Beijing's main station has seen a huge variety of traction over the years, although steam had been banished from the city centre long before I got there. These pictures show several different classes of diesels and electrics in and around the station.
The Beijing - Chengde line was popular with steam enthusiasts in the early 1990s as it provided main line steam action in attractive scenery little over an hour's drive from Beijing airport. The line was built in the late 1950s and runs through attractive mountainous country and features severe gradients. It is currently worked by class DF4 diesels, including some early examples. These pictures were taken in the 1990s and in 2006.
China has been expanding its rail network steadily since the Liberation of 1949. The line to Longhua and Chifeng wasn't built until the late 1970s and didn't open until 1981. It is possible that the line was diesel worked from the start as many of the locos in use today date from the early 1980s. It's a scenic route through mountainous terrain with many tunnels and bridges. These photos were taken on my first trip to the line in September 2006. Classes DF4 and DF8B locomotives feature.
The line from Beijing to Taiyuan has to cross a range of mountains immediately west of Beijing and does so by following the spectacular Juma River Valley. Bridges, tunnels and superb photo locations abound, particularly around Shidu, a small resort town popular with the locals. These photos were taken in Autumn 2006 and features locos of classes DF4C, DF4D and the rare twin-unit BJs.
This line was built in the late 1980s to transport coal from the Datong coalfield to the port of Qinhuangdao, east of Beijing. In order to avoid the Beijing metropolitan area, it runs through the mountains north of the capital utilising a succession of bridges and tunnels to conquer the difficult terrain. Trains are heavy, frequent and electrically hauled by class SS4G locomotives.
