One-Day Trip Around Mount Tai by Train: China's Slowest Green-Skinned Train - Have You Ever Taken It?
There's a green-skinned train in China with a speed of only 30-40 km/h, operating for 40 years and still costing only a few yuan for a ticket. It travels along the Tai Shan Mountains, stopping at every village. This is the 7053 Zibo to Tai Shan green-skinned small train.
During the holidays, I was bored and couldn't travel far, so I had a sudden idea to take a one-day trip around Jinan. I booked a train trip to circle around Tai Shan, experiencing the last of the green-skinned small trains. Let's go!
Taking the Small Train Around Tai Shan One Day:
First Stage:Jinan Station → Zibo Station D9457 Zibo 05:46 arrival, Zibo 06:28
Second Stage:Zibo Station → Tai Shan Station 7053 Zibo 06:52 departure, Tai Shan 12:41
Third Stage:Tai Shan Station → Jinan Station K68 Tai Shan 14:40 departure, Jinan 15:57
This ticket cost only 6.5 yuan after discount, cheaper than a bus!
Early in the morning, with a dreamy gaze, I came to Jinan Station and took a high-speed train to Zibo to catch the small train,How to take the small train? After arriving at Zibo Station, don't exit and directly step onto the platform in the connecting corridor, walk to the end of the corridor, and you'll find the dedicated platform for the 7053 train,Zibo Station connecting corridor
The platform was not crowded, mostly local villagers and hiking enthusiasts traveling along the mountain, along with some people going to Taishan. They weren't in a hurry and chose to take this train,The water mark of the 7053 train, with only four carriages, old-fashioned green-skinned carriages, almost gone now
The mighty old-style Dongfeng DF11 diesel engine head, due to the lack of electrification in the Tai Shan Mountains, still uses diesel-powered locomotives
Morning mist at Zibo Station, highlighting the 7053 train with a special texture and sense of history. Passengers started boarding the train, with only four carriages, but everyone could lie flat
A faded old cloth curtain, full of historical atmosphere. It seems to evoke the era when Hu Baohui sang 'Running Towards the Northwest'
Notes:
I chose to travel in a clockwise direction around Jinan, so I needed to take an early morning train from home;
It's better to travel in a counterclockwise direction to explore the area, the return train from Tai Shan to Zibo, 7054, departs at noon;
The green-skinned small train is very slow while traveling through the mountains, bring food and drinks, and enjoy the beautiful moments of traveling through the mountains
After the green-skinned small train left Zibo, it changed the engine head direction at Lin Zibo station, entering the Tai Shan Mountains. Looking through the window, the old train glass was faded, couldn't be photographed clearly. Time on this train seemed particularly long. Listen to music, eat snacks, and stare out the window at the undulating mountain valleys, passing through tunnels and mountain villages
- The South Bo Shan Station station house. The small train stopped at 24 stations along the Tai Shan Mountains, crossing 22 tunnels, and the villages along the way were all like this style of station
- Traveling through the Tai Shan Mountains, this railway was built in 1958, connecting Lin Zibo and Lai Wu, and was the main mode of transportation for local villagers
- Hiking groups got off the train halfway, looking at their equipment, they were going to climb the mountain
A journey of over five hours, from Zibo to Jinan, from Jinan to Taishan. After Lai Wu was incorporated into Jinan, it was the first time I felt Jinan expanding. Over a series of mountains, still in Jinan. I heard that the 7053 train was going to change to an air-conditioned carriage, but those who liked to circle around Tai Shan for a whole day still deserved to experience this special mountain small train
Finally, let's take a look at the route map for the Tai Shan small train tour:
1958
7053
