Introduction
Until about ten years ago, China was the last country in the world to manufacture steam trains; which were mainly used in heavy industry. Most of these trains have now been scrapped across the country.
In 2009 Oliver Woods traveled to northeastern China to Lutien open cast mine, to witness the end of an era. Lutien was the last big coal mine in China to still use steam power on a big scale, and around fifty trains were in service in the pit. China has changed much in the last decade. This remote place, on the edge of Siberia with its nineteenth century era technology, is a reminder of China's very recent past.
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