Kaiping Railway
N.B. May refer to Kaiping Tramway, or Kaiping and Tarku Railway
1881 construction of the first standard gauge railway in China began.
1884 the railway and mines of the Chinese Engineering and Mining Co were separated
1886 Permission given for extension of the line to Lutai and Yenchuang.
The China Railway Company then pushed on towards Tientsin, the first train entering that place in 1888.
1889 An eastern extension to Kaiping was opened.
C. W. Kinder had constructed the railway at a cost of only £3000 per mile but after this no more funds could be obtained privately to extend the line.
1892 The line reached Kuyeh
1894 Opening of the Lanchou Bridge, 2200ft. long, with five central spans of 200ft. between Kaiping and Shanhai-Kwan, the first large bridge built in China.
1894 The line reached Shanhaikuan (Shanhai-Kwan)
1897 Extended to Sui Chuang Hsien. The line was also extended at the other end in order to approach Peking but tt was not allowed to enter the city.
By 1898 regular traffic was being carried from near Peking to Sui Chuang Hsien, a distance of almost 300 miles
After this there were great complications because of the intrusion of Russia and the Russo-Japanese war.
Eventually the line, with its various extensions, became the Peking-Mukden Railway
See Also
Sources of Information
- The Engineer 1923/03/30