#Thailand #train #bangkok
I had a tour around of a site in Bangkok called the Makkasan Railway Factory which is where the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has an engineering and maintenance depot. It isn't normally open to the public but allows small group tours a few times a year - follow Richard Barrow's "@thaitrainguide" on X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook for info on upcoming tours.
The whole site covers 75 hectares/186 acres and was built in 1910. It was bombed 5 times by the Allies during WWII and was once the biggest site of locomotive production in SE Asia. It's now, as I said, the SRT's main engineering works and we were shown around the real 'heavy duty' parts such as reconditioning of engines, locomotive and carriage maintenance, wheel reconditioning and a foundry. The smells and noise of everything going on here was palpable. It was great to witness such work being carried out right under our noses... the kind of things that I've certainly never seen before - real serious engineering stuff! They also have many old locos, carriages etc lying around here plus some that have been restored and on display.
The tour started at Bangkok's Hua Lamphong Station where we were shown around the stations museum plus had a chance to walk outside onto the facade terrace which isn't normally open to the general public. We then took a local train to Makkasan where the tour contiuned around the oldest factory building; a small display museum of steam locos, old wooden carriages and a new diesel loco before we headed into 4 or 5 of the factory workshops. Well worth a visit if you're into trains, railways or even serious engineering. I had a great day out!
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