Norfolk and Western Class J #611 thunder through the small town of Brown's Summit, NC on her way to Lynchburg, VA. The white steam exhaust illustrates how this cold clear morning provided excellen... (more)

Norfolk and Western Class J #611 storms up the Blue Ridge grade with the first Powhatan Arrow excursion train of the weekend. This was my first time seeing 611 on her home territory and it was an ... (more)

Change at the Shift Change! Dieselization of one of the mines at Fuxin has introduced the presence of two diesels into the shift change line-up at Fuxin. But all is well for the day, as SY 2-8-2 #... (more)

Shift Change at Fuxin is a unique sight in the world today. Up to eight locomotives line up to change crews before departing in all directions for the days work. Early morning finds SY1460 steamin... (more)

SY 1378 steams out of Wulong Mine with another load of spoil. The catenary above the locomotive is the remnants of the industrial electrification that once served the mines in Fuxin. When the open... (more)

SY 1195 reenacts the burning of Rome with an incredibly smoky departure from Wulong Mine with a train of spoil rock.

More than five years ago, the Shibanxi was a freight haulling real narrow gauge. On a hot day in April 2011, C2 0-8-0 #10 burst from LaoYingZui Tunnel with a heavy train of empty coal cars bound f... (more)

SY1441 makes a steamy departure from Pingzhuang Nan Station with a long train of empties bound for the many mines served by this steam powered mine railway. It had snowed the previous evening cove... (more)

SY1441 departs ZhuangMeiZhan with a long train of loaded coal cars. This train is bound for Pingzhuang Nan Station where the steam powered mining railway interchanges with the dieselized China Rai... (more)

Pingzhuang Mining Railway SY1441 struggles to pull 50 empty coal cars out of the mainline interchange at Pingzhuang Nan Zhan (Pingzhuang South Station). As it crosses the river, this train will sl... (more)

Sandaoling Mining Railway JS8225 storms up the last stretch of 2.5% grade before the summit at KengKouZhan. Soon this train will surmount the grade and coast downhill into the washery where it's l... (more)

In the pink light of a rising sun, JS8225 storms past JS8190 with the first coal train of the morning. These trains run like clockwork with a train around sunrise every morning throughout the wint... (more)

JS8225 steams out of the coal yard after unloading her train. Soon the massive 2-8-2 will return to the opencast pit mine for another load of coal.

JS8081 makes a dramatic departure from the unloading point after dumping her train of coal. Over half of the coal trains at Sandaoling are unloaded at this coal yard where the coal is trans-loaded... (more)

Sandaoling Mining Railway JS8225 looks more like an American mainline 2-8-2 than a Chinese mining engine, as the massive Mikado storms upgrade on the double track Sandaoling Mining Railway.