During my trips to China I have found great difficulty finding electric powered freight trains. While most of the major railway lines are electrified, or in the process of being electrified, the yards are not. It seems that most electric locomotives in China are delegated to express passenger trains and the old diesels and steam locomotives are given to the freight network. I am planning my third trip to China and I hope to get more electric freight trains, but at the moment I only have the one.

Here is a freight train heading south on the Hong Kong-Beijing mainline. It is headed by an SS4 electric. The SS4 or SS4B locomotives are actually 2 units with Bo-Bo axle arrangement and cabs at one end of each locomotive. Not the best quality photo I've taken. I got a shot off about 15 hours into the journey in fading light and a combined speed of probably 250kph. Our train was cruising at 160kph at this stage.

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