Narrow gauge extras in China, 2003 - 2009
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Similar systems are shown in other pages on this site:
While the number of steam operated narrow gauge railways continues to decline, the number of cable operated systems must still be enormous, wherever small scale coal mining continues then there is every chance of finding such a system in use. I would be the first to admit that this is not one of my major areas of interest but it is a part of the narrow gauge railway scene which will vanish soon and I have tried to accumulate a small video record where possible. Systems should be assumed to be 600mm gauge with an electric winder at the summit of the system unless stated otherwise. All these pictures were taken while I was filming the nearby narrow gauge system stated.
Huanan 2004 - This narrow gauge railway in Heilongjiang serves a number of small mines, this is one of them:
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Yinghao 2005 - Coal skips arriving at the surface use a merry go round system using gravity and are returned to the winder top by a chain system:
A few km below Bagou on the Shibanxi system, this 300mm system has been closed since I photographed it in 2004:
Not far away this mine was described in more detail in 'Long March to Ma Miao':
In the same area in 2009, this riverside mine (actually it's the upper part of the lake behind a man made dam) apparently used an incline (behind right) to ship out coal although a new road/bridge was under construction. The boats shown are passenger ferries:
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