Locals steamed up about train's future

The following article was sent to me by Li Nan and appeared in the China Daily on 1st June 2004 - the original minus pictures is on http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-06/01/content_335360.htm, but will no doubt die soon. I (RD) had no part in it - it appears to be 100% locally inspired. I have left it exactly as it appears - do not rely greatly on what it says about the railway and its operation! Despite my personal preference to see the line stay exactly as it is, I do know that the only hope for its long term survival is to turn into a Chinese version of the UK's preserved Ffestiniog Railway. See also Adrian Freeman's brief report of his visit (updated 12th June 2004) for a further perspective. The way China is changing never ceases to amaze me and of course I am now uniquely positioned to witness it first hand. 

You may wish also wish to read my own reports referred to in the article, October 2003 and March 2004. 

In Southwest China's Sichuan Province, a passenger train pulled by a steam locomotive on narrow gauge tracks is famous worldwide among steam locomotive fans. But here at home it faces a difficult decision: should it be turned into a tourist attraction or simply shut down, as Wen Jiao finds out.  

Top: a steam locomotive runs on narrow-gauge tracks in Bajiao Gully, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. Left: Three newly-wed couples gather for a picture in front of the steam locomotive. PHOTOS by Zhu Jianguo

Chengdu: Newly-weds Wang Jianhua and her husband Wang Hengkun felt that the happiest moment in their wedding was the ride on the steam locomotive in their home town, Janwei County, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

They participated in a joint wedding together with eight other couples last Friday.

The ceremony started at 9.30 am at the county's biggest open square. Jianwei County is about 140 kilometres south of Chengdu, the provincial capital.

After they exchanged rings and made their vows, each couple also adopted a banyan tree along the county's main road, as a witness and symbol of their marriage.

Then they went to the county's train station. Amidst the sound of drums and firecrackers, they boarded the steam train, one of the few passenger trains still pulled by a steam locomotive in China today.

The young Wangs have a special attachment to this steam-powered train. "Both of us grew up riding the train," said Wang Hengkun, the bridegroom who is an employee with the Jiayang Group, the local industrial company that owns the rail line.

Wang Hengkun once worked as a repairman on the small railroad. Wang Jianhua, the bride, said her grandfather had also worked for the maintenance department of the steam-powered rail line. 

But the train in Jianwei County is different from regular steam-powered trains. It is much smaller and runs on narrow gauge tracks almost half the width of standard gauge rail lines. The distance between the two rails of a standard gauge line is 144 centimetres, but on this narrow gauge line the distance is only 76.2 centimetres.

The railway was built in 1958 to transport coal.

The history of local coal mining goes back to the early 20th century when it was started by the French and the British. Before the construction of the railway, the coal was hauled out by horse through Bajiao (banana) Gully and loaded onto junks on the Minjiang River at the port town of Shixi. During the late 1950s, China was pushing the production of iron and steel. As a result, Jiayang company was established and the narrow gauge railway opened.

During its heyday, the line transported some 700,000 tons of coal a year through Bajiao Gully to the port of Shixi.

The rolling stock and locomotive were produced in 1958 by the Steam Engine Locomotive Plant in Shijiazhuan, the present day capital of North China's Hebei Province.

The local railway, only 19.84 kilometres in length zigzags through the hilly county with only eight stops.

Lu Wanjin, 68, still remembers the day when the steam locomotive started operation in the county.

It was July 12, 1959. "It took three days and nights before we completed the first 19.84-kilometre run," Lu said.

And the engine pulled only eight freight wagons.

Lu and his colleagues and managers worked hard to familiarize themselves with the operation of the rail line.

Gradually, the speed of the tiny train was increased from 5 kilometres per hour to 20 kilometres per hour and it could haul as many as 40 coal, freight wagons or passenger carriages.

A lot of local people have fond memories of the steam train, as it carried their family's first colour television set and refrigerator from the outside world into the gully.

Even with the sharp drop in coal production, the locomotive is still the main means of transportation for the tens of thousands of local farmers and coal miners carrying them to the outside world.

Today, it makes four runs a day, pulling eight passenger wagons, each with 20 seats. The one way trip costs 1.00 yuan (12 US cents) for company staff and 2.50-3.00 (30 to 36 US cents) for others. The one way trip takes about two and a half hours. It no longer hauls coal regularly.

Problems of survival

According to Lu Qing, the steam locomotive's chief mechanic, only two of the original 10 steam engines are in service today. 

Except for their fireboxes, the rest of the locomotives and the line's rolling stock has undergone countless "surgeries", the chief mechanic said.

Over the years, the local mechanics have devised numerous ways to maintain and repair the tiny steam trains so that it has continued to run until this day.

As coal reserves in the area are running out, the Jiayang company is shifting its businesses to fields other than coal mining and trying to cut down operating costs.

A decision has to be made as to whether to keep the line operating, as its operating costs run to 1.5 million yuan (U$181,000) a year.

There has been talk within the company of closing down the tiny steam train. 

The railroad could be turned into a motor highway and the trains sold as scrap.

However, other people have called for the preservation of the line, as they see it as a symbol of China's "Industrial Revolution" that could serve as a tourist attraction.

In fact, the narrow gauge line is known to steam locomotives fans around the world.

By typing the words, "narrow gauge" and "Jiayang" in the search window in Google, people can even see a recent photo essay covering a ride on the steam train from the town of Shixi (or Shibanxi) to the town of Bajiao. The photos show a small coal mining town, its people and their lives. There are shots of local farmers herding their pigs, as one carriage is set aside for passengers with animals and sacks of goods. One shows the train pulling five freight wagons of bricks and stones. 

Rob Dickinson, a steam locomotive fan from Britain has visited what he calls the Shixi (Shibanxi)-Jiayang Coal Mine line twice. Writing for the International Steam page listed on a few Internet portals, he says he can only "hope the line lasts long enough for me to find the time to get back."

It is on the tour map for steam locomotive fans worldwide.

However, Dickinson also adds a caution about group tours.

"Please think twice (or more) before coming to Shibanxi with a group tour to charter a 'toy' train," he writes. "This is 'the real China' and the longer it stays that way the better."

"The people are economically, disgustingly poor, but culturally rich..."

Adrian Freeman was here in May 2004 and reports (this is an updated version of the original posted to the Steam_in_China Yahoo Group):

The future of the line seems secure, at least for the short term. There is no longer talk of the line’s closure, although one local said that they would like to see it shut, as they would then get a decent road. Different priorities! The railway is instead being promoted within China as a tourist line, and to this aim changes have already started. By the time that these are complete, it is quite possible that nobody reading this report would wish to go there anyway. 

Changes to 31.05.04 include the following: Shixi – refreshment kiosks on the platform demolished and site cleared. The buildings on the opposite side of the line were in the process of being demolished. Sanjin/Yuejin – all the buildings on the opposite side of the line from the coal loader have been cleared away (I understand that this had been done by the beginning of the year) and the area has been converted to a ‘park’. Several rows of trees have been planted and the area concreted over. The ‘park’ was surprisingly popular and on an evening with hordes of people milling around. A new railway office building has been constructed towards the mine end. All stations on the line (except Xianrenjiao) have new blue station nameboards, which look like motorway signs – sheet steel and tubular posts. 

The timetable was due to change on 1st June with the two morning passenger trains running later. Old times off Shixi: 0530, 0930, 1400, 1730. New times: 0700, 1030, 1400, 1730. Also from this date the halt between Shixi and Sanjin was due to close with a new halt just beyond the horseshoe curve (between Mifeng and Xianrenjiao) to open. On Sunday 30th May the 0530 train made a trial stop at the position of the new halt. Following restart, considerable slipping ensued in the pouring rain before the summit was reached. By Monday evening the new halt was complete, comprising a red painted stone marker at each end and a new blue name board. The new stop is called Caiziba (rape plant platform). Total outlay probably less that 100 Yuan. In the UK, the simplest new halt costs in excess of £1 million. 

The wagon way between Ding Xing coal mine and the railway at Huangcunjn was out of use but intact and appeared perfectly useable as did the associated mine buildings. The tunnel mouth into the mine was sealed off with stone blocks and the weighing machine in the weighbridge building has been removed. We were told that the coal mine was to reopen in two weeks time under new management.

The passenger engine was always no. 9 and no. 7 ran permanent way trains on the evenings of 27th and 28th May. On the 28th the smokebox of no. 7 was adorned with a red silk bow as it hauled its p.w. train. This must have been a leftover from a wedding train it had taken as far as Mifeng earlier that day.

During our visit, three groups of Chinese tourists visited the line, and a TV crew from Chengdu spent a couple of days filming on the line to promote it. In Sanjin, we were shown a DVD comprising two Chinese programmes about the line (one featuring Barry Burns and Dave Whitfield – you’re now film stars in China, guys!)

We were told about other forthcoming changes to the line from a variety of sources, and consequently more, all, some or none may actually happen. They are as follows: 
The headquarters of the line will move from Shixi to Sanjin. A more modern station will be built at Shixi. Bagou station is to be 'modernised'; what this will entail is not clear.
The line is to get new coaching stock and a brand new C2. The existing locos are considered to be worn out and so a new engine will be built locally to the same design. It should be completed by the end of the year, although construction has not yet started. A new rake of six coaches, with glass windows and seats facing/opposing the direction of travel is also to be built locally, with completion forecast for October. They are supposedly to be used for tourist trains, but how these will fit into the timetable is not clear. The implication is that the existing stock will continue to be used on normal trains, but whether it can avoid a repaint remains to be seen.

Fares are to increase for locals. A return for the full length of the line currently costs 5 Yuan; this fare will double. The fare for foreigners will remain at 30 Yuan and there was some debate about whether Chinese tourists should be charged more than locals. Whether the fare for pigs will increase wasn't ascertained.