Antwerp, Belgium, 14/02/2009,

Hello,

The electrification of the Qian-Gui-Line (Liuzhou – Guiyang) seems to be ready now (Although maybe only certain parts of the line…), and the trains are now pulled by electric locomotives! And the very nice surprise is that the freight trains are now pulled by SS1 locomotives! (Passenger trains seem to be worked by classic SS3’s…) So it is now possible to take pictures of SS1 locomotives (Apparently even double headers!) between the spectacular Karst mountains of Guangxi province!

Of course, the end of the incredibly scenic and spectacular old Qian-Gui is a bitter loss, and I have no idea about what will happen to the DF7D’s either, but for me, the fact that the line now sees a lot of SS1’s, lightens the pain effectively… :-)

On the Guiyang – Liupanshui line though, the SS1’s are almost completely replaced by SS3BG, so I guess it would be logical to assume that the SS1’s that were previously used on the Guiyang – Liupanshui line are now transferred to the Qian-Gui…

Here are some links to pictures: (Unfortunately low quality…)

http://bbs.hasea.com/attachments/month_0902/forumid_36/20090203_c7a8de351ac4eb3d40302ccmVm95dRcm.jpg

http://bbs.hasea.com/attachments/month_0902/forumid_36/20090203_01081fc66c1a921c340fW67Sw7xojzwg.jpg

The pictures are taken in the station of Jinchengjiang (Hechi), which has now high platforms…

Best regards,

Joeri Vanvaerenbergh