the entire distance of 60km. We were dreadfully unlucky to only get one uphill train with steam in daylight hours while we were there, as the rest went up during the night, or were diesel hauled. The one we did get, however, was spectacular! |
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| So good, infact, that here's a second shot of it. |
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| A QJ blows down in the crisp morning air at Guyaozi. This was as close to the depot as we dared get, as the previous group to visit had been arrested and roughed up by the local police, before having their films and cameras confiscated. Apparently 1970s steam engines and coal mines still pose a national security risk here. |
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| Given that downhill loaded trains were our only fare for the second day, the natural place to go was the yellow river bridge, which provides the only uphill gradient of the return journey. |
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| A downhill tanker train provided something out of the ordinary, although the blizzard conditions meant that everyone else was in the bus trying to stay warm, and missed this! |