Sandaoling Coal Mining Railway - China - 2014 Duration: 30 mins


Sandaoling lies in Xinjiang province in North West China and it's claim to fame is that it is one of the last places operating steam locomotives in an industrial setting.The open cast pit mine is about 6 km long and 1.5 km wide, reaching a depth of apx. 800ft. Two deep pit mines lie to the north east of the pit. A third deep pit mine lies to the north west and a rail connection to it is currently being constructed. Coal from the open pit and deep pit mines are brought to Nanzhan, where coal is loaded on to China Rail wagons and hauled by diesels to the mainline at Hami and onwards

from the comments:
"Great video. The sights may be dystopian but for a train buff its a wonderful experience , watching an actual commercial operation in process in the 21st century . What is remarkable is that these trains are maintained not for tourist purposes but for actual day to day working ; no worrying about transporting diesel . The
product is the fuel itself .Coal will continue to remain a major player in China's economy."

"What a brilliant history of this line. In 2018 the coal was still going with steam. A great bit of explanation of the system and how it was worked. A story told brilliantly. Good video and very good editing to make the line live."