A steam locomotive drives through the open-pit mine in Sandaoling, Hami prefecture, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, where steam engines put into operation in the 20th century are still in service. Photo: Li Hanxin

To ensure the coal supply for the development of the Hexi Corridor in Northwest China’s Gansu province, the government established a coal mining bureau in Hami in 1958, making Sandaoling the only coal production base in Xinjiang to supply other regions at that time. Photo: Li Hanxin

A steam train stops at an unloading point in Sandaoling, Hami. Photo: Li Hanxin

With problems such as environmental protection and resource depletion, the Sandaoling mining base has undergone several rounds of restructuring since 2001. One mining area got shut down in 2017, and the other four are still in operation. Photo: VCG

From the mid-1980s to mid-1990s, a maximum of 17 steam locomotives were running at the same time. One locomotive had around 15 staff, and workers were divided into three teams to drive the trains 24 hours a day. Photo: VCG

A driver sits in a cab of a JS class 2-8-2 steam locomotive in January 2018. The number of steam locomotives has now dropped to seven, operated by two teams of about eight workers each. Photo: VCG

A fireman responsible for heating the engine takes a break inside a steam locomotive. Among the seven remaining steam locomotives, four are used to haul coal out of the open-pit mine and three are used to transport coal to the national railway network. Photo: Li Hanxin

Workers have lunch in the cab of a steam locomotive. Photo: Li Hanxin

Workers maintain a steam locomotive in Sandaoling in January 2020. Photo: VCG

Workers inspect a steam locomotive in Sandaoling in January 2020. Photo: VCG

Driving and overhauling steam locomotives requires a lot of physical strength, making it difficult to attract young people for the job. Today, only around 30 people in Sandaoling are engaged in related work. Photo: Li Hanxin

A steam locomotive waits for a shift change at Dongboli station in Hami in 2017. Nowadays, a steam locomotive of the Sandaoling mining base can travel up to 20 to 30 kilometers per hour, and makes eight to 10 trips per day. Photo: VCG

A steam locomotive travels past cliffs of the open-pit mine in Sandaoling in January 2020. Photo: VCG