Small train supplies water to mountain for 44 years

Water rushes from a pipe to a cistern at the station. [Photo provided by Tonghua railway]

The water-delivering trains are a special service on the Hunbai Railway, a scenic line with diesel trains. They were launched to address the limited access to drinking water in the area, where the underground water is undrinkable due to complex mineral components.

"Water coming out of the wells used to render us with Kaschin-beck disease, and we treated every drop of (safe) water like it was oil," said Zhou Aiqin, another resident at Huojugou.