China Coal Heavy Haul

China Coal Heavy Haul

The Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway undertakes nearly a fifth of China's total coal transportation, over 400 million tons of coal per year. It is a coal dedicated railway, with the largest transportation volume in the world. The heavy haul trains transport 20,000 tons of coal each, taking over ten hours to cover the 653 km from the rich coal mines of China's west to Qinhuangdao coal port for exporting to whole world.

Shao Shan 4 (SS4 improved) electric locomotives and C80 coal wagons play important roles on the Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway. Four SS4 locomotive pairs drag a consist of more than two hundred C80 wagons through mighty runs between mountains and rivers. A heavy haul train is typically formed as SS4x1 + C80x102 + SS4x2 + C80x102 + SS4x1.

The Shao Shan 4 (SS4 improved) electric locomotive is one of the most powerful DC electric locomotives in China. Manufacturing began in the mid 1980's and the locomotives are widely used throughout most of China's electrifried railways to this day. Prior to the Chinese AC electric era, the SS4 was the predominant power on the Datong - Qinhuangdao coal heavy haul railway. Comprised of a pair of vehicles (one A and one B unit), SS4s continue to operate between Shanxi coal mines and the Qinhuangdao coal port, sometimes in quadruple with up to 20,000t and over 200 C80 wagons in tow.

The C80 is a dedicated coal wagon with the largest loading capacity of all China's open wagons. These wagons are specifically used for coal transportation on the Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway. The C80 was China's first wagon of rivetted aluminium construction and uses a drop center design to maximise capacity. Equipped with rotary couplers and spring air pipes, they can be unloaded at the rotary dumper in Qinhuangdao coal harbor.

Unfortunately, due to it's expense the C80 is being gradually replaced by the all-steel C80B. Considered important in the progress of China's Railways however, several of it's ground breaking design features will survive into the future.

The majority of C80 heavy-haul trains consist of a maximum of thirty four units. Each unit is comprised of three C80 open wagons. The consist is referred to as a 'Unitized Train'. Interestingly, the center wagon in each unit is coupled by drawbars rather than standard couplers and cannot be uncoupled. To represent the correct formation of these units use the A, B and C variants in order.

China Coal Heavy Haul
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