The Last Bastion of Steam - Sandaoling Coal Mine - Down at The Loaders - Not As Cold As Last Time #

Sandaoling Coal Mine, 80 Km from Hami in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of North West China, is the last place on earth where you can still see a number of steam locomotives working on a daily basis. Everywhere else that still uses steam has just one locomotive for shunting. Here, you could still see 8 JS 2-8-2 locomotives being used every day in 2017. In 2012, there were 20 being used. The coal mine is now due to close in 2020 and already the loading procedures are being streamlined. So, even less steam will be probably be used in 2018. #dampflok