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choo-choo
day 329: 三道岭 (sandaoling) = 0km
How come my feet are so dirty?
Well, we went to the place where they offload coal today…
…and that’s where we saw… her:
“8195″ – what a boring name for such a beautiful old locomotive:
I think they should have named her after a girl, or some big old lady. Not just a number.
Had anybody asked me before: “Chris, are you into old trains?” I would have probably said something indifferent like “not that much”, but now that I actually got to see one from up close, I was so excited!
“Can we have a look inside?” I asked everybody around, “can we have a look inside? Can we have a look inside? Can we have a look inside? Can we ha-”
The driver laughed: “just come on up you two – but watch your step!”
…that’s how I found out they had a tea kettle in there:
The three dudes who formed the crew (driver, assistant driver, fireman) were very friendly and even allowed me to take a picture in the driver’s seat:
Isn’t this the coolest thing ever?
…but it got even better when “8195″ started moving:
Of course I wasn’t allowed to act as the driver anymore at that time, but here’s what they let me do instead:
Fire it up!
Word is that they even used to have a train here that the Emperor’s mother 慈禧 (Cixi) herself had been on almost a hundred years ago. And another train that the Japanese Emperor had been on. But when the government had sent people over to collect the old trains and put them into a museum, they had to realize that the coal miners had already demolished the trains and welded the steel into other things that they deemed more useful. I bet those government people must have had some massive WTF??-expressions on their faces.
…
申叔叔 (Uncle Shen) looked like he was having a good time, but since he used to be a railroad mechanic before, he was probably more used to these old trains than me.
I was so happy though:
We rode “8195″ all the way to her workplace in the upper part of the coal mine:
This is where they load her up with 350 tons of coal, three to five times a day.
Poor, hardworking 8195, you must be so tired. Why don’t you just leave this place and come home with me? Can’t we go on the longest way together?
…
Eventually we had to say good-bye to her and her crew though:
Here’s a video of the whole day:
I liked “8195″ very much, and I’m going to miss her.
…I think I heard her blow a silent [choo] to me when we were leaving.
Soundtrack: Harry McClintock – “Big Rock Candy Mountain”
—total: 4081,8km
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October 7th, 2008 at 09:33
i enjoy this one. sooo nice. the sound, the images, the text, the video are very beautifully shared to inspire us. thnx!!! nice to see u doing the locomotion!!!
October 7th, 2008 at 09:35
My Goodness, just so emotional when I was watching the video !!!
Chris , you are so damn lucky, WTxxxx! I have to say — I am so jealous of you!
October 7th, 2008 at 13:43
Das ist ja fast so geil wie die Fackel-Nummer.
Ich bin zwar nicht der absoute Eisenbahnfreak, aber wenn es geht bin ich doch zumindestens überzeugter Eisenbahnfahrer (so auch in die Slowakei). Ist einfach eine tolle Art zu Reisen. Und vielleicht noch mit Dampf. Das geniale an den Kisten ist, dass ja wirklich alles rein mechanisch läuft, eine wirklich ausgetüfftelte Technik. Meine letzte Dampflok war der Rasende Roland auf Rügen in diesem Sommer. Ganz nett, kommt aber um Längen nicht an die 8195 ran. Was für ein geiles Teil.
Neid Neid Neid!
October 7th, 2008 at 14:39
Hey, was hab'ich die alten Dampfloks geliebt als Kind-> das war damals das Größte für mich, wenn mein Opa mich da mitgenommen hat, ich mit ihm im Führerhaus stand und an der Pfeife ziehen durfte oder ich ihn als kleiner Wicht abholen durfte im Lokschuppen. Won't forget those days
Danke für diesen schönen Bericht voller alter Romantik, der solche Erinnerungen in mir weckte ;o)
October 7th, 2008 at 19:29
this is so cool.
one can really feel your happiness through the pictures.
the one with your smiling "hackfresse" is my fav.:-)
the video is really great work chris. superb camera shots. very well done!
October 8th, 2008 at 02:20
hahahaha~ this does look really fun, can't believe you get to ride those oldies which we can only "see" them in the museum~ a good memory indeed!
October 9th, 2008 at 08:25
Tolles Video, da hast du bestimmt vielen grossen Buben ihren Kindertraum vorgeführt.
October 9th, 2008 at 09:12
I suppose you mean "慈禧". Wish you have more such nice memories along your road ahead.
October 10th, 2008 at 00:52
xhris: Thanks dude! …and welcome to the way!
Steven: Haha, you can always go there too some day!
Barry aka Ba Lli & andy aka Anh Di 勇敢: Die 8195 ist bestimmt sehr geschmeichelt!
Patrick: Hahahaha, Hackfresse!
A導: Indeed.
Gisela: War super!
Penny: Thanks for the correction, I've just changed it in the original post! :)
October 12th, 2008 at 11:54
die videos werden echt immer besser, macht spaß zu gucken!
October 12th, 2011 at 05:44
very good