What is the experience of driving a train on "Yunyun Tianlu"? Xu Baoping, the instructor driver of the Golmud Locomotive Depot of China Railway Qinghai-Tibet Group Co., Ltd. knows best. The Geermu-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters. In summer, strong sunlight shines in through the glass, and the temperature in the cab is above 40 degrees Celsius; in winter, heavy snow hits, the wheels roll up and the snow takes off, and the visibility ahead is poor...

"Suffering is really hard, but no one can work because of the hardship here. I am proud to be able to drive a train on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, and my persistence is very meaningful." Xu Baoping said.

Retirement does not fade

In 1994, 19-year-old Xu Baoping joined the army. During his three-year life in the army, he worked hard, rigorously trained, tempered a solid military style, and joined the Communist Party of China honourably. Growing up on the railway side, Xu Baoping yearned to become a train driver, driving an iron dragon. After retiring from the army at the end of 1997, he studied at the Xining Railway Driver School. In January 2001, he came to the Golmud Locomotive Depot and started a "dream journey".

Learning from the driver, co-driver, and driver, he has always maintained a good style along the way, taking every step of the way and walking steadily. He has professional books on his body at any time. Whenever he has time, he will open it and read it. He has made a few thick notes. When he encounters a problem he does not understand, he chases after the master for advice until he understands it. When someone else goes home from get off work, he I also practiced the locomotive inspection items over and over again, and "replayed" every link until everything was clear to my chest.

"I am not a smart person, but I understand the principle that practice makes perfect. Repeated practice, repeated thinking, and accumulation of experience are my'stupid way.' Find the locomotive attendant on duty at the first time, get a thorough understanding of the fault, and perform a "pathological anatomy" to find out the cause of the fault and the method and steps to deal with it, and write it down in your notebook. Relying on this "stupid way", Xu Baoping understood and mastered the usage structure and fault repair methods of nearly 10,000 parts and circuits on the locomotive. He grasped the key control points in the train operation process, solved the technical problems of operation and fault handling in the train operation, and gnawed many "hard bones".

On July 1, 2006, the entire Qinghai-Tibet Railway was put into operation, and Xu Baoping took on the task of traction for passenger trains on the Geera section. He has driven the Dongfeng 4B locomotive to and from Golmud and Xining several times before, and has accumulated rich driving experience. But for the first time to operate an internal combustion NJ2 locomotive, as a party member, he knows that the task is arduous and the responsibility is heavy. In order to ensure safe driving, he carefully studied the locomotive structure, operating standards, and handling methods for abnormal situations, and got a thorough understanding of the performance of the locomotive, laying a good foundation for the safe and stable operation of the locomotive.

Towing passenger trains, in addition to ensuring driving safety, passenger comfort is also very important. There are many long ramps and complicated route conditions on the Ge'ermu-Gera section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, combined with high altitude and variable weather, all of which make the task of locomotive driving more difficult. With different slopes, different air pressures, and different winds, the driver of the locomotive must adjust the control mode at any time. In particular, to prevent the train from impulsively and stop to the mark, it is necessary for the driver to experiment and explore again and again to find the most suitable control method.

It is through such hard study and continuous exploration that Xu Baoping's business level has rapidly improved, and he soon became a leader in his industry. In 2012 and 2014, Xu Baoping was awarded the titles of All Road Technical Expert and National Technical Expert respectively.

"Although the brake lever is small, the responsibility is heavy!" Xu Baoping takes an extremely responsible attitude every time he travels, and strives to make every detail impeccable. Hanging up, starting, speed control, parking, hand-to-eye, call-to-answer, and lookout on the way, Xu Baoping is meticulous in every link. Colleagues said with admiration that when Xu Baoping manipulated the locomotive, he was reading the "standardized work instructions."

Run to the sky with oxygen

"Oxygen is like the seat belt of a car driver." Xu Baoping used the analogy. On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, hypoxia can lead to lack of concentration and slow reaction, which poses a threat to driving safety. Therefore, every time Xu Baoping drives the train while inhaling oxygen, he concentrates and looks around at any time. Deal with emergencies.

The Ge’erla section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has a total length of 1,142 kilometers, and the passenger car needs about 14 hours to run. The climate on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is inherently dry. The driver wears an oxygen tube for a long time, and his nostrils are even more dry and painful, and even cracked and bleeding. During the three or four hours on duty, he could not leave the console or go to the toilet. Xu Baoping could only resist his thirst and try not to drink water. He dared to drink a glass of water with confidence every time he changed shifts. Although Rhodiola, Nuodikang and other medicines were carried on every trip, severe altitude sickness still afflicted him.

Snow-capped mountains, meadows, and deserts are always changing throughout the day. Xu Baoping wears a cotton coat every time he takes a ride to prevent the temperature from falling sharply. Gale, rain, snow, and hail came at any time without warning, and he was accustomed to not being surprised, and he responded calmly. In summer, strong ultraviolet rays shine through the glass, and the temperature in the cab can reach above 40 degrees Celsius. The body temperature is higher, making people sweat; heavy snow in winter, poor visibility, rolling wheels and snow taking off, easy to cause wheels to spin and parking errors, Xu Baoping added I dare not slacken for a second, every time I reach my destination, it is like a long journey, and I am extremely tired.

No matter what the circumstances, Xu Baoping implements the operating standards with high standards and strict requirements to ensure the safety of air transportation as his own responsibility, and he has never relaxed the slightest.

On a snowy night in the winter of 2016, when the freight train that Xu Baoping took was running to Jiangkedong Station, which is 4778 meters above sea level and 798 kilometers away from Lhasa Station, the train tail device failed. At that time, the outdoor temperature was minus 20 degrees Celsius. In the dark snowy night, Xu Baoping was wearing a thick cotton coat, wrapped in a blanket, and playing with a flashlight. He walked into the knee-deep snow, and walked towards the rear of the vehicle with one foot and one foot shallow. He had to walk every two or three steps. Stop panting. When the train-end failure was finally resolved and returned to the cab, Xu Baoping's lips turned purple, his whole body was shaking, and he was almost suffocated.

Lead the team by precepts and deeds

In July 2013, Xu Baoping was appointed as the guidance driver of the Golmud Locomotive Depot application workshop because of his solid theoretical foundation, excellent control technology, and decisive emergency response. In 2018 and 2019, the "Xu Baoping Model Worker Innovation Studio" and the "Skill Master Studio" were established successively, and Xu Baoping's responsibilities have become heavier.

"Ensuring the safety and smooth flow of the snowy sky requires the unity and cooperation of our truck team. I alone, even if I am a piece of iron, can't hit a few nails." Xu Baoping is more confident when he enters the new position. For the 16 aircraft crews and 32 locomotive attendants he has guaranteed, how to improve the overall business skills and safety capabilities faster and more accurately is one of his most thoughts.

Either on the bus or on the road. Xu Baoping started from the practical operation, specially selected complicated road sections and complicated weather, personally operated and demonstrated, and taught the drivers his accumulated experience over the years. Whenever he has time, he organizes everyone to conduct business learning, simulated operations, carry out emergency drills, post training, and technical research. His mobile phone is turned on 24 hours a day, and the workshop attendants know his mobile phone number. When there is a problem with the locomotive running, they can call him as soon as possible, and Xu Baoping can assist them in troubleshooting in time.

He compiled the essentials of the locomotive comprehensive inspection program into a concise and clear manual, which was popularized in the application workshop, and also summarized the "three diligence" (hard knock, diligent inquiry, diligent inspection), "three fine" (think carefully, look carefully) , Detailed study), "Four Ones" (one step more, one more look, one more question, one more trick), led the compilation of the "Five-color Diagram of the Stable Operation of Passenger Trains on the Gera Section" and "The Five-color Diagram of Passenger Trains on the Gera Section" "Manipulation Diagram" and other business guidance books.

Speed control has always been a difficult problem in complex and changeable climates and line conditions. Faster speed may lead to overspeed, slower speed may lead to delay. Especially for passenger trains, it is necessary to accurately grasp the running speed and time, but also to prevent the train from impulsive and ensure the precise parking position. Xu Baoping led everyone to repeat practical exercises, focusing on tackling key problems, and striving to improve the level of smooth control.

Nagqu Station is the key station of the Gela section, and it is also a business station. The upward pit stop is a long up ramp, and the downward pit stop is a long down ramp. It is difficult to control the speed during the pit stop and it is very demanding for smooth operation. high. Xu Baoping carried out business guidance one by one when adding rides. How many kilometers to adjust the speed and when to pick up the handle should be accurate to the meter. He also formulated different control methods for different weathers, and finally solved this difficulty perfectly.

“2021 is the 15th anniversary of the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to traffic. The locomotive models from Dongfeng 4, NJ2, to the current Harmonious N3, can be said to have witnessed the development of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. This year, the Lalin section of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway was also opened. The Fuxing Plateau dual-source power centralized EMU drove into Tibet and drove to Lhasa. As a Tianlu train driver, I am really excited to witness such a historic moment in my career.” Xu Baoping said, His biggest wish now is to allow his wife and daughter to take a trip to Nyingchi with their own EMU to see the beauty there.

In the 20 years of walking on the plateau, Xu Baoping has grown from a veteran to a locomotive attendant with strong skills, style, and will. With extraordinary persistence and unremitting efforts, he vividly interprets the challenge of the limit and the courage to create a first-class Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Spirit! Editor/He Yuting