Little train takes precious cargo to mountain towns

CHANGCHUN - For residents in Huojugou village in China's Changbai Mountains, a train whistle is a welcome sound. It means gurgling water in their kitchens and bathhouses.

For 44 years, the mountainous village and several others in Jilin province have relied on a train, with a single locomotive and one tank car, to provide water.

The train commutes between the towns of Songshu and Baihe, nestled deep in Changbai Mountain. Since 1975, it has run more than 1.6 million kilometers, delivering water to more than 2,600 nearby villagers with limited access to clean water.