ABOVE: Fuxin Mining Administration SY 1397 makes a thunderous departure from Wulong Mine with a train of spoil bound for the spoil tip, on a cold February 17, 2016. Soon this train will reverse direction onto the track in the foreground, and back up the spoil tip to dump its train. RIGHT: On a cold winter’s day, SY 1764 pulls out of Erjing Mine in a scene identical to one from steam-era Appalachia. The brick mine buildings, rural scenery, and steam locomotives make Pingzhuang a playground for steam photographers.


main yard at South Station to Erjing Mine. Loaded trains do not face the steep grade, but still have a short climb out of the mine before the downhill grade into the main yard. The Deep Mines and Transport Division is also responsible for transporting loaded coal trains to the CNR interchange, which lies ten miles from Sandaoling. The interchange trains were dieselized in 2009, while the Deep Mines trains remain steam-hauled to this day. While the Deep Mines branch can produce some spectacular images, the highlight of Sandaoling is definitely the opencast pit. The opencast pit coal mine is over five miles long and one mile wide, with railway tracks running the length of the pit. For many years, there were two railway operations in


38 SEPTEMBER 2016 • RAILFAN.COM


the pit, on both the Western Pit and the Eastern Pit. The rail operation in the west side of the pit was for removing mine spoil rock; unfortunately this was phased out in favor of trucks in 2014. However, the East Pit operation remains and it is incredible. The East Pit railway begins at DongBoliZhan (Eastern Strip Mine Station), where the


locomotives are serviced every morning and the railroad crews change shifts. From DongBoliZhan, the double-track railway begins, climbing a short hill to the summit at KengKouZhan (Mine Entrance Station). The two mainline tracks then descend down a 2 percent grade for five miles, until they reach the coal train loading point at BaErZhan


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