The LAST steam powered standard gauge mixed train to run in the world!

JS8250 storms across the half mile long river bridge at Yuanbaoshan leading 19 empty coal cars, and 6 passenger cars. This train was bound for Fengshuiguo, where the coal cars would be loaded and the passenger's would disembark to work on the farms and in the coal mine. On this crisp autumn morning, this train was the LAST steam hauled standard gauge mixed train left in the World, running for daily revenue service. But within hours, that would all change.

As this train headed back in the afternoon after this photograph, a coal truck pulled in front of the locomotive derailing the 2-8-2 and destroying the locomotive's tender. While the locomotive was eventually repaired (and immediately placed in long-term storage), the railroad abandoned passenger service, bringing an end to the last REAL steam mixed train.

[www.railpictures.net]


PS: I am well aware that a few tourist railroads operate an occasional steam mixed train hauling some type of freight. However, Yuanbaoshan Local Railway was the LAST standard gauge steam hauled mixed train run using steam out of pure economy and not in regard to tourism.