Eastbound coal climbing Jingpeng Pass at tunnel 4.

Climbing the reverse curves out of Chabuga westbound at sunrise.

If any photograph is worth a thousand words this is the one I'd choose. This remarkable scene was not 'set-up' or 'posed' in any way. This was everyday life in the Inner Mongolian village of Xiake... (more)

This is the backside of the mountain side above Reshui. The railroad climbs the pass using two big loops, so that three levels of track are visible from Reshui. In going from the second to the thi... (more)

2-10-2 QJ No 6911 heads out of Daban with the morning passenger train for Tongliao.

The harsh mountains take on unreal hues under an impossibly azure sky. A pair of decorated QJs with 6638 piloting, drift lazily (and economically) downhill on the sharp curved approach to the famo... (more)

All was absolutely still and overnight mists still lingered. At 0700 the sun was yet to rise in Jingpeng valley. A rising crescendo of sound from an unseen source was building until - finally, th... (more)

This was one of the few pictures I got of a highly decorated engine in China, as apparently this kind of propaganda was quickly going out of style as China modernized. At that time the QJ's assign... (more)

This mountainious view near Erdi village, was one of the most scenic parts along the Jitong line. It was taken in September 2002. (scanned slide)

This mountinious view with a freight train hauled by a single QJ produced also a huge mountain of steam was taken in winter (Jan.2003). (scanned slide)

A pair of QJs are on the long climb of the Jingpeng Pass at Xiakengzi. It is well below freezing, note the ice above the cab, and on the tender of the leading loco.

Jingpeng pass

Jingpeng pass

Could I (should I?) get up to the 2nd level before the train? I actually jogged up the hillside and I have never been so utterly drained. I had just seconds to change the film, grab my camera, com... (more)

This is the unforgettable sight that made me return to the warmth of the hotel that evening a very happy mortal! Of such stuff I still dream.