1. travelling on your own in China is getting easier all the time. Nowhere I encountered any problems in getting the right train or bus tickets, getting adequate meals for adequate prices, etcetera. Travelling on my own was also no nuisance whatsoever. I noted a downward tendency in hotel prices for foreigners.

2. Operations in Chengde are as usual, with three locos on the trains on the bank, and an average of three trains in the morning and three trains in the afternoon

3. Yebaishou steam operations are slowly going down. Maybe Yebaishou is still worthwile for the first time visitor, but as I visited the place four times since 1995, for me it was very depressing.

4. Traffic levels on the Jin-Tong line were higher than I expected (feared); the train times still vary from day to day.

5. Going to Reshui on your own with puic transport is very, very easy.

And then a few short news items;

1. Once I saw a diesel in a steam freight on the Jin-Tong line, going from east to west. It was a cream-and-blue rather rectangular loco, a DF4c or lookalike. The beginning of the end, or just a transport for China Rail?

2. On Yebaishou shed I saw orange DF4-s for passenger work (as previously reported), but also a brand new cream-and blue diesel, looking like a DF4c but carrying the number DF4-5222. A rebuilt or something?

3. I heard a rumour about SL Pacifics for passengers on the Jin-Tong line. If it is true, then they will no doubt attract lots of visitors. But I expect they would only see use on the flat part, perhaps the shorter Daban-Tongua workings?

Flight with Malev (Hungarian Airline) Amsterdam-Budapest and then on to Beijing (Boeing 767). Malev started flying to Beijing in September, so still has special prices. And flight and service were excellent!

December 20

Arrival Beijing Capital Airport; with CAAC bus to city centre (RMB16), and then for RMB 2 by underground railway to Beijing main railway station. The station is being rebuilt, but in the confusion I managed to find the foreigner's ticket office, where for RMB 81 I got a soft sleeper on the Dandong express to Chengde (dep 13.23, arr Chengde 18.45)

In Chengde I got a room in the Chengde Da Sha (new Chengde Hotel), opposite the Huilong. I know it gets some negative reports from other visitors and the rooms are indeed rather run down, but at a price of RMB 160 per night, hot water all day round and friendly service, I do not complain. I think this hotel has the best value for money in Chengde!

December 21

Nice weather, not too cold, not too much wind, and with very little pollution. I spent the morning on the lower part of the steelworks branch, the afternoon on the bank.

9.32 dep with SY

11.00 JS

11.40 SY

14.15 JS + JS/SY

15.00 JS + JS/SY

16.00 SY + JS/JS

December 22

Same weather as day before. Noted on the bank:

10.30 SY + JS/JS

11.15 SY + JS/JS

12.30 JS + JS/SY

13.30 SY + JS/SY

16.15 SY + SY/JS in the last rays of the sun!

December 23

I took the 7.00 am train to Shenyang. A ticket to Yebaishou was RMB15, plus RMB15 for the semi-soft seat carriage. One steam freigt was crossed at Hetanggou (double QJ). Then after lunch onward to Chifeng; RMB9 + RMB10 for soft seat (the 14.20 train has a mixed hard/soft seat carriage). We crossed three freights, one with diesel+steam, one diesel & one steam. Of course, the diesel+steam train might only have a diesel pilot for the bank from Shahai. On arrival in Chifeng to the Chifeng Hotel, RMB 196 for single room

December 24

By taxi to the bus station and there I quickly found a bus to JinPeng. Buses to JinPeng go through Reshui, so there is no need to pay the bus driver extra for a non-existing detour. RMB 16. The bus left at 7.00am, and arrived Reshui 12.30 pm. I checked in in the first hotel I saw. On the riverside, but not the post office hotel. Room rate was RMB600 for six nights, excellent value!

The weather was cold (as to be expected) with some wind. Linesiding around Reshui:

13.15 double QJ heading west

14.00 double QJ east

15.00 single QJ west

16.20 double QJ east

16.30 double QJ west

December 25

Linesiding around Liudigou (on foot). Much wind. From hereon all trains on JinTong line double headers unless otherwise stated

9.53 west

10.30 crossing in Liudigou

11.30 arrival ballast train to west, unloading ballast in station, dep 12.30

13.30 west

14.10 east

then to Reshui, 15.30 train to west

December 26

linesiding to the east of Reshui; very cold wind, some clouds

8.30 west

9.30 crossing in Reshui

11.30 again crossing, train west single QJ

12.30 west

16.10 east

16.40 west

December 27

Hired a taxi for the next few days, little Suzuki. Very comfortable careful driver. Price started at RMB200 but ended at RMB250 per day. Nice weather!

7.00 Reshui west

9.30 Xiakengzi east, crosses 10.00 Shandian

11.00 Xiakengzi west

12.15 Xiakengzi east

13.10 Xiakengzi west

14.15 Reshui east

14.20 Reshui west

16.25 Reshui east

December 28

Very, very cold, ice rain & no sun. Glad to have a taxi around with heating! Later in the day (after noon) the weather improved. Still cold, but sunny.

8.30 Shandian east

9.43 Shandian west

10.30 Shandian east

11.44 Reshui east

12.45 Xiakengzi west

13.00 Xiakengzi east

14.00 Shandian west

15.00 Reshui east

15.20 Reshui west 2xQJ light engine, the only light engine working I saw!

16.40 Reshui east

December 29

Cold & sunny

8.09 Reshui west

9.20 Shandian east 1x QJ

10.30 Shandian crossing

12.30 Shandian crossing; the east train was single QJ with a steam crane

(steaming) in its consist

13.00 Xiakengzi west

15.00 Xiakengzi east

December 30

Hired the taxi for the morning only, going towards Daban/Linxi. Cold wind, clouded.

7.00 freight east

9.00 freigt east

9.30 freight west, from the first railway station east of Galadesitai. Chased to

Shandian, the train reached Galadesitai 10.06 and Shandian 11.00

11.15 next freight west from Galadesitai;

12.00 freight west

there were also some freights east, but times not noted

At noon, I went by taxi to the crossing of the roads to Linxi and JinPeng. At 13.15, there was another freight west. At the crossing I had a choice of buses from Linxi and from JinPeng to Chifeng. Bus trip from 13.30 to 17.30, for RMB24. In Chifeng, again to the Chifeng Hotel, again for RMB196

December 31

By train to Yebaishou (dep 7.20), RMB11 + RMB10 for soft seat. We crossed one steam freight and one diesel freight. But I must also have slept in the train as I missed the crossing with the passenger from Yebaishou In Yebaishou JS on shunt, and at 13.00 a freight on the Chifeng line with one QJ. Superb starting from the yard, and my last steam picture of 1998! Then on to Chengde, the Shenyang train, RMB15 and the semi-soft class for free this time. Arrival Chengde 22.05, to Chengde Da Sha, RMB 160 again. By the way, one of the Longhua passengers in Chengde has been extended to Chifeng, so even if you don't want to travel overnight there is no need to take a train to/from Yebaishou. Chifeng dep 06.10, Chengde arr 11.20 and Chengde dep. around 14.00, Chifeng arr at about 22.00. There is also an overnight train with soft and hard sleeper ( a new train, rather empty). It comes from beyond Chifeng and goes on to Beijing. As arrival in Chengde is around 9.00 am, it probably departs (and arrives) in Chifeng at an awkward hour.

January 1

9.15 dep from yard with JS

11.15 JS

12.15 SY

13.52 SY

15.06 JS

15.55 JS

Excellent weather, lots of people skating under the bridge

January 2

9.30 SY; heavy train, almost came to a halt before the river bridge 10.30 SY 11.40 SY 13.00 SY with oil wagons

and then by `tourist train' (RMB61) to Beijing. In Beijing by underground to Chongwenmein Hotel (RMB 386)

January 3

To the airport for the 12.00 malev flight to Budapest, and then on to Amsterdam. Not surprisingly, Dutch railways were running late!