Mon 08 March 2010
Mon 08 March 2010
31/07/12 17:49
Off to Baiyin today after saying goodbye to Robin. We had just received the news that there was now at least one diesel working there, maybe more, and wondered what would be left to photograph.
First we had the problem of getting to Baiyin. After checking in for flight HU 7231, we went to the departure lounge to find the aircraft covered in snow with one man on a ladder trying to scrape the windscreen clear. Despite the flight being marked as delayed, we were boarded half an hour before the scheduled departure time and backed away from the gate only a few minutes late. After what seemed an eternity of stop-start taxiing, we arrived at the de-icing pad and, eventually, got sprayed and set off for the runway, just over an hour late. Somewhere west of Beijing, the cloud below thinned out giving views of a steamless Baotou steelworks and the desert covered in snow. At Lanzhou we found our chauffeur driven limo and travelled to a disappointingly snow free Baiyin, taking just over an hour for the journey. The car, a comfortable but old Toyota Crown, and driver were hired from the Baiyin Non-ferrous Metals Company, a condition of getting the photo permit. At Baiyin, we stayed at the upmarket Wansheng Hotel at the west end of town.
Our first sighting was of SY 1470, in excellent form, storming the bank with the 15:15 passenger to Shenbutong. The Sanyelian passenger was hauled by the previously reported diesel, GK1A 0206, presumably after working the ore train. SY 0965 tripped up to Sanyelian to collect some wagons and followed the diesel passenger back down to Gongsi. SY 1470 also worked the 18:15 passenger to Shenbutong.
At Gongsi there was an unidentified SY shunting the far end of the yard. SY 0612 was in the storage compound adjacent to the workshops, SY 1013 was being overhauled, SY 0819 and SY 1047 were cold but looked serviceable. The dumped locos weren't checked but there was no sign of any changes since last year. Unaccounted for were SY 1581, 1583 and 2008. There was no sign of the two "guests" from Yaojie, SY 1097 and SY 0125 that had been here a year previously.
In the depot yard was DF7G 5183, just out of its box and still with the price tag attached. According to staff, it had arrived on 6 March and they were still playing with it. No decision had yet been made about when it would go into traffic or what it would be used for. Like the GKD1A, the loco is lettered BNMC (Baiyin Non-ferrous Metals Company) and carried the standard, very unattractive, two tone brown livery.
On a happier note, I saw my first standard green DF4B of the trip today, after almost a week in China - how times change!
First we had the problem of getting to Baiyin. After checking in for flight HU 7231, we went to the departure lounge to find the aircraft covered in snow with one man on a ladder trying to scrape the windscreen clear. Despite the flight being marked as delayed, we were boarded half an hour before the scheduled departure time and backed away from the gate only a few minutes late. After what seemed an eternity of stop-start taxiing, we arrived at the de-icing pad and, eventually, got sprayed and set off for the runway, just over an hour late. Somewhere west of Beijing, the cloud below thinned out giving views of a steamless Baotou steelworks and the desert covered in snow. At Lanzhou we found our chauffeur driven limo and travelled to a disappointingly snow free Baiyin, taking just over an hour for the journey. The car, a comfortable but old Toyota Crown, and driver were hired from the Baiyin Non-ferrous Metals Company, a condition of getting the photo permit. At Baiyin, we stayed at the upmarket Wansheng Hotel at the west end of town.
Our first sighting was of SY 1470, in excellent form, storming the bank with the 15:15 passenger to Shenbutong. The Sanyelian passenger was hauled by the previously reported diesel, GK1A 0206, presumably after working the ore train. SY 0965 tripped up to Sanyelian to collect some wagons and followed the diesel passenger back down to Gongsi. SY 1470 also worked the 18:15 passenger to Shenbutong.
At Gongsi there was an unidentified SY shunting the far end of the yard. SY 0612 was in the storage compound adjacent to the workshops, SY 1013 was being overhauled, SY 0819 and SY 1047 were cold but looked serviceable. The dumped locos weren't checked but there was no sign of any changes since last year. Unaccounted for were SY 1581, 1583 and 2008. There was no sign of the two "guests" from Yaojie, SY 1097 and SY 0125 that had been here a year previously.
In the depot yard was DF7G 5183, just out of its box and still with the price tag attached. According to staff, it had arrived on 6 March and they were still playing with it. No decision had yet been made about when it would go into traffic or what it would be used for. Like the GKD1A, the loco is lettered BNMC (Baiyin Non-ferrous Metals Company) and carried the standard, very unattractive, two tone brown livery.
On a happier note, I saw my first standard green DF4B of the trip today, after almost a week in China - how times change!
