By the end of the day there had been just enough warmth to melt most of the snow in the fields alongside the small town of Reshui. It had been unbelievably cold all day and all in the group had go... (more)

The last of the evening sun had slipped behind the horizon and such colours as remained were rapidly draining away. Only my friend Ian and I remained, all the others in our party had (probably wis... (more)

The exhaust clings to the cutting wall as a westbound freight blasts the last few hundred yards toward the tiny (and hopelessly under-used) Galadesitai station. Passing loops here allowed the pass... (more)

This is the eastern portal of the summit tunnel. Snow still threatens as QJ 6998 pilots sister 6828 out of the tunnel to begin the long and winding eastbound downgrade drift to Galadesitai and bey... (more)

It had been sunny on the eastern side of the pass, but on the western side a snowstorm had barely passed by as this pair of QJs struggled the final kilometre to the summit. The pale sun was equall... (more)

As locomotives continue around the sharp curve at SanDi, they cross the manned road crossing that leads from Reshui (about a mile behind the loco) and follows the railway across the summit to Jing... (more)

In a perfect Christmas card scene, alas now consigned to history, QJs 7040 & 6838 struggle westwards in the teeth of a howling gale. The contrast in their exhausts adds to the sense of drama at th... (more)

The small station and passing loop at Yamenmaio just north of Lindong was a favorite because the northbound passenger called here just after sunrise, and the southbound passenger just before sunse... (more)

A southbound train nears the summit of Jingpeng Pass.

I regard this as my favourite of all the many images of the mighty QJ's I took on my two visits to China. Not only were the weather and location perfect, but the two locomotives could be seen (and... (more)

An unusually filthy QJ 6639 leads a westbound train out of tunnel 7 on Jing Peng Pass.

After waiting hours for a hopefully dramatic late afternoon view of a working uphill train and getting skunked, we were about to board our vans to leave when all of a sudden we heard the clank cla... (more)