Not long ago, a video of railway fans celebrating in the old train city became popular on the Internet, and 47 old trains "headcars, cars into pavilions, pavilions into columns, rows into rows, and rows into streets", forming an amazing old train paradise, instantly bringing people into the industrial scene of old steam locomotives in the last century.
Here, the old train not only became "alive", spraying white mist on the tracks, but also transformed into a train of exhibition halls, "belly" filled with precious and difficult to find old railway objects, people climb up and down the front car, happy to do so. Many netizens directly called out the addiction, "saw the ceiling of the railway collection".
Zhao Xianghong, secretary general of the Railway Culture Collection Committee of the China Collectors Association, told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that the video that attracted attention was filmed at the second National Railway Collection Expo, and the old train at the scene was collected by Ningxia Iron and Steel Group. In June this year, after Zhao Xianghong learned that Ninggang had such an old train city, he took a green car to and from Beijing and Ningxia Zhongwei several times, and loaded 30,000 pieces of collections provided by more than 300 railway collectors from 30 provinces and regions across the country into the 36 old trains collected by Ninggang.
What makes Zhao Xianghong happy is that the old train exhibition has awakened everyone's memory of history, and the story behind the old railway objects has also touched many people.
Let the old locomotive that has been silent for many years
Run up in white smoke
Why are there so many rare old trains in the modern industrial park of Ninggang Steel? How did the old train meet the nation's railroad collections? Wang Liming, general manager of Ninggang Group, said frankly that as early as the first National Railway Culture Collection Expo was held in Tangshan, he was greatly touched: "I didn't expect that there were so many railway fans in the country, and the expo really made people see a different Tangshan." We ninggang have a 60-year history of inheritance, so many old locomotives themselves are like a history museum! Therefore, Wang Liming went to Beijing to find Zhao Xianghong, "a conversation of love, a hit."
"I just think that in more than two months, how can everyone fight so much?" Zhao Xianghong said, "Almost all the activities of the association rely on the selfless dedication of volunteers to complete, this time everyone ran and did a lot of things in a short period of time." Everyone is very busy during the day, and they can only say specific things at night, such as making armbands and making posters. ”
In the end, 36 old train cars were converted into different theme pavilions, including the Chinese Railway Workers' Movement, China Railway Signal Lights, China Iron and Steel Year Paintings, China Railway Train Tickets, Chinese Railway Train Direction Plates and so on, which impressed the visitors.
In it, the porcelain tea cups for railway passenger cars, three-color hand-held signal lights, ticket counting machines, electric bells, pressure oil pumps, hat emblems, road rulers, steam locomotive whistles, railway staff service certificates and other old railway objects, like old wine, attract people to enter the light and shadow of history.
Recalling the exhibition installation experience a few months ago, from the beginning of collecting exhibits, making exhibition panels, designing commemorative covers and packaging and sending the collection to Zhongwei, to everyone rushing to Ninggang from all over the world to arrange the exhibition site, and finally the moment when the 30,000 pieces of the collection were unveiled in more than 30 green leather carriages, volunteer Ji Haowei said: "Until now, many scenes have always appeared in the mind, which is unforgettable. ”
Many netizens are curious, who let those old locomotives that have been silent for many years at the scene run on the tracks again with white smoke?
The one who "resurrected" the old steam locomotive was Zhang Ning, an old worker of Ninggang Steel. From 2013 to the present, Zhang Ning has been dealing with steam locomotives for 8 years, and he has a deep affection for machinery, "I was born in 1963, and when I was a teenager, I went to work in Dahe Machine Tool Factory, as a worker, engaged in machine tool repair. Later I also repaired motorcycle cars for decades. So, maintaining and repairing these dozens of steam locomotives, for me, is a work of feelings. ”
Repairing the old train, for Zhang Ning, is a bit of a "play ticket" nature. "My daily serious job is to be in charge of the nine diesel locomotives in the production workshop that pull molten iron. That cannot be ambiguous, cannot delay production. But he was familiar with the old trains in the collection like his own children: "The steam locomotive models are divided into 'forward', 'construction', and 'upstream'. 'Construction' is used for the main railway trunk line, and this time the smoke is opened up by the 'upstream'. The power of the 'upstream' is smaller, and it is generally used in industrial and mining and sideline lines. After the 1990s, China's steam engine models were almost all eliminated, I know that now it can be moved, Xinjiang Sandaoling has one, may soon reach the service period, the end of the year can not be opened. Ning Gang has collected so many old trains, almost all of which are from the 1980s, which is really a miracle to say. One is that the place is big, and the leader of the other group also has feelings for the legacy of the old industry. ”
Zhang Ning was particularly impressed, once he went to maintain the steam locomotive at night, chatted with Wang Liming, looked at the old trains that were still in the night, both of them had unspeakable regrets in their hearts, and they did not feel that at the same time a thought emerged: We can't just put it away after maintenance, let it move, don't let it be wasted. So they began to envision the restoration of the steam engine, and the more they talked, the more excited they became, until the middle of the night. "I still remember the feeling of the wind blowing on my face that night, and the stars of that night are exceptionally bright in my memory."
After careful study, to completely repair all the locomotives, it is necessary to make the locomotive meet the standards of the regular track, "that project, it is like rebuilding a locomotive, and we do not have the equipment to inspect and test the pressure vessel." Zhang Ning and Wang Liming thought about it, and finally thought of a place: "We have steel rails, it is better to build a small rail by ourselves, at least let a locomotive run first." ”
When he really started to move, Zhang Ning felt more and more confident, "But just let it run, it is not too difficult for us." The most critical technical point is the mechanical drivetrain, and the steam engine relies on the crankshaft crank to run continuously. During that time, as soon as he had time, he took an apprentice with him and carefully cleaned up inside and out. It took three months, the "upstream" that had been silent for many years, finally able to move, brighten, and breathe, everyone was particularly happy, "It is alive!" ”
Train enthusiasts who visit the exhibition said that at this exhibition, it feels like a day has gone through a span of 60 years: "While feeling the height of industrial modernization, I feel the texture of old industry and old trains." ”
In such a scene, everyone says the most is "cherish". "Every era deserves our respect and memory. This exhibition can be said to preserve the characteristics of an era. ”
Wang Liming said: "I think That Sister Zhao is more than seventy years old, an old lady, so passionate and enthusiastic to try to present history, this is also a motivation for us to do this." When collectors from all over the country came, everyone was very excited and harmonious, and I was also very infected by making more people like and try their best to keep the old objects. Everyone can communicate cordially together, in fact, it is a kind of cultural stimulation, a kind of spiritual mutual nutrition. ”
Want to come from a cultural point of view
Dig old objects deeper
"I've loved railways since I was a kid, and I love to be on the side of the railway when I'm fine, watching steam locomotives with clouds and mist pulling all kinds of carriages back and forth." Wang Liming, a native of the northwest, has a special affection for his hometown, and in his view, the city of Ningxia Zhongwei is a "city pulled by trains" - without railways and trains, goji berries and other agricultural products and industrial products of Ninggang cannot be transported, and passengers and goods from outside cannot enter. As an adult, Wang Liming entered Ninggang to deal with the old train, and he became more and more determined to collect and collect old steam locomotives and green cars, "Let us ourselves, but also let everyone remember and remember the former Baolan Railway, the former Zhongwei Railway Station, and these old trains that have been running." ”
After graduating from university, Wang Liming was assigned to a military academy as an instructor, and it was also during that period that he read "How Steel is Made" that affected his life, "Later, after I really came into contact with steel, I often thought, what is the process of steelmaking? The first heats up, the second removes impurities. Iron is hard, but it is brittle; steel is also hard, but it can bend. From iron to steel, I think this is also a tempering process for people. The memories of that era have a profound meaning for me. I thought, if there's one unique symbol to leave it behind, it's the old train. ”
Ninggang's predecessor was the MCC Iron Works, and when it was demolished around 2014, Wang Liming saw that many old machines were about to turn into scrap steel in the blink of an eye, and felt particularly sorry. "At that time, I didn't think too much about it, so I pulled them back and put them in the factory area of Ninggang, and I always felt that staying here was also a kind of history and existence." Later, when sorting out these old machines, two locomotives were put in order to decorate. Hey, the more you look at it, the more harmonious it becomes! Wang Liming said frankly: "Indeed, people like us who were born in the 1960s have a feeling for old trains and old industrial machines." For example, our chairman has a special love for trains, and the secretary has worked on the Urumqi Railway, so speaking of these old industrial era objects, everyone is excited when they see them. Therefore, this is also a major driving force for the establishment of the Old Train Museum. ”
Later, more and more old trains were collected and collected in Ninggang Park, becoming more and more precious, forming a unique industrial landscape. Workers also have a complex for the old industrial heritage and are willing to take time to maintain and transform it.
In the process of placing more and more collections, everyone found that a street was naturally formed between the two carriages, so they set up some sheds to form the prototype of an open-air museum with "four streets and ten museums (locomotives)".
This time, collectors from all over the country gathered in the old train city, attracting the attention of countless railway enthusiasts, and also made Wang Liming feel proud, "Although the old train community is not my personal collection, Ninggang's collection itself is social, and I am proud of being in it." Each of these old trains has a piece of history attached to its body, such as our collection of Lei Feng, which is unique. We also rescued a lot of precious first-generation old locomotives from under the welding torch, which were originally very small in number, and if they were not collected, the final fate would basically be scrapped. To be able to preserve them intact, to give them life, to leave some imprint on history, we find it very meaningful to do so."
In Wang Liming's view, collecting these old objects is not only nostalgic, "I especially cherish these old objects, and I also very much want to make them better preserved and excavated deeper from a cultural point of view." When they were born, they once shone with a special spiritual light. So I named the research base where the old train was located 'Time Shine'. The 'light' here, I think, is the spirit of our predecessors who are hard-working and self-reliant. ”
Wang Liming felt that in front of the old train, it was not only "reminiscing", but should let young people see a kind of "greatness": "At that time, unlike now, there were computers and three-dimensional modeling, but you see, how complex and accurate the parts made of molten iron are!" I hope that more children can be inspired from here and keep the spirit of self-improvement. ”
Railroad man
"Salvage" precious imprints in the collection
Zhao Xianghong is an old man who came out of the train section and has deep feelings for the railway. In terms of collection, she chose the theme direction of "Mao Zedong and China Railway". Among the collections on display this time, two letters of appointment are zhao Xianghong's own most important: "These two letters of appointment about Teng Daiyuan are very precious and are now widely quoted. One was the appointment order issued by the Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Commission on January 10, 1949, appointing Teng Daiyuan as the director of the Railway Department of the Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Commission; the other was the appointment notice issued by the Central People's Government on October 19, 1949, appointing Teng Daiyuan as the Minister of Railways of the Central People's Government, with Chairman Mao Zedong's signature clearly visible on it. ”
As we all know, after the founding of New China, Mao Zedong attached great importance to the construction and development of railways, and he not only personally planned the blueprint for railway development, but also regarded the special train as a mobile office and "home". Zhao Xianghong said, "Chairman Mao took the special train 72 times, and I carefully counted it on the calendar day by day, and in the 26 years from 1949 to 1975, Chairman Mao worked and lived on the special train for 2148 days. ”
In the process of collecting treasures, she discovered that what few people know is that the construction of the Beijing-Kowloon Railway and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was Chairman Mao's long-cherished wish. In 1934, when the fifth anti-encirclement and suppression campaign failed, when the Central Red Army was forced to withdraw from the Central Soviet Zone, Mao Zedong said, "When the revolution is victorious in the future, we must send small trains and small suns (electric lights) to the people here." After many years, during the second five-year plan, the Ministry of Railways officially proposed the construction plan of the Beijing-Jiujiang (Xiaojingjiu) railway, until September 1, 1996, the 2536-kilometer Beijing-Kowloon "Dajingjiu Railway" was opened to traffic, which passed through Yimeng Mountain, Dabie Mountain and Jinggang Mountain.
In 1954, Mao Zedong met with Wang Zhen, commander of the railway corps, and when it came to the long-term plan for the construction of the new China railway, he said: "We must repair the railway to Bashan, Tianshan, Kunlun mountain, and all the way to the Himalayas." On July 1, 2006, the 1,142-kilometer Qinghai-Tibet Railway was put into operation.
The "railway certificate" collected by railway collector Wen Yancai also attracted the attention of many people at the exhibition. In 1991, Wen Yancai graduated from the Harbin Railway Engineering School and was assigned to the Jitong Line, and is now the manager of the laying branch of the Third Bureau of China Railway. For 30 years, he has been working on the front line of the railway. "I feel that I am very lucky, not only witnessing the rapid development of China's railways, but also stepping into the door of railway collections." Because of the need to pave roads and bridges, but also traveled all over the motherland, in the past 30 years, more than 50,000 various railway tickets have been collected since the end of the Qing Dynasty, including nearly 10,000 graduation certificates, diplomas and awards of railway schools, which can be regarded as filling the gap in the collection series of railway colleges. ”
In this exhibition, Wen Yancai carefully selected more than 200 certificates to exhibit, and also cherished the details of the development of the new Chinese railway contained behind the certificates. He pointed to a yellowed certificate and sighed: "This is a good news of meritorious service during the period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and in the background is a material transport train to resist us aggression and aid Korea through the Shanghekou Bridge." It should be known that the maximum number of commanders and fighters and railway workers in the Korean Railway Corps who participated in the war reached 150,000. In the face of thousands of bombings per day by the US military, they are using their blood and lives to ensure a steel transport line that cannot be broken and constantly bombed."
A teapot in the display cabinet was encountered by Wen Yancai by chance in 2015, "A closer look, it turned out to be a prize awarded to the model workers by the first railway model labor conference in 1951, the enamel copper tire filigree, the production is very exquisite, and the number is very small, and it is also equipped with the certificate, chapter, and meeting commemorative book of the model labor conference." At that time, I was very eager to collect it, but it was not until 2018 that I finally got this teapot in my hands after several efforts. In Wen Yancai's view, whether it is certificates or other railway items, they have witnessed the difficult years in the early days of China's railway construction, "I am a railway person, I feel that I have this responsibility, to keep them." ”
Text/Reporter Li Zhe Courtesy photo/Shao Zhiyi