A beautifully clear dawn in Baiyin city but the valley up to Shenbutong was filled with fog. When SY 1470 approached Dongchanggou with the morning passenger, the sun was shining and there was snow on the ground. It was just a shame that you couldn’t see the train through the mist. We waited until 11:00 for the ore empties but they didn’t run.

The middle of the day was spent at Gongsi, with SY 0965, 1470, 1581 and 1583 all seen around the shed and yard. GKD1A 0206 left with the ore empties around 12:30 while the DF7G sat on shed with staff crawling all over it. SY 1047, reported yesterday as cold, was in light steam inside the shed today. Of the regular engines, only SY 2008 remained unaccounted for.

SY 1470 worked both afternoon trains to Shenbutong while the GKD1A worked the Sanyelian train. The DF7G came out to play during the afternoon and was seen working a trip from the complex up the steep bank into Gongsi yard. Hopefully that’s where it will stay.

Rumours abound about how many diesels are due, when they will arrive and when steam will finish. Everyone you talk to tells you a slightly different story but most say steam will finish in two years.