Shibanxi Heaven 1 - Coal Trains

Back in late 2001, I first visited the narrow gauge railway at Shibanxi in Sichuan, south-west China. At the time it was barely known, but since then it has rightly become famous. The railway is some 20km long with 6 tunnels, a reversal and constantly changing semi-tropical scenery including both rural cottages and decaying 1950s Mao era brick flats. Steam operation is in the hands of Chinese standard C2 type with mainly 4 wheeled coaches and wagons constructed locally.
Thanks to the full co-operation of the owners, the Jiayang Power Company, and many people and organisations in the area, the contents of the DVDs include:
The steam hauled passenger train in operation, from the lineside, on board and on the footplate
The electric hauled coal trains between Shixi and the main mine at Yuejin
The steam hauled coal trains between Shixi and the small mine at Huangcun
A visit to the railway workshops and yards at Shixi
Man powered working on the dual gauge 300mm and 600mm mine system at Huangcun
Surface workings at the main mine at Yuejin including battery electric locomotives and cable worked spoil trains
Operation of the funeral coach attached to the regular passenger train
This is a degraded version of our DVD Shibanxi Heaven: www.internationalsteam.co.uk/d...

[@rob1248996]

God, I admire these people.

[@ajloricco693]

This is excellent footage, narrative is superb as well. So glad i stumbled upon, so glad you gave it the time and attention. Very, very much appreciate your efforts and interest!

[@internationalsteam]

Thanks, I hope you enjoyed the people centred passenger train video which followed.

[@klausrong5675]

very good video

[@lynktalz]

48:45 very interesting manual track switching, curved and uphill track

[@eliotreader8220]

what type of coal was being dug up here

[@internationalsteam]

I think the answer is 'common or garden' in that it was taken to the nearest town and sold for local use, unlike the coal from the big mine and hauled by the electrics which was burned in the local power station.

[@canadagood]

Heaven? Possibly for the trainspotter; but it looks like back-breaking pollution-producing work for the Chinese workers!

[@robertbrewer2190]

When was this originally constructed? By whom? What is the weight of the loaded wagons? Very interesting to see such an anachronism. It seems so many make very meager incomes from all the inefficiencies. What will become of them if the equipment is modernized or if coal is no longer in demand? I suppose they could ship it to Trump in the US. He loves the stuff! He says it is "OUR kind of energy"

[@internationalsteam]

There is a long history of coal mining in the area, see www.internationalsteam.co.uk/china/trains/china266.htm and www.internationalsteam.co.uk/china/trains/china275.htm in particular and the links there. Originally the railway served conventional well constructed underground mines but these were all worked out by the 1990s and just the small mine shown was using the railway (as opposed to the mine served by the electric trains) in my time. One of the mines is now a museum. Chinese workers have to be flexible, these miners would have been farmers but earned more down the mine, no doubt they have since returned to the land. The area as a whole is now more prosperous than it has been for many years because it has become a major tourist 'heritage' destination. The railway no longer carries coal but it carries many more passengers who pay a vastly inflated fare. We were very lucky to see and record it as it was in the not so good old days.

[@fotomoments5311]

👏👏👏🇺🇾👍👍