Chinese built Jordan spreader KT-1 # 6601, built in 1986 and not used anymore, stabled near the Dongbolizhan workshop. This plough was used in the open coal mine for distributing and levelling the... (more)

Attention, steamtrain from the right! Hand-painted traffic sign at the railway crossing near Dongbolizhan.

View from the southern edge of the huge pit to a coal train, pulled by SJ # 8225 on the about 1.0 % grade, with the Tianshan mountain range in the background.

View to the coal loading area in the open cast mine of Sandaoling. The coal is transported up from the deeper pit via a conveyor belt and loaded onto the trains at the blue silo. JS # 8173 is just... (more)

View to the coal loading area in the open cast mine of Sandaoling. The coal is transported up from the deeper pit via a conveyor belt and loaded onto the trains at the blue silo. There is currentl... (more)

2-8-2 steamlocomotive JS (Jian She=construction) # 8167 with another load of coal on the line out from the open cast mine of Sandaoling.

2-8-2 steamlocomotive JS (Jian She=construction) # 8167 is leaving the loading area in the open cast mine with 13 hoppers loaded with coal up for the washery.

At the coal unloading point of Xuanmeichang. Only seconds after this shot, the photographer was in a big black coal dust cloud.

JS # 8190 at the coal unloading point (washery) of Xuanmeichang. The train is almost empty, to go back down to the pit.

At this point, the empty downgoing trains have to wait often, till a loaded train leaves the blue loader. JS # 8225 standing with her 13 hopper train near station 82 (Baerzhan).

2-8-2 JS # 8190 with her 13 hoppers coal train on the about 1.0 % grade from the open cast mine up to the washery. The potographer is standing about 1000 m a.s.l, the Tianshan mountain range in th... (more)

With an impressive sparks rain an unidentified 2-8-2 JS steamlocomotive is tackling the grade out of the pit at Sandaoling with a load of coal.

Sunrise behind 2-8-2 JS # 8190 at 09.21 AM in Dongbolizhan station.

After the morning shift chance, shortly before sunrise at about 9 AM, all 4 JS steamlocomotive of the Sandaoling coal mine railroad are gathered at Dongbolizhan station. This day JS # 6224, 8167, ... (more)

Only rarely do individual coal trains travel to another unloading point south-west of Nanzhan for unloading, probably according to the quality of the coal. JS #8173 reached this alternative unload... (more)