Production: Old History
Editor's note
Cheng Gang, the author of the article "Unforgettable Bashan Hanshui", is a student of the 69th junior high school of Xi'an Dongfeng Instrument Factory Middle School. From August 1970 to December 1972, as a soldier of the third company, three platoons and ten classes of the sixth regiment of the railway soldiers, he participated in the construction project of the Xiangyu Railway.
In the later period, his parents were transferred from Xi'an to work in the third-line military factory in Yunnan, and at the same time, Cheng Gang also left the company with five factory children in mid-December 1972 to work in the third-line factory in Yunnan.
In 2014, Cheng Gang died of COPD at the age of 62.
More than 10 years ago, I saw this article written by Cheng Gang on the Internet and found it very touching, and the language was unique and lively, so I kept it. Recently, I found this article on the computer, so I made a slight correction to the typos in the text, and the content was kept intact for everyone's benefit.
The subheadings in the article were added by the editors.
When publishing this article, I received great help from Cheng Gang's old friends Bi Yuanhua, Xiao Xingye and other student comrades-in-arms, and I would like to express my gratitude to them together!
The classmates were with Cheng Gang
(From left, Xiao Xingye, Bi Yuanhua,
Cheng Gang, Chen Yujiang... ）
Author: Cheng Gang
Ninth, victory is in sight, and it is more difficult
The lower tunnel of the Xiaomi Creek Tunnel was successfully opened, and the students were transferred to the upper tunnel construction. The troops gave the task of transporting gravel in battery cars to the student company. It seems that our class is lucky, and after continuous arrangement, it was finally implemented in our class.
The ups and downs experienced are still fresh in people's memories, when the construction of each tunnel face was started, the upper and lower tunnels, middle grooves, side walls, and arches were in full swing, and transportation became a big problem. The battery car came to the Mi Creek Tunnel, and the troops immediately thought of letting the students do it. The task of transporting slag by battery car is easy, in and out, but it is too dangerous. Students are flexible, responsive, and best suited for the job.
At the beginning, the level car dragged one or twenty minecarts, resulting in tension in the tunnel minecarts, and the empty cars were not enough. From tunnel construction, air guns, slag picking, to being the commander of the dispatch, we have become much more energetic. As soon as the whistle sounded, a person stood in front of the battery car, and a person stood behind it, and drove in with a bang.
The light in the tunnel is not good, there is a light every few tens of meters, and you can't see anything when you smoke a cannon. There are stations every 200 meters on the branch road, and there are nearly 10 stations in the whole journey. the drainage ditch on the right side of the parallel road, the main pipe of the compressor pipe, the air supply pipe, the cable line, the electric lamp lighting line; The construction workers on the left walked, and there were several rows of shelves in the middle. After a period of transition, we knew which station was the construction of which company and which station used more minecarts, and we knew it in our hearts and did our work handy. But there is a little ninety-nine in my heart: I want to give myself more minecarts.
The empty mine truck is divided all the way, the level car comes out of the trailer all the way from the innermost station, and the bucket cart loaded with slag is pushed into the station by each face, and we connect them with iron rings, one station station, and finally transported out of the tunnel, and the gravel is poured into the Shimengou ditch. The slag dumping site is in charge of the Langao County Militia Women's Company.
The women's company of migrant workers in Langao County was stationed a few hundred meters away from the students' residence, and they arrived in Shimengou three months earlier than our student company. Due to work, our class has a lot of contact with them, and gradually they are more familiar. They call students Lian Yang students and school babies, and they are very envious and friendly to the students of Student Lian. Said: When the students first came, they laughed when they saw them carrying their luggage by the Han River. The students were dressed in all sorts of clothes that they had never seen before. There are also people who are shirtless and undressed, lifted, carried, and pulled, and that embarrassment is so funny. Now you are very different from then, you are so capable of learning babies! You are men of knowledge, and we cannot compare with you.
Female cadets are stronger when they work
As the saying goes, men and women don't get tired of working together, this is a truth! Now after work, I think about going to work tomorrow, and I can talk and brag about my life. At that time, there were very few women at the construction site, let alone chatting with people. It seems that we still have Yanfu in our class!
At that time, people were very feudal, and generally men and women did not speak. Some classmates always scold others and point fingers; The female migrant worker said that our student company was "crooked without tigers and monkeys in the mountains". I'm a good person, I can get along with them, help them press the minecart, clear the tracks, and they all say that the train is good. The commander of the migrant women's company was only 18 years old and was a member of the Communist Party. She is not tall, with a round face, very energetic, inspects the work at the construction site every day, and often sees her on the night shift. Their work points are very scattered, and she is deeply impressed by the three shifts of wrench forks, tunnel damper switches, slag dumping, and cleaning. It is a role model for me to learn, Liu Hulan in my heart.
At twelve o'clock in the night, our two battery cars took over, rushed to the tunnel entrance on time, and waited for the battery car to come out. We worked three shifts in a row and four shifts, and we were much more free than before. The battery cart pushed a long string of minecarts out, and we switched shifts at the entrance of the cave. The battery car drove to the slag dumping site, and the two female migrant workers reversed a car. There is a stop on both sides of the minecart, open it, the minecart can be overturned, and the gravel will be poured into the ditch, and the bucket truck will be emptied quickly. Then we removed the gravel from under the wheels of the minecart, and as soon as we blew the whistle, the battery car drove into the hole.
It was the shift that was fired, and there was a lot of smoke in the tunnel. The exhaust fan is pumping the wind, and the face guns of the various construction palms are still ringing. There were a lot of people in and out of the shift, and we were cautious and slowly drove in. Leave the empty minecarts at each station and hang the heavy carts out.
The trailer should be flexible: put the ring flat, and when the two bucket trucks touch, snap the pin in very quickly, and then move on to the next station......
In general, there are not many heavy vehicles that come out during shift changes, and the empty cars are mainly sent in. On the first trip of the shift, more than a dozen minecarts were hung, and after pouring the slag out of the hole, you could rest for a while. Today we miscalculated, and when we went in again, we saw that there were a lot of heavy trains at each station. We are very anxious, which affects the construction! When I drove to the innermost part, the heavy car was full, and the students were waiting for the empty car. At this point, we only brought in two or three empty cars. Students, let's send some empty cars quickly.
Hang up the heavy car, we quickly go to the next station, the station to hang out the heavy car, has been hung seventy or eighty cars, can not be hung again! We threw ourselves out to the slag yard and urged the female migrant workers to hurry up, there were no empty cars inside! We're helping with that, too. Soon the track was cleared, a whistle sounded, and the car drove into the cave. The first few stops were empty, and the last few stops didn't stop.
The migrant workers waited for the empty cars, stopped us, and we did not stop, and pulled most of the empty cars to the students. When the empty car arrived, our hearts relaxed, and we hurriedly turned our heads and hung the heavy truck back.
When this time is over, we can't make a blind estimate, almost, let's drive in and have a look. Sometimes the minecart derails, and we can lift the empty cart up, but if the heavy cart derails, we have to find someone to help. Seven or eight people also used wooden poles to lift them up the track.
After a long time, we have also gained experience, no matter whether the empty car derails and the heavy car derails, we can put wooden planks on the wheels of the mine truck, and use battery cars to drag it. At one time, the heavy car derailed two or three sections at the entrance of the hole, one or two meters away from the track, twisting and turning to block the construction road. The military vehicles that delivered cement to the troops could not pass.
There is a Chen Gong in the camp department, and our students often joke with him, not calling him Chen Gong, but calling him a failure: failure is the mother of success! People are nice. He told the military vehicle to wait.
"The cement goes down over there, and if I can't get through, I'll all go down here!" The people who drove the military vehicles were very unhappy. His car is self-unloading. I immediately thought that it would not break the cement bags!
Chen Gong said: He didn't dare! A phone call, he can't pay the difference. Hurry up and find someone to lift the minecart up! Where can I find someone? Everyone is busy! Only do it yourself. I found a plank, separated the derailed bucket car rings, and got on the track one by one smoothly.
Chen Gong saw it and said: You students are really good.
Laying tracks and building bridges to the mountains
The battery car is transported ballast, in and out of the ballast, and there is danger at any time. I heard that in the tunnel construction of some companies, the battery car is placed in front of the minecart, and the heavy minecart hanging behind is too much, so the car cannot be stopped, and the battery car and the minecart are turned into the ravine. Our construction site battery truck is placed behind the minecart and pushed out of the hole. Because the slag dumping site is soft, the track can rush to the side of the mountain at any time, which is convenient for slag dumping and cleaning.
It doesn't feel right today! I was standing in front of the minecart, and a string of heavy minecarts didn't slow down as they got out of the hole, but faster. The exit from the hole was all the way downhill, and I hurriedly blew the whistle to let the pedestrians dodge! The unleashed minecart could not be controlled, and flew towards the big ditch of Shimengou.
Seeing that the ditch was on the edge, the female migrant worker in charge of unloading the truck shouted: Xuewa jump down, come down!
I escorted all the way, afraid of bumping into people. The moment the minecart fell into the ravine, I turned and jumped down. Seeing dozens of minecarts rolling down the Shimen ditch one after another, I was thinking: This is over, I don't know how to explain to Lian Shang when I go back! Thinking of the instructor's serious face, I was scared in my heart.
The next day, when I came to take over, I saw a company of migrant workers struggling to move the mine cart up the ravine. The ditch was very deep, and they had to carry it along the ditch, which was full of large and small rocks, to the side of the battalion headquarters, and it took three days to complete the move. This is the largest number of minecarts falling into a ditch, and accidents involving several minecarts tipping into the ditch have occurred from time to time.
Another serious accident occurred during the night shift, at three or four o'clock in the middle of the night. The battery car pushes a heavy train to the entrance of the cave. Feeling too fast, I whistled to slow down. I didn't see a slowdown, and I knew that the ring was broken again. The original pins of the minecart were very thick, and they were lost after a long time, and now most of the pins are rear. Use a section of thick steel bar, and weld a section of horizontal steel bar on the top to deal with it, so the ring is often broken.
I whistled and looked at the pedestrians in front of me, and when I got to the entrance of the cave, I noticed that the damper was not open. In order to drain the smoke in the tunnel, a damper was installed at the entrance of the tunnel, and female migrant workers were on duty. Generally, when the level train comes out, the station calls to notify the damper to calculate the time to come and open the door. But the minecart was out of the loop, and the downhill speed increased, and she couldn't count the time. The blower at the entrance of the cave was so loud that she couldn't hear me when I whistled.
When the minecart touched the damper, I hurriedly jumped off, and before the person landed, I saw the female migrant worker on duty open the damper, and the minecarts pressed her mercilessly, and more than a dozen minecarts dragged her out of the tunnel before stopping. We hurried over to separate the minecart and pull her up. I saw that she had lost a piece of her scalp, was bleeding, and her foot was broken......
Her life was so big, I didn't see her cry. You know, the wheel axle of the mine cart is only a dozen centimeters from the ground, and the sleepers between the tracks are paved with slag, how can she survive in such a small space? At that time, there was no one at the mouth of the tunnel, so we carried her to the battalion health center to bandage her. Today, 35 years later, I learned that my foot was crippled, tired by life, and I recently went out to work.
The accident which did not become the accident again. That day, the heavy car came out of it, and the lighting in the tunnel was too poor, and there was smoke. The minecart drove quickly, passed a light, and it was dark. It feels like there's something ahead. Inspiration told me to jump out of the car, and I didn't even have time to think about it. I jumped off, and before I could hit the ground, I collided with the minecart in front of me, and my clothes were caught and I fell. Climb up and there are two migrant workers standing in front of you, and you have nothing to say when you are angry!
Three or four minecarts flipped over to the side of the air duct, and if they flipped over to the side of the people, they all died! The two migrant workers said: They pushed out the mine cart and entered the station, and saw the battery flat car coming, and they were waiting here for us to pass first. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was a migrant worker who had just arrived!
This time it's really fateful, and the sky won't destroy me! This is the most dangerous time to come to the third line construction.
From left, they are Xiao Xingye, Cheng Gang and Chen Yujiang
Looking up at the Big Dipper, I miss Mao Zedong and Mao Zedong in my heart, I think you have a direction in the dark night, and I miss you when I get lost...... In the Daba Mountain area, the night in winter is particularly dark, and the stars are shining brightly, and it is the second half of the night. We rested at the mouth of the tunnel, looking at the sky full of stars, and the two of us guessed to each other, which is the Big Dipper?
It should be the brightest one, but there are many of them that are bright. The mountains on both sides are blocked, and there may be brighter ones that cannot be seen. Does anyone know now that it's midnight and we're still building? The people in Xi'an City are sleeping, if it is good at home, they must be sleeping, Chairman Mao and his old man know that we are under construction? It's good to know.
It was time to go into the cave and take a turn, blew the whistle, and the battery car drove towards the tunnel. The exhaust fan at the mouth of the tunnel is roaring, and the female migrant workers at each station are dozing off, and there are not many heavy vehicles at each station along the way. Let's just turn to the unit and take a look.
As soon as we turned into the main tunnel, we were startled to see more than a dozen soldiers all fainting on the face of the tunnel. Probably gas poisoning! We hurriedly pushed the empty minecarts, and the two of them carried up all the minecarts of more than a dozen of them, and they didn't wake up even if they were lost. We feel that the problem is serious.
The battery car drove straight to the mouth of the tunnel, and when we came to the mouth of the tunnel, we carried them down. With fresh air and a cold wind, the soldiers came to their senses.
Just rest for more than ten minutes, and their squad leader said: Today's task has not been completed, hurry up and go in! All the soldiers immediately got up and walked with the squad leader into the tunnel.
Looking at their backs, their images will always be in my mind. What kind of spirit is this, this is the spirit of "one is not afraid of hardship, and the other is not afraid of death"!
We went to the construction site to take over the shift, and on the way a military vehicle drove past us, pulling a large distribution cabinet, and two soldiers drove past us with support. They are mechanically linked. We walked around the corner and saw that their car had an accident. The car was on the climb, and the switchboard fell backwards, crushing the new soldier who was holding on to the back. The little soldier had only been here for a few months, and because he had no experience and the road was not far, he was not reinforced from the mechanical company to the construction site. Unexpectedly, the road in the mountains was either uphill or downhill, and there was an accident, so we hurried over to help.
When we came to the mouth of the tunnel, the battery car was already waiting for us. We took over and drove to the cave, ready to pull the heavy cart from the inside and drive out. When the heavy truck was hung at the station, two migrant workers pushed the heavy truck over. I asked them to push it over and hang it up directly, and they didn't push it and let it go. I was about to go over and push it myself, when a classmate in the second row passed by and saw it, and asked the migrant worker to push and help hang it, but the migrant worker didn't do it, so he gave the migrant worker a kick. The two migrant workers ran to the face of the boss to call someone, and I hurriedly said: Big man, you go quickly, he won't go, help me hang up the car. At this time, two migrant workers called a platoon of migrant workers, holding a chop and a drill pipe, and everyone had a guy in their hands, and surrounded the two of us at once. I was too busy trying to explain, but the big man didn't wait for me to speak, and punched them in the face. No way, the scuffle began.
There are many migrant workers who can't use it, the place in the tunnel is narrow, and the two of us are tall, punching and kicking in the east and west, and we have been fighting for more than ten minutes, and we don't know how many times we have hit our bodies and heads. If we continue to fight, we will suffer! At this critical time, two soldiers of the army passed by and relieved us of the siege.
Even none of us said anything, and I don't know if the migrant workers have sued? Anyway, they didn't even talk to us.
Schematic diagram of the construction task of the Xiangyu Railway in Ankang area
According to the progress of the construction, the battalion department arranged for the students to arch the company, and the students were not enough manpower, so our class went back to the company to arch together, and the battery car was dispatched to the migrant workers.
Arching is the construction of the semicircular part at the top of the tunnel. Tunnel construction is divided into three parts: the lower tunnel, the middle groove and the upper tunnel. After the lower pit and upper pit are laid, you can arch - use the template to lay the arch. This work is tiring, but the results can be seen, every day after construction, as soon as the formwork is unloaded, the appearance of the tunnel will come out.
The student company has strong combat effectiveness and is progressing very quickly, and the cement supply is always not available. In the evening, the whole company held a mobilization meeting, and tonight there were ten truckloads of cement. Except for those who go to work tonight, all of them go to the construction site to unload cement!
The car that delivered the cement was a Japanese car (editor's note: it was the Japan Isuzu of the fourth company of our division's automobile battalion), and our students called it a frog car. It is large, covered in iron, and can unload. The cab is wide, and the front windshield is a whole sheet, which is very magnificent. They are all driven by old drivers, with great climbing power, and one car can top two liberation cars.
The whole company played three shifts, one in a row. Eight people in good health are divided into two shifts, a group of four, responsible for mixing cement, and the rest of the people are responsible for lifting stones and sand, and building wooden bridges from the lower guide pit to the upper guide pit. Four people mixed cement, the action was fast, and after the mixture was completed, a spade was sent into the formwork. The cement needs to be 40 cm thick and tamped manually. It's your turn to take the next shift, and kick the ass of your classmates who are lying down and sleeping: it's your turn! When they mixed cement, the four of us were also tired and fell asleep, and we had to take that kick, and we kept working from the shift to the end of work.
Spirit can become material, or it can overcome matter. Imagine if we didn't have moral support, we wouldn't have persevered! Discovering the pain of the past is also worth recalling. Probably everyone, after experiencing all the pain, even if they regret it, even if they are sad, they will still miss it.
The 3rd Company of the 5806 Troop Students of the Railway Corps has completed their historical mission after two years and eight months of hard work!
That unforgettable Bashan Han Shui!
End of full text
February 12, 2007
Editor: Yan Jingping "White Waves"