Sandaoling Mining Railway JS8197 storms uphill with a heavy coal train, one of many this locomotive will haul on this cold January day in 2016.

Double steam part 2! A steam crane is hauled upgrade by JS8081 after completing it's work for the day delivering heavy mining equipment to the mining area at the bottom of the opencast coal mine.

Sandaoling Mine Railway JS8167 thunders up the last stretch of the long climb out of the opencast pit coal mine. The snow cover TianShan (Heavenly) Mountains rise in the background.

Sandaoling Mine Railway JS8197 storms uphill with a heavy coal train on a cold January day in 2016. This is just one of the dozens of steam powered coal trains that thunder out of the opencast pit... (more)

Deep in the massive opencast pit at Sandaoling, a steam crane is hard at work delivering a piece of mine equipment to the mining face. The semi truck will carry this equipment to the mining area. ... (more)

Sandaoling Coal Mine Railway JS 8190 makes a beautiful steamy sight as it works upgrade through the Big Curve on the Sandaoling Mine Railway.

Sandaoling Coal Mine Railway JS 8190 storms upgrade out of the long straight and into one of the sharpest curves on the mine railway. Within 5 minutes, this train will have surmounted the 2.5% gra... (more)

Late afternoon in Sandaoling is a magical hour for steam railway photography. On one such day in January 2016, JS8167 silhouette against the setting sun as the locomotive shoves an empty train awa... (more)

Sandaoling Coal Mine Railway JS 8225 thunders uphill and through the big curve on it's way up and out of the opencast pit mine with another heavy coal train. Sandaoling is the LAST great steam sho... (more)

On a coal January day in 2016, JS8190 storms past her sister, JS8225, leading a heavy coal train upgrade at Sandaoling. Just minutes before, these two steam locomotives were working as a team, whe... (more)

On a coal January day in 2016, two mainline 2-8-2s thunder upgrade with a heavy coal train at Sandaoling. Doubleheaded trains are extremely rare on the Sandaoling Mine Railway however, JS8190's tr... (more)

Sandaoling Coal Mine Railway JS 8190 thunders upgrade out of the giant opencast pit coal mine. The locomotive is just beginning the steepest part of the 4 mile climb out of the pit with 3 more mil... (more)

At Sandaoling Coal Railway on the 25th of February 2016, JS 8197 sits under the coal stage at East Yard whilst the driver sits next to the water column checking his modern smart phone. Such are so... (more)

Sunset in Sandaoling

"Jordan spreader" in action