百年时空一路穿越 今古奇观尽收眼底
四川南部犍为县的崇山峻岭间，古老的蒸汽小火车喷着滚滚白烟铿锵而行。被世人誉为“嘉阳小火车”。
嘉阳小火车因其权属嘉阳集团而得名。为运煤，1958年嘉阳煤矿（嘉阳集团前身）修建了芭石铁路，并从石家庄动力机械厂购回小火车，于1959年7月开始运行，顺便搭载矿工和当地农民。铁路长19.84公里，其轨距仅762毫米，只有普通列车轨距的一半，小火车也因此被称为寸轨火车。
嘉阳小火车采用第一次工业革命的技术，保留着传统的燃煤式炉瞳门，人工手铲加煤，锅炉蒸汽传动，古曲式汽笛，窄小的轮轴和铁轨，具有特殊的詹天佑“人”字形机车调头方式；其信号、搬道、电话也一直沿用传统的手动方式；而芭石铁路弯多、坡陡、最大坡度36‰，最小转弯半径70米，有堪称一景的列车C形大转弯及多个密集型隧洞。
小火车车身为墨绿色、车头由蒸汽部分和煤水箱两部分组成，蒸汽部分就是以蒸汽作动力带动车轮，煤水箱下面盛水，上面盛煤。小火车有5至8节车厢，每节车厢并不相通。一节车厢长不足5米，里面的设施很简单，车厢窗户没有玻璃，而是从下向上拉起的铁质窗户，座位是条形木凳，一节车厢有座票大概20张，更多的是站票。每节车厢都有一位乘务员，整车有一位列车长和乘警。沿线有8个车站。沿途各站由乘务员卖票，列车下坡时负责手动控制刹车手轮以协助司机降低车速。
小火车途经的水星寨峡谷、芭蕉沟、蜜蜂岩一带，青山叠翠，峡谷幽深，是典型的高山峡谷风貌；穿过山谷，又展现出一派浅丘秀美的田园风光，越过历经沧桑的清代古寨，侏罗纪时期桫椤树密布的马边河……小火车吐着灰白烟雾在时空中穿梭。坐在摇摇晃晃、锈迹斑斑的车厢中，听着悠扬汽笛和机车的轰鸣，感受着历史和现代的碰撞，体验着老爷车的魅力，让人有恍如隔世之感。
据统计，自1959年至今，小火车客运量已达到1100万人次，运送煤炭1950万吨。作为唯一与外界相连的交通工具，这里的上万居民对小火车已结下了深厚的感情。沿途各站票采用座票5元、站票3元。小火车每天4班，全程往返约需两个半小时，常年保持正点发车。
随着一列列蒸汽机车在世界各地相继退役，仍在运行的嘉阳小火车吸引了众多世人的目光。
嘉阳小火车在当地政府的重视下，彰显出巨大的商机和活力。为了更好地保护好小火车，让我们的后代也能亲眼目睹最原始的工业革命的产物，2006年4月18日，嘉阳小火车被授牌列入市级“工业遗产”保护。2007年6月1日被正式列入“省级文物保护单位”。
An Age-Old Railway to Follow, An Enchanting Sight to Catch
In the mountains of Qianwei County in southern Sichuan, an old steam-powered small locomotive pulls a train wriggling along the contours of the mountains and belching columns of white smoke in its wake. It is known as Jiayang narrow gauge steam train.
The train got its name from its owner, the Jiayang Group. To transport coal out its mine, Jiayang Coal Mine, the predecessor of Jiayang Group, built a narrow gauge railway line between Bajiaogou and Shixi, which was abbreviated as Bashi Railway, and then purchased locomotives and rolling stock from Shijiazhuang Motive Power Machinery Works. In July 1959 the railway, in 762mm gauge and a total length of 19.84 kilometers, went into operation to haul coal from the mine, as well as being used by the local peasants taking a ride into town. With a size smaller than the standard gauge, the diminutive train began to be literally known in Chinese as the inch-sized train.
A product of the technology of the first Industrial Revolution, the train contains all the essential elements used in the majority of engines right up until the last ones were built in Britain in the 1960's. Manually shoveling the coal via the fire-door into the furnace, propelled by the steam – complete with steam-powered whistle – and with small axles on the narrow track, the locomotive turns on Y-turnout track invented by Zhan Tianyou (1861~1919), China's outstanding rail-way engineer. Signals and phone calls are made by hand as well as switching of tracks. It's a spectacular sight, especially as the railway line ascends and descends over gradients, some as steep as 36‰, and twists around sharp curves of 70m in radius as well as wide curves, and tunnels galore: the route is as exciting as the train itself.
Painted in dark green, the diminutive locomotive is composed of a boiler that generates steam for the driving wheels and a tender that carries coal and water. The train pulls 5 to 8 carriages coupled together but not accessible to each other. Each carriage is less than 5 meters long, with rustic facilities inside and non-glazed windows on the side, which can be however shielded by pulling down the iron sheet. Wooden benches are in place for 20 seated passengers whilst others have to stand. A conductor or conductoress is on duty to be responsible for each carriage whilst a chief conductor and apoliceman are responsible for the whole train, which drops and collects passengers at 8 stops on the line. The conductor sells the ticket, who also has the responsibility, when the train goes down a slope, to tighten up the hand-brake to aid the engineer in slowing down the train.
In places like the Shuixingzai (Mercury Village) Canyon, the Bajiaogou (Plantain) Valley, and the Mifeng (Honeybee) Crag, there are typical alpine landforms featured by green mountains and deep canyons. After passing through the valley, there are expanses of graceful, bucolic scenery over low hills, scattered ancient villages dating back to the Qing Dynasty, and the Mabian River densely covered with spinulose trees of the Jurassic period...
The small steam train twists its way on the narrow gauge track, leaving white smoke behind it as if it's shuttling between the past and the present. Sitting in the jerky, rusted carriage whilst hearing the melodious steam-blown whistle and the thunderous locomotive, passengers feel at the intersection of history and modernity. The wonders of the age-old train bring us back to another era.
According to statistical records, the steam train, ever since 1959 when it started operation, has carried 11 million passengers/times and 19.5 million tons of coal. As it is the sole transportation means connecting the hamlets in the mountains and the outside world, the residents have developed a deep affection for the steam train. A ticket is available at 5 yuan for seated passengers and 3 yuan for standing passengers from all the stops on the line, and the steam train makes 4 runs a day to cover the whole distance to and fro in approximately two and a half hours. What's amazing is that the train has maintained a record of punctual departure all year long.
As steam locomotives are taken out of service over the world, the Jiayang narrow gauge steam train, which is still in operation, has drawn the attention of people from home and abroad.
Thanks to the attention paid by the local government, the Jiayang narrow gauge steam train is now running with great vigor and vitality for business. To better preserve this time-honoured artifact as one of the earliest products of the Industrial Revolution for our descendents to see and feel, on April 18, 2006 Leshan Municipality put it on the city's list of Industrial Heritage, and on June 1, 2007 the Sichuan Provincial Government listed the same under provincial-level protection.
[ 本帖最后由 陈勇 于 2009-3-23 18:02 编辑 ]
[复制链接]
发表于 2009-3-18 16:51:03
楼主
发表于 2009-3-19 17:32:54
