In the locomotive depot of the Xingyang Brickworks Railway, a female worker patiently watches her lathe. She is turning a new steam piston for C2 0-8-0 #207, a 1988 product of the Harbin Works. What caught my eye was how this scene resembled something out of Maoist propaganda, as a female comrade (dressed simply) works in a key industrial role. However, this scene was far removed from the era of Chairman Mao, as this was 2011 and narrow gauge steam was now an anachronism in the era of Iphones, and Chinese Capitalism. Sadly, this piston would never be put to use, as within a month the Xingyang Brickworks Railway would be abandoned with the sale of the brickworks to a Shanghai real estate development company.
