Chenjia Coal Railway in 2003 by Nigel Lawrence

Footage by the late Nigel Lawrence which has been given to me to convert to digital and edit should I wish. Nigel normally travelled with TEFS (organised by Bill Alborough) and this trip visited Hong Kong, Chenzhou, Guilin, the Datong Coal Railway south of Chongqing and the Jiayang Coal Railway south of Chengdu. Chenjia is a line I visited around 2001 and so I can comment on the line and some changes since then. The video was recorded in South China Gray conditions which are challenging. Based on line naming practice in China (and influenced by Japan) Chen is for Chenzhou, Hunan and Jia is for Jiahe to the west - the location of the coal mine 86km away. On my own trip, this was the summary I made: "Chenzhou
One mixed a day on this recent (1985) over-engineered line which is probably only months off closure. Probably the last C4 line in China (and with Sroda and Gneizno in Poland) the last place to see a Px48 in regular service. C4 are larger, heavier locos than the common C2 and are Chinese built Px48. They can be identified from C2 by the following characteristics; straight steam pipes, unequal spacing between wheels (greater spacing between last two axles), separate domes (3 not 1), and a low running board on the left side facing forward. (The right side climbs above an air cylinder.) Loco 20 under repair at Chenzhou has all of the features except the unequal wheel spacing and we can speculate that the 20 series locos here were all like this. No. 93 the working loco however has all the classic C4 features and perhaps all locos in the 90 range do too. Apart from 2 locos locked in a shed and the two locos above, there we no other locos seen. I wait to hear if Rob found the missing loco at the mine (he didn't). The station log at Guiyang shows that a freight ran through from the mine and back (train 502/501) on Dec 25 and 26 but on no other days in December."
In Nigel's footage the mixed had become a coal train without a passenger vehicle and taking 6 empty wagons out and 5 full backs on a 180km round trip made no economic sense. Even less sense than a somewhat longer train on our visit 2 years previously. Either coal output was low and declining or the coal was primarily being moved by road.

Nigel Lawrence
17th May 1943 – 30th April 2025
Nigel was born in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. He studied Chemistry at Nottingham University, where he met my mother, Joan. They were married in 1965 and had two children: Keith and Sandra.
Nigel began his career as a chemist. He later became a management consultant, pioneering the integration of early computers into companies’ business models. His career included roles at IBM, Phillips, Price Waterhouse Coopers, and Diageo.
Nigel served as a Parish Councillor in East Bridgford before being elected to represent East Bridgford Ward on Rushcliffe Borough Council holding this position for nearly 20 years before retiring in 2019.
One of Nigel's greatest hobbies was his love for steam locomotives. He took adventurous trips to countries where steam trains were still in operation, including China, Cuba, Germany, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ukraine and Zimbabwe, .
Nigel's health had been declining for some years. After a minor heart attack earlier this year, followed by a series of complications, he spent twelve weeks in hospital. Despite hopes for his return home, his health took a turn for the worse, and he passed away peacefully in Warrington Hospital, Cheshire, on April 30th. His family was by his side at the end.