Map of the Gaoyao Coal Railway on the south bank of the river opposite Zhaoqing

I discovered one other SY on the Gaoyao coal line. According to the driver it was the only loco on the line and that there was one return trip from the mine at Maan about 20km away each day. I reached Gaoyao by ferry from Zhaoqing, a town frequently visited by tourists coming to see the nearby attraction of the "Seven Star Crags" and which is about 110 SW of Guangzhou. As soon as I reached the ferry terminal I could see steam action on the opposite bank. I excitedly took some pictures using a 300mm lens in case I couldn't make it across in time. When the ferry arrived at the wharf the crew were busy re-railing so I had plenty of time for photography before it left with a train of empties. The next morning I took the ferry was at the crack of dawn to await the arrival of that day's delivery. As the train approached Gaoyao started up the incline adjacent to the main street it started to drizzle. The slippery conditions and the absence of functioning sanders gave me ample opportunity for photography as the train made several attempts at the steep gradient on its approach to the wharf. I have since heard that by1993 this line had closed, the track lifted and the rolling stock cleared (JL).

My first sighting of the Gaoyao Coal Railway across the river from Zhaoqing in 1986.

Manual sanding (!) on one of the locomotives several attempts at the incline approaching the dock at Gaoyao .

SY class locomotive with a full load of coal approaching the main street of Gaoyao .

The locomotive eventually arrives at the dock

The one and only SY class 0-8-0TT locomotive on this line built in Guangzhou 1958

Transferring coal from the wagons to the waiting boats involved an army of labourers!

Coal is wheeled in barrows to a chute and discharged into a waiting boat. Note the main railway line in the background.