Railfanning in Bangkok

Recently DDEchamp asked where the best spots would be in Bangkok to go photographing trains. I have been to Bangkok for the last five years and have managed to sort out where a lot of the surviving relics are and how to get to them.
Many people visit Bangkok every year either visiting or as a stopover on the way to the tourist resorts and islands and I hope this guide will allow people the chance to get to see some really interesting stuff. I'll try and get as much stuff into here at the outset but keep coming backand having a look if you are interested as I have an enormous amount of stuff to sort through from my recent visit.

Most importantly, if you are stopping in Bangkok is to make sure your hotel is near either the BTS Skytrain or the Metro underground. Both of these systems have transformed getting around the city. Metered Taxis are very useful and if travelling alone I often use the taxi bikes which can weave through the snarled up traffic. Avoid the TukTuks if at all possible.

First port of call would have to be the magnificent engine shed at Thonburi where the working steam fleet is kept. I would recommend a metered taxi and ask the driver to take you to Bangkok Noi/Thonburi railway station. You will baffle him if you ask for the shed. Turn left out of the station back and walk about 100 yards to a level crossing,cross over and double back on yourself beside the river and the depot entrance is there. As a matter of courtesy ask if you can take pictures but they are really freindly and I have never had any bother.




watch where you are putting your feet though there is a lot of oil and grease lying about!

Next stop, although not as easy to get around is the main workshop at Makkasan.Opposite the railway station at Makkasan. This can be got to by either getting on a train at Hua Lamhong, the main station at Bangkok, for the short journey to Makkasan or taking a taxi/taxi bike. Sadly the nearest skytrain station is at Phayathai and the nearest Metro station is at Phetburi both of which would entail a bit of a stiff walk.
Makkasan holds some of the more badly damaged diesels and the stored unactive steam locos like Hanomag 4-6-2 #276


North British 4-6-0 #165

 

Also at Makkasan are a couple of 0-6-0t shunting engines and a C56 2-6-0. Some of the older diesel locomotivescan usually be seen like the Hunslet shunters and a Krupp diesel hydraulic

Henschel 0-6-0T #54


One of the few steam locomotives built by Brush engineering in England

Oh! and there is also an ex Rhaetianbahn 2-8-0 lurking in the bushes.

Leaving Makkasan we can head to Hua Lamphong. As well as being the main terminus it is also one end of the Metro underground, The other end being Bang Sue of which more later.

At Hua Lamphong walk along Platform 10 and at the end you will spot C56 2-6-0 #714 plinthed.



Walk back down the platform to the main concourse, turn right and walking past the parcels depot and the Eastern Orient express check in desk, follow the perimter wall round the side of the station. You should have the canal on your left. The first thing you will spot is this old arc roof coach inside the gate

 

Next up is a Railway police display, you can take pictures outside the exhibits but not inside, which is O.K.
you will find this Wickham armoured railcar nicely preserved, complete with gun!

Another of these survives at Thung Song Junction apparently.
Another two fine examples of Arc roof coaching stock are also here


there is also a brake van and some smaller exhibits as well.

Carrying on, still with the canal on the left you will find in about 100 yards the headquarters of the State Railway of Thailand which has two gems plinthed outside

Former Maeklong Railway 2-4-0T no 6 built by Krauss in 1905



and one of the earliest examples of Diesel traction in the world SLM built 0-4-0DM no 21 introduced in 1928

Again, as a matter of courtesy ask the guys on the gate if taking pictures is O.K.

 

Up in the Air!

Sky train time now.
There are two lines on the skytrain and these intersect with the metro at two places Siam and Sukhum vit/Asok. catching the Sukhumvit skytrain line we head east towards On Nut and get off at Ekkamai. exit the station on the south side of the line and walk back towards the city centre about 100 yards. You will find the Ekkamai museum, a sort of science museum. Since I last visited, and made my feelings about the condition of the rail exhibits known on various forums they have painted some of them although the big steam locos are still tatty.
Krauss 0-4-2 no 2 of 1903


The Bangkok tram has also been tidied up


And the coach has also been fettled

now a short video clip of Ekkamai exhibits
[ame="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=cPzH7tei6qc"]YouTube - Preserved steam Locomotives in Bangkok[/ame]

 

Right back on the Metro we head north to Bang Sue and and get off at Chatuchak Park and walk into the park. here you will find the little railway museum with it's collection of small shunters and 4 wheel coaches.


Another surviving tram is also here


The former S.R.T golf course is home to this preserved 2-8-2 #943 built by Mitsubishi in 1950 along with two more fine arc roof coaches


Now I stongly suggest, if you are going to do this next bit either get a taxi bike or if walking it like I did do it early in the morning. doing this walk in the heat of the midday sun was not one of my smartest ideas.
Come out of the southern gate of the park and follow Kamphaeng Phet road to the west. You ae now skirting the massive marshalling yard at Bang Sue and heading for bang Sue station. You will find the sadly neglected Krauss 2-4-0T and an ex R.H.B 4 wheel tender

 

Bang Sue

Now to Bang Sue itself. This is actually two stations in one, The original No 1 and the futuristic no 2 however we will concentrate on the relics or now. I will do a seperate thread on the Bang Sue area later on as you can spend an entire day exploring around here.

At the station is a small library comprising 3 vehicles an old BV brake van, one of the metropolitan 4 wheel coaches and this product of the Magor car corporation of America about which I know very little I am afraid.

 

Thank you for providing such interesting photos and directions. I doubt I'll ever be able to use them, but you were so thorough that I can imagine that I have been there.

 

Thanks for your kind comments. I am sure we have all been places and found out later we were a 100 yards from something really interesting. The worst one for me was going on a 'jolly boys outing' with my mates in France. basically a long weekends drinking and finding out afterwards I was within walking distance of the big roundhouse at Le Mans. Doh! as Homer would say

 

:tb-biggrin: :tb-biggrin: :tb-biggrin: :tb-biggrin:
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Great pics. It seems you like the SRT steam stuff.

How did you go at makkasarn did you manage to walk around un hassled? Did you go on a weekday or weekend? If so did you see inside of any of the workshop buildings.

With bangsue did you manage to check out the loco workshop about 700 meters north of the station?

I have considered exploring that area but found it too larger area with too many bloody dogs to cover it.

Most of the places I visit i normally enter them for the 1st time via there railway enterance as thats normally the most direct route from the platfroms.

 

Makkasan and Bang Sue

The sad news is that they have started to fill the gaps in the wall at Makkasan with sheet fencing presumably to keep pests out. I only wandered around the area where the steam locos and derelict GEKs are. I ran out of time really this visit.
Bang Sue diesel depot and yard is well worth the walk. What I did this year, as I did with the roundhouse at Khon Kaen, was take a good look on Google maps the night before and you can see the paths in the area as clear as a bell. Google mapping also gives you a very good impression of just how big a spot it is. I am going to put my Bang Sue thread on here this weekend once I have uploaded some stuff to Photobucket and Youtube.