Far from the daily grind* (page 1 of 2)

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…