OPPOSITE: Deep in the open pit coal mine of Sandaoling, JS 8225 storms upgrade past JS 8077. JS 8225 is bound for the coal wash but first must surmount a grueling 2.5 percent grade that will challenge the massive 2-8-2. Meanwhile, JS 8077 is bound for the loading facility at the bottom of the pit for another 1,300 tons of coal. TOP: On a frozen afternoon in January 2016, JS 8225 steams out of the coal yard after unloading its train. Soon the massive 2-8-2 will return to the opencast pit mine for another load. ABOVE: The daily shift change at Fuxin brings seven to eight SY 2-8-2s to Wulong Yard to change crews alongside Fuxin’s two resident diesel locomotives. On this crisp clear morning, SY 1396 runs light past sister SY 1818 and a DF5D diesel No. 0065.
these ominous signs, this coming winter is as good a time as any to go to Sandaoling. Sandaoling is well worth a visit and will be a great treat for any railfan who has never enjoyed the sight of real steam freight trains struggling up steep grades.
Fuxin Mining Administration The coalfields of Manchuria have
been a railfan destination for decades, with visitors flocking there in the 1980s for passenger trains behind 4-6-2s and with visitors in 2016 traveling to see 2-8-2s moving heavy coal trains. Fuxin Mining Administration operates the coal
mines and railways surrounding Fuxin, a city of one million people just a few hours north of Beijing. The Fuxin Mining Railway is a shadow of what it once was, but this shadow is one of the most photogenic real steam freight railways in the world. Fuxin Mines Railway once stretched 60 kilometers serving two opencast pit mines with a fleet of SY 2-8-2s and 1,500-volt d.c. electric locomotives. In 2000, the opencast mines were played out and the electric system abandoned but steam remains. The Mines Administration bought its first diesels in 2006 and has been unable to afford any more since then, leaving a
fleet of 11 2-8-2s in charge of the majority of freight traffic. The Fuxin Mining Railway is centered
on Wulong Yard, which lies in the middle of the city just down the street from the main China Rail station and several nice hotels. Every morning at 7:00 a.m. and every evening at 7:00 p.m., all of the Fuxin locomotives gather at Wulong Yard to change locomotive crews and service the engines. This shift change line up can feature up to eight locomotives on three tracks, an unbelievable sight in 2016. After shift change, the locomotives head in several directions for the day’s work. The main steam action occurs on the
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