Robin Gibbons, the author, has been interested in railways for as long as he can remember. Following the usual  trainspotting, model railways etc, he worked on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales as a volunteer for some years, and also did some model engineeering in his own workshop, which gave him a good understanding of how steam locos actually worked. A move with his job to Hong Kong in 1989 sparked the interest in Chinese railways, and during the 24 years he was there he made numerous visits to China both on business and for pleasure. While in Hong Kong, he learned to read Chinese, which gives him access to Chinese publications. He is interested in all aspects of Chinese railways, not just steam on the standard gauge.

The picture below was taken at Shangdian on the JiTong Railway, after a trip on QJ 7040 from Haoluku.