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  • SRT: Thonburi Rail Yard + Thai Steam Engine Fleet.

  • Tell us where you were and what you saw!
Tell us where you were and what you saw!

Moderator: David Benton

 #527402  by thaitransit
 
Last Friday I visited the SRT rail yard and workshop at Thonburi on the western side of Bangkok. This rail yard is located next to Thonburi railway station on the Thonburi commuter line. This station and rail yard was the original terminus for the southern line trains in Bangkok. In the 1920’s a new rail link to Bang Sue in the inner north of Bangkok allowed direct rail access to Hualamphong station.

Thonburi rail yard is one of the more interesting places for rail fans in Bangkok. This rail yard and workshop has quite a lot of history to it. It is home to the SRT heritage steam engine fleet. The Thonburi rail yard is the only currently operating steam locomotive maintenance and repair workshop in Bangkok. A small number of diesel locomotives are maintained at the Thonburi workshop along side the steam locomotives.

Today all the rail operations to and from Thonburi station and its yard is passenger related. No cargo trains operate from Thonburi station. The yard is now a minor repair a fueling point for SRT’s diesel locomotive fleet. A few years ago the passenger platforms where relocated from a nicer historical station next to the Chao Phaya River. This was done to make way for extensions to the Royal Siriraj Hospital.

This relocation has made the Thonburi yard and its railway station less attractive to SRTs passengers as the new rather temporary looking station is not easy to get to or well connected to other areas of Bangkok or Thonburi. The yard’s long term future doesn’t look great as there are no future projects to include the Thonburi rail yard and this part of the Thonburi commuter line into Bangkok’s modern mass transport system.

If you do come to visit the rail yard at Thonburi the people are very friendly and welcoming to rail fans. But please be careful of moving trains and other equipment when in the rail yard. Also be friendly to the staff and don’t take or damage any of the equipment or metal parts or trains. The rail yard staff do speak a little English and will show you around the yard and trains if you ask them nicely.

1. This is an image of Steam loco number 953 and GE loco number 4034. Taken looking towards the workshop from the eastern rail entrance to the Thonburi rail yard. Note: Steam Loco Number 953 is still in working order and is used on tourist trains a few times a year.

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2. This is an image of a similar steam loco to number 953 on a rail tour to Ayutthaya. Taken as steam loco number 824 approached Bang Sue station.

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3. This is a general view of the carriage sidings next to Thonburi rail yard. Note the old cargo vans, signal control wires and the 3rd class passenger carriages.

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4. This is a general view of the Thonburi rail yard looking east taken from the western end of the yard. This section of the yard appears to deal with carriage repairs.

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5. This is a view of a 3rd class passenger carriage undergoing repair in the yard. Note all the different metal parts lying around the yard.

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If you would like to see more images from the Thonburi rail yard please visit:

http://thaitransit.blogspot.com/2008/04 ... steam.html

I hope you find the pictures and vehicles shown to be of interest if you view this please post some comments and feelings about the pictures.