| NANPIAO - SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL By December 2009 the steam operation at Nanpiao was almost over with only one active SY in use. The notes and pictures below relate to a visit made in 2003. Nanpiao is one of the more recent steam discoveries and begs the question as to how many more lines there are in this vast country still awaiting their first visit from enthusiasts and photographers. The system was first explored by Louis Cerny as recently as October 2003 and western visitors are still a cause for astonishment and wonder to the local population. However this railway is not in some remote part of China but a mere 35 - 40km from the city of Jinzhou, a city through which many enthusiasts have passed en route to Shenyang, Tiefa and the far north of China. Nanpiao can be reached by train or by road from Jinzhou but only has one hotel, which is far below the standards demanded by most tour groups. The CNR line goes to Hungjia where the mine railway has its eastern terminus. The hotel is right opposite the station and steam departures can be heard both day and night. The steam line then goes to the main exchange yard at Xiamiaozi where the main shed and stabling point are also located. Two branch lines run for 30 - 40km further west and north to Sanjiazi and Linghe respectively. Rob Dickinson's site has a map of the system which is broadly accurate and which I used throughout my visit in December 2003. The line has six active SY's and two operational diesels. The majority of traffic appears to use the line towards Linghe although a new power station some 3 - 4km along the Sanjiazi branch may generate additional traffic on that line. The two mines on the Sanjiazi branch appear to produce only small amounts of coal in comparison to the one at Zaojiatun which is constantly busy. Taxis are plentiful and cheap and the commercialisation which seems to be affecting many other steam lines has yet to afflict itself upon Nanpiao. |
| In stark contrast to Xuanhau Steelworks, which I visited after spending five days at Nanpiao, the locomotives at Nanpiao are generally in fairly run-down condition and don't seem to benefit from regular cleaning. SY 1478 running through the main yard at Xiamiaozi looking distinctly nondescript. |
| The mine at Zaojiatun was always a likely place to find an engine at work - mainly shunting the yard or drawing wagons through the coal loading plant - with the added prospect of seeing a train of empty wagons heading up the steep gradient towards Linghe. The early morning sun backlights the exhaust as SY1478 engages in some shunting duties at the mine. |
| At 15.00 there are supposedly simultaneous departures from Xiamiaozi to Sanjiazi and to Linghe with the afternoon passenger trains. In theory this should provide the dramatic spectacle of two SY hauled trains running side by side for the first half-mile or so from the station. In reality there is anything up to ten minutes between the two trains leaving Xiamiaozi and little chance of side-by-side running On the first afternoon of my visit I took up position and waited with bated breath. The first train to arrive was the Linghe train made up of six coaches. To my delight the train to Sanjiazi ran as a mixed train with a wagon full of pit props and a number of empty coal wagons between the engine and the coaching stock. Such sights are rare and the mixed train really made my day. In December the sun is rapidly sinking behind the hills which surround the town and the shadows begin to grow rather long making these shots difficult. |
| Although the daylight hours are short during December and January this is more than compensated for by the low temperatures which give dramatic smoke effects when engines are working hard. SY1468 leaves Zaojiatun with a short train of loaded coal wagons. |
| I had been warned that boiler first train workings were somewhat rare at Nanpiao but within an hour of arriving at Xiamiaozi ,and having found a suitable photographic location, I was rewarded by the sight of SY0638 leaving the yards with a short train of empty hopper wagons bound for Zaojiatun |
| The elevation and angle of the sun in mid-winter makes it very difficult to find a location where the train can be photographed with sun on the smokebox of the locomotive. I 'chartered' a three-wheel motorbike taxi and took up position just before the locomotive depot at Ziamiaozi in order to catch SY0973 approaching with the afternoon passenger train from Hungjia to Sanjiazi. The taxi driver was persuaded to wait for me and then we made a quick(ish) dash along the road in order to catch the same train leaving Ziamiaozi station a short time later. |
| One that got away! A disadvantage of travelling without a guide is that it is not always possible to determine exactly what is going on. I had spent some time watching SY0973 shunting around at Zaojiatun and had attempted by means of charades to determine whether or not it was heading towards Linghe. The drivers reaction seemed to indicate that he was simply shunting - and so I was hopelessly out of position when a short while later he set off with a long train of empty wagons banked by SY1479 |
| Light engine movement as SY1017 hurries through the station at Shagotun between Xiamiaozi and the new power station |
| The scenery at Nanpiao is far more attractive than at other industrial systems such as Tiefa and Fuxin. On one of the mornings I managed to get a footplate ride all the way from Hungjia to Sanjiazi and then back to Ziamiaozi. This was a wonderful experience and caused much astonishment and amusement to both passengers and railway staff. We seet off in darkness but by the time we started our return from Sanjiazi the sun was up and it was clear we would have another beautiful day. On the way back to Ziamiaozi we were held in a loop at Fuloonshan to wait for SY0638 as it took empty wagons up the branch towards Sanjiazi |
| This being the afternoon it wasn't very long before the non-simultaneous departure from Xiamiaozi of SY1490 heading its train towards Sanjiazi |
| On my final afternoon I was determined to 'go out with a bang' and decided that once again I would try to get two shots of the afternoon train to Linghe. However I had checked out a slightly different location at Ziamiaozi and knew that I needed a reasonable amount of time so I hired a slightly more robust vehicle and waited for SY1017 to leave Hungjia and then headed off up the main road towards Xiamiaozi ................ |
| Sunrise at Xiamiaozi as SY0973 shunts around the yard. It was possible to catch the first train of the day from Hungjia before daybreak - travel up to Xiamiaozi on the footplate - and enjoy the morning sunrise. On this occasion the sun quickly moved into snow clouds and so I spent the rest of the day sampling the local beer and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the local market! |
| My target was the somewhat perilous but ideal for those with a head for heights. The gantry at the northern end of Xiamiaozi yard made an excellent vantage point to view the afternoon departures. SY1017 previously seen leaving Hungjia is seen again heading towards Linghe with SY0973 still in the station at the head of the Sanjiazi train. So much for simultaneous departures! In the background the CNR exchange sidings can also just be seen. No-one seemed to object to my vantage point but one can only imagine the reaction if this were to be attempted in England! |
| I arrived in Nanpiao by means of the CNR passenger train which worked through from Jingzhou. I alighted at Hungjia and quickly booked myself into the local hotel which is right next to the station (see Trip Report for full details) I was then just in time to see SY0638 arrive and run around its train ready for the morning train to Xiamiaozi.. The line bisects the main street and is a most unusual and interesting location in which to enjoy steam. A 1 yuan ride took me to Xiamiaozi ready for a days photography. |
| As with all such industrial locations, there is a great deal of hanging around waiting for something to happen. Most of the locomotives are employed in shunting duties at one or other of the collieries and movements between mines are fairly limited. On this occasion SY1299 is pulling away from Zaojiatun with a long train of empty wagons bound for Linghe. |
| Having paid off my driver I then had to make a fairly spirited dash along a footpath in order to catch SY0973 as it passed under the signal gantry to the west of Ziamiaozi station. What a sight it would have been if the gantry sported semaphore signals instead of coloured lights. |
| Click on locations below for more Chinese steam (systems shown in yellow no longer have steam) ANSHAN STEELWORKS BAOTOU BEITAI STEELWORKS BENXI STEELWORKS CHENGDE DAHUICHANG FUXIN COAL RAILWAY GONCHANGLING HANDAN STEELWORKS HUANAN JALAINUR JIXI MINING RAILWAYS JINGPENG MEIHEKOU PINGDINGSHAN NANPIAO TANGSHAN TIEFA MINING RAILWAY WEIHE FORESTRY RAILWAY XINGYANG BRICKWORKS XUANHAU STEELWORKS YUANBAOSHAN |