Coal and Steam

March 9, 2008 6:44 AM

Link to a picture heavy post on railroadforums.com about a coal mine in northernmost China.
posted by Catfry (16 comments total)

While it's cool to see steam locomotives operating, you can't overlook the environmental disaster that mine obviously is. The world is paying a high price for cheap goods.
posted by tommasz at 6:50 AM on March 9, 2008

Awesome photos.
posted by Mach5 at 6:54 AM on March 9, 2008

It's like the 1920's. In color.
posted by stbalbach at 6:56 AM on March 9, 2008

Besides all the steam-powered trains, I was amazed to see they have old steam shovels still operating as well.
posted by M.C. Lo-Carb! at 7:02 AM on March 9, 2008

Wow. How old are those engines? Is someone still producing them?
posted by dazed_one at 7:03 AM on March 9, 2008

I keep looking at these pictures and I think: "These people are doing the Olympics this summer?"
The steam shovel in that coal mine is the same one Mike Mulligan had.
posted by parmanparman at 7:16 AM on March 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

It's like Las Vegas for Siberians.
posted by KokuRyu at 7:55 AM on March 9, 2008

My dad used to travel in these back in the day. One of the major drawbacks was that you'd be covered in soot by the end of the journey.
posted by hadjiboy at 8:08 AM on March 9, 2008

this is gorgeous
posted by localhuman at 8:19 AM on March 9, 2008

I keep looking at these pictures and I think: "These people are doing the Olympics this summer?" The steam shovel in that coal mine is the same one Mike Mulligan had.

Yeah, between that and the steam trains I felt like I was reading a little kids' book. "Thomas the Tank Engine Goes Strip-Mining."

Gorgeous pictures, though. I can see why people get so nostalgic about this stuff.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:39 AM on March 9, 2008

There's some fabulous photography in there. FAVE. Thanks for the post!
posted by sidereal at 8:52 AM on March 9, 2008

This is great. Hellish industrial wasteland? Yes. Gorgeous? Yes.
posted by echo target at 9:32 AM on March 9, 2008

This is photography at its finest. Excellent post, thank you.

Visiting that mine must feel like traveling back in time. Some of the shots could probably be passed off as depression-era Wyoming.
posted by [expletive deleted] at 11:30 AM on March 9, 2008

The Pit from space. (google maps)
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:46 AM on March 9, 2008

I'm guessing this is where the miners live.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 11:48 AM on March 9, 2008

I went on a lab outing when I worked at the University of Birmingham where we took a restored steam train from Kidderminster to Bridgehead. One of the post-docs was Chinese and invited some Chinese friends along for the trip. After, I asked them how they liked the nostalgia of the steam train. They said "What nostalgia?"
posted by srboisvert at 1:41 PM on March 9, 2008 [1 favorite]