honorable mention
Todd Halamka
title
Last Call of the Iron Rooster (Series 3 of 3)
Sandaoling is a remote Chinese coal mining village 2900 km NW of Beijing, China, along the historic Silk Road bordering the eastern edge of mountainous Russia. Sandaoling mine, established in 1950, encompasses a region of approximately 24 miles in length and 7 miles in width. Coal is exported up from the mine in a 24/7 operation of (2) 12 hour long crew shifts delivered exclusively by steam locomotives. The mine plans to close at the end of 2019 and with it will go the last 25 iron horses.
These series of images attempt to convey the emotive power of the last steam locomotives in revenue service on earth, as they take their final breathes shoving black diamonds up from the mine below, across a high desert plain littered by decades of coal dust, sweat and tears.
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entry description
Intended to be viewed as 3 sets of 5 images and also as one connected story, this series explores my interest in large-scale constructions and the how these built interventions alter the emotional landscape of that specific place, and the interwoven visual stories that result.Sandaoling is a remote Chinese coal mining village 2900 km NW of Beijing, China, along the historic Silk Road bordering the eastern edge of mountainous Russia. Sandaoling mine, established in 1950, encompasses a region of approximately 24 miles in length and 7 miles in width. Coal is exported up from the mine in a 24/7 operation of (2) 12 hour long crew shifts delivered exclusively by steam locomotives. The mine plans to close at the end of 2019 and with it will go the last 25 iron horses.
These series of images attempt to convey the emotive power of the last steam locomotives in revenue service on earth, as they take their final breathes shoving black diamonds up from the mine below, across a high desert plain littered by decades of coal dust, sweat and tears.
about the photographer
Todd is a self-taught, amateur photographer with interest in making images that explore urban and natural landscapes that railroads inhabit and the intersections in between, particularly those junctures where the two have met and altered one another offering image opportunities.back to gallery
