QJ 6983 led a long rake of empty coal wagons down the Yongcui Valley east of Songqing, returning home from Shenshu to Nancha on 28 February 1989.
China's railways were organised on a divisional system with locos working from their home depot to a division point, often around 100km distant, where the train would be handed over to a fresh locomotive from the next depot. After servicing, the loco would return home with the same crew on the next available train. Nancha's locos worked the 93km section west to Shenshu where they handed trains over to locos from Suihua depot.