Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang Province and one of Manchuria's major rail hubs with busy main lines radiating in five directions. These pictures were taken around the city in steam days and more recently on the Mudanjiang line.

Bei'an is a farming town and sleepy railway junction in the north-west of Heilongjiang. Railway-wise, It's main claim to fame is as the interchange between CR and the Heihe Local Railway, operator of the long line north to Heihe on the Russian border. I first visited the area in 1999 when high deflector JS and QJ class steam locos were still common. By 2008 when I returned, the exotic class DF7D diesels that had ousted steam had themselves been displaced by standard DF4Bs. Both trips feature in this gallery.

Mudanjiang is Heilongjiang's third city and lies in the far south east of the province, close to the Russian border. The city lies on the route of the original Trans Siberian Railway and the lines in the surrounding area are both scenic and fairly busy. There is a good variety of traction in use including DF8 class diesels. This gallery contains pictures taken around Mudanjiang itself and near Jixi, a large mining centre 120km to the north.

A selection of photos from around Harbin Bureau. Virtually all diesels at the moment.