The Yexi Stone Railway

Capital Iron and Steel in Beijing operate a number of standard gauge steam locomotives (SY and YJ) as well as a large number of diesels.  In recent years it has been discovered that they also operate at least two narrow gauge railways.  The one at Dahuichang now deservedly gets a lot of visitors, but the Yexi system has fallen out of favour, not surprisingly perhaps because it is quite short and not very photogenic.  However, it should not be totally overlooked.  I was tipped off about it by an American ex-pat enthusiast who was in Yebaishou at the same time as me in December 1995 although his directions to the system (which he had visited only once) were extremely vague - of the order of 'head north from Capital Iron and Steel, then vaguely north-west until you find the railway on the side of a hill....' 

Location

Yexi is marked in the Quail Atlas (a few km north of Mentougou). Originally we took a taxi and blundered around till we found it.  When I visited again, I took the metro to its western terminus and the jumped in a taxi retracing my (excellent!) instructions: "Follow the road north round the outside of the steel works, round to the north-west until you cross the river. Head north next to the river, under the large new railway viaducts and eventually the road curves left and climbs slightly, you will see the narrow gauge system above you on the right." By bus take a 336 or 959 from outside the metro (west direction towards Capital Iron and Steel) until it crosses the large river bridge with the viaducts to the north when the bus will turn left. Get off and walk back to beyond the T- junction and wait for a 929 heading north. After the level crossing, carry on until you go over the standard gauge again on a bridge. The entrance drive is just ahead sloping up the hill on the right. According to the signs the 929 also goes (eventually) to the metro but the one we were on going back did not go over the river bridge. (It may well have done a U turn later.)

Operation

There were two 0-8-0s on this 762mm system when I visited, one with no number active and 309 locked in a shed..  Basically, the loco works smokebox first to a set of stone wagons which it propels 500m from a tipper up to a quarry.  The return working is tender first.  The whole cycle takes about 30 minutes and the loco only comes off its train during a lunch break.  We visited during an afternoon, probably the best time for photography.