Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Revised and extended upload. Chengde, in Hebei Provence, 250km NE of Beijing is known to tourists for its many Buddhist Temples. Until the end of steam operation, it was best known to steam enthusiasts for the Chengde Steelworks branch railway. The line served a steelworks just beyond the summit tunnel at the top of a moderately steep incline. Mineral trains and some ordinary freight were propelled up the branch by the unusual combination of a single train engine and a pair of banking locomotives at the rear. JS and SY class 2-8-2 locomotives were used in various combinations for this task. The constant stream of trains made this a steam enthusiasts paradise. Steam operation ceased within a couple of years of my visit.
Revised and extended upload. Chengde, in Hebei Provence, 250km NE of Beijing is known to tourists for its many Buddhist Temples. Until the end of steam operation, it was best known to steam enthusiasts for the Chengde Steelworks branch railway. The line served a steelworks just beyond the summit tunnel at the top of a moderately steep incline. Mineral trains and some ordinary freight were propelled up the branch by the unusual combination of a single train engine and a pair of banking locomotives at the rear. JS and SY class 2-8-2 locomotives were used in various combinations for this task. The constant stream of trains made this a steam enthusiasts paradise. Steam operation ceased within a couple of years of my visit.
