Operating since 1972, the Qinling ice melting station is China's first on-load ice melting substation. It was built to address fatal ice buildup risks that the Baoji-Chengdu Railway, China's first electrified railway linking Southwest and Northwest China. "Back then, we had to knock ice off the lines manually with bamboo poles to restore power," recalled Lei Weibin, the station's third director.

The station draws power from operational lines, boosts the current via a transformer, and heats the wires to melt ice without disrupting supply. "Despite the harsh conditions, the station has never let icing cut power," Zhou said.