Far from the daily grind*

Hello, Since I enjoy not only the countryside but also everything related to rail travel, I’m starting this photo thread dedicated to trains in Thailand (I’d guess most of us have taken one at some point...). Feel free to post your pictures here as long as they fit the theme: rolling stock**, stations**, platforms, tracks (even without a train on them), technical equipment, engineering structures (bridges, viaducts), etc.—all in Thailand. For each photo, I’ll (or you can) note the station or line where it was taken. Comments and questions are welcome.

* train ** interiors or exteriors

All aboard!

I’m blazing the trail.

"Teenee ss'thanee Den Chai, teenee ss'thanee Den Chai" (Den Chai station here):



"Teenee ss'thanee Kanchanabuli, teenee ss'thanee Kanchanabuli":



Kanchanaburi:



Kanchanaburi:



Ban Pong:

Great idea, especially since I also love trains!

My experience with trains in Thailand is quite limited and relatively old, as we took the overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok back in 2007. The experience is still vivid in my memory. At the time, I was still traveling on organized tours, and we had taken over the dining car (and its kitchens) for a memorable party!!

Chiang Mai station

The kitchens, pretty basic:



And the cook!

Talat Phlu Station, Bangkok, 2015

Hi there

Great idea to highlight train stations! I looked through my old photos (2010), but I didn’t find anything—even though, like Bruno, I took the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. I might add to your thread in February after my next trip to Southeast Asia 😉

Hi there, Oh wow, so organized trips can be a blast after all... Thanks for these photos of interiors that are actually pretty rare to see.

Thanks for your contribution! Since your photo was taken at a station on the so-called Maeklong Railway, I’ll continue with a series about this line. This railway is split into two parts (from Wong Wian Yai to Mahachai—where you have to take the ferry to continue—and from Ban Laem to Maeklong, with its famous market on the tracks), so I’m only posting photos of the first section here. I’ll share the second part later in the thread.

Entrance to Wong Wian Yai station in Bangkok:



Three following views, Wong Wian Yai station:





Two stops along the way:



Three following views, Mahachai station (end of the first section):

Hello, Oh wow, so organized trips can be a blast... Thanks for these photos of interiors that are actually pretty rare.

Just ask to take a tour of the rolling palace:

Bedroom, with bed made by the onboard staff:



Bathroom:



Toilet/shower:



Just a reminder that these photos are from 2007, almost 20 years ago—things must’ve changed since then... or not!

At Hua Lamphong Station in Bangkok...



...you’ll find, like everywhere, stationmasters...



...but also—and this is less common—barbers!



Off to Ayutthaya!

At Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok...

A station we’re right to miss for its charm compared to the eyesore that is Aphiwat... Fortunately, it’s still from Hualamphong that the commuter trains leave, for example to Ayutthaya.

No tour of a rolling palace would be complete without visiting a first-class sleeper car...

A tour of the rolling palace wouldn't be complete without visiting a first-class sleeper...



Back then, I was broke 😅

Kanchanaburi: To get to the must-see Wangpo viaduct/Death Railway Bridge* and its stunning view and/or to Namtok, why is it *so* much better to take the 6 AM train instead of the 11 AM one? - Because the 11 AM train will have you arriving during the worst hours of sunlight, so forget about great photos (with the 6 AM train, you arrive with the beautiful light of the newly risen sun). - Since the 4-5 cars of the 11 AM train are packed with Thai and foreign tourists, the 6 AM train is way more chill. This reason, along with the one mentioned above, more than justifies the effort of getting up early.

* Don’t confuse it with the Bridge on the River Kwai—it’s not the same thing!

Waiting for the 11 AM train:

Hi there, It's interesting that you mention the Wangpho Viaduct—it reminded me that we’d also visited this iconic piece of Thai history. A good excuse to dig through my hard drive...

The original line connected Bangkok to Yangon in Burma. When we visited, it only went as far as Wongpho and was just used for tourism. Did we take the 6 AM train? My memory’s failing me 😕

During our visit, it stopped at Wongpho and was only used for tourism.

So you didn’t cross the viaduct by train—you walked it instead, all the way to the Tham Krasae stop at the other end, from what I can tell? And from there, you continued to Sai Yok Noi waterfall?

Actually, the line does go all the way to Namtok, with three regular trains running daily, including the 6 a.m. one. But if you were on a guided tour, maybe they had you take a special train that only went as far as Wang Pho.

Well, the waterfall called that doesn’t show up in my photos, so I guess we must not have gone there 😅 We were definitely on the train—other photos prove it 😅 So I don’t remember anymore. Maybe it was actually a special tourist train, but we were a small group, so it wasn’t exclusively reserved. Almost 20 years ago, though 😅. 🏴‍☠️

Somewhere between Surat Thani and Trang:

The River Kwai line. One day, I had the opportunity to ride in the driver’s cabin from Namtok (the line’s terminus) to Kanchanaburi. It was the last train of the day—a "mixed" one, so it carried both passengers and freight. At some stations, it maneuvered to pick up wagons waiting on a siding to attach them to the train.



The Wanpo viaduct/Death Railway Bridge (and, incidentally, the filming location for part of Brian De Palma’s *Casualties of War* with Sean Penn):







Arrival at the bridge. For the last 2 km, the train whistles to warn the many tourists to clear the tracks. Once here, it crawls forward and waits for the green flag from the trackside agent—basically the signal that says, "All clear, you’re good to go, they’ve moved." Then it crosses the bridge at a snail’s pace, because you never know with those reckless farangs sometimes:



Arrival at Kanchanaburi’s main station—deserted for the last train of the day:

Nong Khai Station.

On the town side:



And on the tracks side:

You’ve got some great photos there.

If you love train-car vibes, you could break the bank and spend a night at Khao Yai here:

https://khaoyai.intercontinental.com/the-resort/

The rooms are in actual train cars—it’s super expensive, but it looks amazing…

If I had a piggy bank to smash open, I’d totally buy a train + the line to run it on and the staff to take care of it—it’d be my train, and I’d invite all my friends to party on it. There’d be a bar car, a rock-stage car, an open-air pool car, an Isan cuisine car, other cuisine cars, a lounge car, alcove cars, a Kathmandu-themed car, a dorm car... But no daycare car—kids stay on the platform, thanks.

If I had a piggy bank to smash, I’d totally buy a train + the line to run it on and the staff to take care of it—it’d be my train, and I’d invite all my friends to party on it. There’d be a bar car, a rock-stage car, an open-air pool car, an Isan cuisine car, other cuisine cars, a lounge car, a nook car, a Kathmandu car, a dorm car... But no daycare car—kids stay on the platform, thanks.

Where do we buy shares? 😂

As they say on VoyageForum, I'm hopping on the 😏 train

As they say on VoyageForum, I’m hopping on the 😏 train

+ 1 !

Southern Line, between Nong Pladuk and Ban Pong:

As they say on VoyageForum, I’m hopping on the 😏 carriage

It’s a collaborative train—we’re waiting for your contributions ;) And given your track record, you’ve got no excuses! 😎

Okay, I’ve got two questions: - Why black and white? - How do you take these kinds of photo-reportage shots? Do you work with them during the day?

Why black & white?

Because at the time, I had joined a club to learn how to develop black & white film, and I needed material. This series comes from scanned black & white negatives.

But here, in another place:







Since these work trains are usually on assignment far from their base, "caboose" wagons are converted into dormitories for the workers:

♫ Hello... ♫

Second part of the series dedicated to the so-called Maeklong Railway, started earlier on August 18th and 19th by Dennis2 and myself on the Bangkok Wong Wian Yai to Mahachai section. We arrive at the first photo below after taking the short ferry ride from Mahachai. Only 3 trains a day on this section.













Arrival at the market seen from the train’s steps—we really pass *very* close. The vendors on either side of the track lift their awnings to let the train through. Outside of these moments, the awnings are down, and the street is almost completely shaded:





I’ll post more photos of the market later.

Kanchanaburi, the level crossing on Thanon Saenchooto/Route 323:



Manual block system (single-track occupancy by a train) Thai-style:



Not always modern or well-maintained equipment 😎...

Nong Pladuk Junction station (Southern Line, very close to where I took the other black-and-white photos of the ballast renewal train a bit earlier in the thread). This is where the River Kwai line to Kanchanaburi and Namtok departs from (today) and (formerly) to Burma, built by Allied prisoners under Japanese authority. Like some French stations (Surdon, Tessonnières...), the village of Nong Pladuk may only have a few houses, but it’s on its territory that this junction station is located (which has since been renovated since the photos were taken), and it’s somewhat locally known for it. The branch to Suphanburi (see sign) is only used by one train per day in each direction—one in the morning to take workers to Bangkok and one in the evening for their return.

This time, it's finally happening—after the first two parts of the Mae Khlong Railway photos, which focused on the two sections of the line itself, we’re now at the market on the rails. After the train passes, the vendors lower their awnings, transforming the place into a kind of covered market.

Love this story about the Thai railway network! I’m gonna enjoy following along!

Love this story about the Thai railway network! I’m gonna enjoy following along!

Looks like you’ve missed the train on this one ;P

...but based on what’s mentioned in the original post, which I’m quoting below:

You can post your photos here as long as they fit the theme: rolling stock**, stations**, platforms, tracks (even without trains), technical equipment, engineering structures (bridges, viaducts), etc... all in Thailand. For each photo, I’ll (or you’ll) indicate the station or line where it was taken. Comments and questions are welcome.

* train ** interiors or exteriors

you and others can "catch up" by posting your own photos on the topic.

It's never too late... An interesting topic because I also love train travel... even in Thailand and in third class... even though I prefer first class with real berths! Unfortunately, there aren’t many photos, but I do have this one, taken between Bangkok and Nong Khai on a July night.



Excerpt from a travel journal about a trip to Luang Prabang in 2023:

The train stops frequently to let other trains traveling in the opposite direction pass, and during one of these stops, the car (beautifully lit) is suddenly swarmed by real clouds of flying insects. They’re absolutely everywhere—the worst part is that as soon as you touch them, they tend to lose their wings and turn into crawling insects. The floor quickly becomes a real slippery mess… not very pleasant. Fortunately, they eventually disappear (well, the ones that didn’t lose their wings, anyway!) once the train gets back up to cruising speed…

Some lovely non-padded midnight-blue faux-leather seats for 600 km—we really don’t hold back!...

Thanks for your input.