A worker watches for the tender to overflow with water as his sign to shut the water off.

Steam train pushes back toward Beiquan Erjing deep mines from Nanzhan.

So many moving heavy metal parts are visible as these monsters roll along smoking and hissing. Steam locomotives just have a life of their own and are a blast to watch and photograph.

Looking out through the broken panes of glass from an abandoned apartment in the wasteland that remains of Nanquan. Few residents still remain in this town just south of Sandaoling.

A crew prepares to take a few workers down to the mine in a single JS locomotive. Once this was done with a train with multiple boxcars for the workers to ride in but now most get to the mine by t... (more)

Checking the track gauge in his Star Wars outfit. This is the coal transfer yard at Nanquan.

Heading down to the coal mine in the cab of JS Class steam locomotive 8190. These were Chinese made locomotives and the 8001 and up series were manufactured from 1986 to 1988. The engineer was hap... (more)

The cold February temperatures send white plumes into the air as these heavy trains work across the flat empty old pit before taking the grade out and to the Xuanmeichang Washery where the coal i... (more)

99% of the time there were no other tourists but a couple of mornings there were busses filled with mainly Japanese tourists at the morning crew change at the station but they soon disappeared. No... (more)

The Kengkongzhan Station was the nicest of the ones we visited along the Sandaoling Coal Mine Railway. It was tidy and put away. The control board operator greeted us in and was very friendly. He ... (more)

Only months remain for these iron beasts hauling load after load of coal along the steel rails.

The red ball sets on a picturesque scene of a barren landscape surrounded by cliffs and rocky formations.

Steel gates keep everything but the view of a returning steam train out in Nanquan. The train will head back to the blue loader at Xikeng for another load.

The fireman looks ahead as JS class locomotive 8358 is shunting in the Nanzhan coal sorting yard. The cement plant towers in the background.

Everything you will see a lot of in Sandaoling can be seen in this one photo, steam action, stray dogs, and mopeds. This loaded train is almost up the hill and will cut the steam shortly as it hea... (more)