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30th September 2005 Weather appears to go on a daily cycle in Hegang. The conditions were awful in the early part of day, making photographing the new coke works a difficult proposition. We tried to enter through the gate, but were rebuffed by the guards who informed us that it was their job to prevent people passing through the gate. After careful negotiation, it was established that if we went round the edge of the gate, that would be outside their jurisdiction and therefore not a problem. |
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| New tubs being delivered for the coal mine! The method of getting them off the lorry was crude. They would be pushed off, hitting the earth with a dull clang, before being wheeled over to the man with the welding torch to weld back on all the bits that had fallen off. |
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| The future! The future for Chinese railways is actually a fairly old design of diesel loco called the DF4, modified over the years into a number of subclasses. A rather fetching green example is waiting to leave Hegang from the Chinarail interchange yard. |
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| My tour group! We're currently waiting in the 'Sumptuous Waiting Lounge' at Changchun. Our tickets had failed to arrive, and we spent the journey to Tongliao standing or in the buffet car. I got chatting to a couple of students from Jilin university and got thoroughly sozzled on fizzy beer |