EasternLines History

[GWR]

The 2001 Edition of the Roads Association of Thailand/PTT Road Atlas has a map of Chachoengsao, which suggests another station closer to the market. Coming from Pattaya over the viaducts I looked out for this station. It wasn't very easy to see much more than an overgrown vacant lot. Presumably, this may have been the original station, made redundant by later branches to Aranyaprathet & Sattahip. When did it cease being used, one wonders? It looks a bit like it was called 'Satanee Rot Fy Bpaat (8?) Riw'. Lines hightlighted rather crudely in dark blue here:-
Chachoengsao's other station? (http://pub8.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php?img=71388&usernum=633867102)
Incidentally, when I passed in 2002 the whole area here was in considerable turmoil because of track doubling. It looked a bit like they were constructing a triangle to allow freight from the Khlong Sip Gow bypass Line and Aranya Line to transit directly to the Eastern Seaboard Line, without entering the main station area for shunting. Did it pan out like this?

[Wisarut]

Paed Riw Station is on the route from Chachongsao Junction to Sattahip though .... Chachoengsao is for the Provincial Hall while Paed Riw is the name of district ... so you should NEVER be confused ...

[ncr]

Yes, I remember seeing the sign for this station, too, though I cannot remember the condition of the building (or if there was any at all).

As usual, the excellent Rot Fai Thai Website (http://www.rotfaithai.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=3) (scroll down to the purple section of the list) has all the details: Paet Riu is less than 2 km east of Chachoengsao Jn, at km 62.87. It is actually just a stop, not a station.

There's nothing that would suggest it isn't in use anymore. It is also mentioned in the latest timetable for the Eastern Line. The train to Ban Phlutaluang stops there at 8.37, the one back to Bangkok at 15.58 (daily except on weekends and holidays).

"Paet Riu" is just the local (nick)name for Chachoengsao, much in the same way as Samut Sakhon is called "Mahachai", Samut Songkhram "Maeklong", or Samut Prakan "Pak Nam". The paet is indeed the number 8, while riu translates as "furrow", as far as I can tell. Don't know how the town got that name.....

Sorry, "later branches to Aranyaprathet and Sattahip"??? The line to Aranyaprathet was the original one. The line to Sattahip is the later branch.

As for the supposed triangle, I don't think anything like that has been constructed (though it would certainly be very useful for the goods trains)!

[R. Zimmermann]

When the eastern line was originally built in the early part of last century,the first railhead was at Pae Triu, as distinct from today's Chachongsao station.
Yes, there is a halt of that name on the line towards Chonburi. With imagination you can make out the old alignment. I have not been down there
and don't know,whether anything is left of the original station, before the line was extended to Aranyaphratet and, much later, to Sri Racha, Ban Plutaluang etc.

[Wisarut]

Uncle Renier,

NO, the orginal Eastern line end up at the current chachoengsao Junction ...
at that tiem it was NAMED as "Paed Riaw" though

[ncr]

Yeah, it would have been sort of strange if the old railhead had been at the present Paet Riu Stop..... If you assume this, one thing doesn't make sense: Why would they have extended the line to Aranyaprathet by branching it off 2 km earlier then, instead of continuing it straight behind the railhead?

[R. Zimmermann]

Let's check that out when anybody goes there. Present day Pae Triu halt
is not identical with the railhead of 1907. It would probably have made sense
having the original station close to Pak Chong River.

[GWR]

A map of the Death Railway also appears to show Paet Riu as a terminus just beyond the junction for Aranyaprathet. It also signposts Saigon on that railway. I have seen the Saigon - Phnom Penh link on some old maps, but I later found links that indicate it was never really commenced.
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=3901&postcount=2

[Wisarut]

I just DUG up into the Archeives and fould the book about the Opening of
Chachongsao Line (Printed in 1933) ... It is in PDF File of 25.4 MB

The construction of Eastern railway to Chgachongsao started in Ror Sor 124
(AD 1905)
Openign Date is January 24, Ror Sor 126 (Now AD 1908)

Too bad, Fine Arts Dept has stamped the Ganesa Seal ...

SO far, I could get the list of station as follows:

1) Bangkok
2) Bang Krasan (Now Makkasan)
3) Klong Saen Saeb (now gone and Klong Tan station
is a replacement - originally a halt, upgradedd later to Station Class 3)
4) Ban Hua Mark (Now Hua Mark)
5) Ban Thub Chang
6) Klong Thee Song (now gone and Lad Krabang station is a replacement)
7) Hua Takhe
8) Klong Luang Phaeng
9) Klong Preng (AKA Klong Phraya Decho station, Now Preng station)
10) Klong Bang Phra
11) Muang Chachongsao (AKA Paed Riew Station)

The Inagurate trip stated from Bangkok at 9:48:58 AM and it reached Muang Chachongsao
station (AKA Paed Riew station) at 11 AM

The total distance from Bangkok to Chachongsao (AKA Paed Riew) is 63.4 km

The price of land purchased by Railway Dept - 29 Baht/Rai (at the day 1 GBP = 11-13 Baht)
-> Total 45000 Baht

Rail type: Standard Gauge - 25 Kg/Meter [50 Lb/yard]

Railway Dept has to used rice husk as the core of permannet way becoger digging
the clay and mud to cover the rice husk ... and the ballast will cover the clay and mud later
The price of permnent way is 500,000 Baht

Theree were 2 wooden bridge, 10 iron bridgeswith the pillars made from bricks
and some iron bridges with steel pillars and Railway Dept will cover the steel pillar
with cement later on.

Sleepers came from from Khorat and Ballast came from Pak Priaw (Saraburi) and Chong Khae
(Chong Khae district of Saraburi)

ONLY chachongsao station had brick building with roof made from Ceramic tiles with loco shed
and a turntable as well as the resting place for loc drivers and officer of the permanent Way Maintianance section ..


Railway Dept has ordered 16 locos, 1 inspection cars, and 85 good bogies from Prussia.
Furhtermore, 73 passnegers cars were imported from Britain and 180 rice bogies from Belgium.


Total construction cost: 3.2 Million Baht (51000 Baht/km)

There wassa single trip from BKK to Chachongsao and anotehr return trip from
Chachongsao to Bangkok.

Note:
1) Saen Saeb canal station was in Nakhon Khuenkhan Province (The Phra Khanong
and Klong Tan area was in the jurisdiction of Nakhon Khueankhan province)

2) Klong Thee Song (Second Canal) was in Minburi province

[GWR]

Interesting use of local material for stabilisation of the permanent way. I can remember mats of willow tree stems and reeds being used to stabilise the seabed in the construction of the breakwater for Port Talbot iron-ore terminal in Wales. At nearby Llanwern they built a further steel works on fenland with the same mats and spoil from coal mines. The urban myth is that they pressed every available old banger of a truck in the area into service to move the spoil from inland mining areas to the coastal site. If a truck broke down on site, it too was bulldozed into the morass.
(And that reminds me of your fascinating tale of old freight vans being delivered by the trainload to Sattahip Naval Port to form the core of coral reef regeneration.)
It should be explained to more local readers that the Welsh are reputed by their English neighbors to have an unnatural and unhealthy attraction towards their sheep; perhaps due to there actually being more sheep than people in the country. (I imagine the same could be said for the Scots, Irish, Ozzies & Kiwis.) When the Romans built a road across Borth Bog in Wales, they laid the road surface on sheep fleeces to try and stop it sinking into the bog. Archeologists in the last century were able to find scraps of the original wool in this still-used highway. That road undulates to say the least. In fact it reminds of that section of motorway just south of Alor Setar in Malaysia that seemed to keep sinking into the padi however many millions of Ringitt they threw into it.

Khun Wisarut. Your articles seem to indicate delays in the track doubling on either side of Bangkok. How much do you think those delays can be put down to difficulties with the soil structure? The original trackbeds out of Thailand must have presented a considerable challenge.

[Wisarut]

The Old Paed Riw Station can be seen here:
http://www.rotfaithai.com/files/padrew.jpg

[Wisarut]

Khun BlackExpress of Rotfaithai.com told me that the old Chachongsao Station (AKA Paed Riw Station) is closer to downtown Chachongsao the current Chachongsao Junction which has been Constructed to serve
the route from Chachongsao - Aranyaprathet (1919-1926)

The construction of Chachongsao - Sattahip line has effectively ERASED
the old Chachongsao station (AKA Paed Riw Station) and they set up
Paed Riw Stop as the reminder of Paed Riw Terminal :( :mad:

[Wisarut]

Khun KTTA50 has shown the map of Chachoengsao Jucntion and
Paed Riw Stop (Pai Yud Rot Paed Riw) here: :D

http://www.rotfaithai.com/files/map-01.jpg

Note: Khun KTTA 50 has made a mistake that Paed Riw Stop should be on the western bank of Bang Pakong instead of the Eastern side since the original Paed Riw terminal is NOT goign across Bang Pakong river.

The decision to construction the route to Aranayaprathet in 1919 has forced Railway Dept to come up with Chachongsao station (or Chachongsao Junction) instead of goign to Chonburi, Sattahip, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat as the original proposal during the reign of King Chulalongkorn.

[ncr]

When the eastern line was originally built in the early part of last century,the first railhead was at Pae Triu, as distinct from today's Chachongsao station.
NO, the orginal Eastern line end up at the current chachoengsao Junction ... at that tiem it was NAMED as "Paed Riaw" though.
Yeah, it would have been sort of strange if the old railhead had been at the present Paet Riu Stop..... If you assume this, one thing doesn't make sense: Why would they have extended the line to Aranyaprathet by branching it off 2 km earlier then, instead of continuing it straight behind the railhead?So according to Khun Wisarut's latest information (see two posts immediately above), Reiner was right from the beginning. They originally intended to continue to Chonburi, and Chachoengsao's station was Paet Riu. Then the plans were changed to extend to Aranyaprathet instead, and they branched off this new line west of Paet Riu (probably to avoid crossing the river?) and constructed the new Chachoengsao Jn station.

Now, just when did they demolish Paet Riu terminal and create Paet Riu Stop? Must have been around (before) 1984?

[GWR]

By this 1:350,000 scan they are two junctions for Laem Chabang about 3Kms apart. And I vaguely remember seeing more that one spur back in 2001. Note the two tracks appear to merge or cross, with one track proceeding to Laem Chabang Rly St. Is it standard practice to call freight depots 'Stations' in Thailand or is this just a nod towards fantasy future useage?
http://pub8.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php?img=73821&usernum=633867102

[Wisarut]

When they start the project Chachongsao - Sattahip line, the contractors had to demolish the old paed Riw station to make the way for the bridge across Bang Pakong (about 1000 meter long) :( .

For the case of the map of the Branch to Laem Chabang, it's the error made bythe map makers whcih have seen MANY times .... due to the fact that they got unsettled data .... :D

[Wisarut]

Thai raifan told me that after the opening of Chachongsao - Sattahip line (after 1987 for the lien whcih is stretched to Pattaya), SRT has done
the followign things:

1) The commuter lines BKK - Paed Riw has been shortened to BKK - Chachongsao
2) Paed Riw station has been downgraded to Paed Riw Stop
3) Chachongsao station has becomed Chachongsao Junction

[R. Zimmermann]

Thanks, NCR. I had been there and had reported to Khun Wisarut only, because for some strange reason I could not gain access to the Forum anymore. In brief: There is still one old station sign (Paetriu) in place, remains
of a platform edge and a market which, with some reasonable imagination and
help of locals, could be accepted as the former station site.

[GWR]

W to E, note the road-flyover over the railway, Chachoengsao Junction (with its bifurcating lines), the approx. area of the original Paetrhiw Terminus and the long railway-flyover over the Mae Nam Pakong. [Some construction company is going to love the price tag on doubling that sucker!]:-
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=13.690689,101.085205&spn=0.057991,0.080561&t=k&hl=en

[GWR]

Here's a 1;250,000 composite stitch of the Sri Racha narrow gauge network. You will note that the line also goes over the southern boundary, but the map that I have to the south was produced after the advent of the Sattahip line, whereas this one was clearly before. So the map to the south shows no evidence of this narrow gauge network: -

http://i3.tinypic.com/15h1rw5.jpg

[Wisarut]

There used to be a narrow gauge railway of Sri Mararaja Co.Ltd. ... for Indstrail opropose .... to take wood out of forest ... and they waited for RSR to expan railway track to Sri Racha ... btu it failedto materailized since RSR decided in 1919 to expand the Eastern Railway to Aranyaprathe fro Strategic purpose ...

A few years before the founder of Sri Maharaja Company (Field Marshall Chaophraya Surasakmontri) passed away in 1931, he decided to sell many of his company's share to Borneo Co.Ltd. (British trading firm) ....

[von Hirschhorn]

Sri Racha, yes, the maps I saw before and in the eighties made several field trips to see what’s left. (not much) The factory it self’s already partly demolished and in front near the road one of the rolling stock remains. Engine Nr.12 0-6-0T Henschel 22402 -1952 750 mm (Sri Racha 30.03.1989) Nr.14 is on plinth in a park in town. http://i3.tinypic.com/15mohhl.jpg
After stopping the timber business the company reforms into a factory for mattresses and moved inland (Ban Chompon) Here a small locomotive park (plinth) was erected in remembrance of the past. (include the number 12)

[dick]

On the map ND-47, Bangkok, Worldserie 1: 1000 000, compiled by the survey of India, 5th edition 1945 (first issue 1941) we see from Siracha tramway with tramsignature to Naung Kham, with branch to Naung Phak Nam. And one line further to Phan Sadet Nauk, also a branch North with end west from Khao Khio.
When was the opening from these lines? Pictures?

[von Hirschhorn]

A tram near Sri Racha would be the sensation of the day after all those years of researching.
This must be the lines of the former SRJ = Sri Maharacha Timber Company with already a thread: http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=1749[Mod: Linked thread already merged with this thread!]

[Wisarut]

That's more likely Sri maharaja Industrial Railway ... NOT a tram even thouh it is narrow gauge whcih deserved a status of "Tram"

[von Hirschhorn]

Let's check that out when anybody goes there. Present day Pae Triu halt
is not identical with the railhead of 1907. It would probably have made sense having the original station close to Pak Chong River.

That's exactly what I am thinking since I have visited the spot two days ago. Have a look at story Nº 11 in the series: Thailand from the train (at the top of the list) and read what I have written about it.

[Wisarut]

Let's check that out when anybody goes there. Present day Pae Triu halt
is not identical with the railhead of 1907. It would probably have made sense having the original station close to Pak Chong River

That's exactly what I am thinking since I have visited the spot two days ago. Have a look at story Nº 11 in the series: Thailand from the train (at the top of the list) and read what I have written about it.

According to what I have duggerd into the annual Re[port of both RSRS and SRT, I coulod summarized as folows

1. The Orginal paed Riw station at km 63.4 was onepen on 24 Jan 1908

2. Chachongsao station (then call as New paew Riow station) was opened on 1 Jan 1925 (the day of opening the lien to Kabin Buri) - effectively shut dow The Orginal paed Riw station at km 63.4 ... even thoguh we can spot the trace on the map of Chachongsao Municiple (published in Royal Garzetts in 1937).


3. Paed Riw Stop was opened at km 62.xx in 1971

4. Paed Riw Stop was being shut down in 1979 - the starting of the counstrction of the line to Sattahip ... it has been reopend again in 1985

[von Hirschhorn]

Thanks Khun Wisarut, very nice, a difference of 520 meter - Paet Riu = km 62.400 - and that fits perfectly with the distance I walked over an unpaved alley till I reached a bank of a branch of the Bang Pakong River.
The map I consult even was published in 1997 - The third edition of the Thailand Higway maps and 76 city municipal bookwork by Auto Guide Co. Ltd. Scale: 1-4000. So these guys were very lazy and put no effort at all nor check the situation, however nice souvenir to have.
The mentioned story is not posted yet, wait a while, first I posted a story about the slums, anyway the beginning of the line towards Chachoengsao.

[Wisarut]

Initially, King Chulalongkorn wanted the eastern line to be extended from Paed Riaw at km 63.4 across Bang pakong river all the way to Chonburi, Rayong and Chanthaburi.

However, the decision has been changed in 1919 after French Indochina government had requested Siamese Government to extend the line to French Indochina. Siamese government dedied to choose the route to Aranyaprathet due to the following fact.

1. It would cost less to buid the bridge across Yothaka river (tribulation of Bang Pakong river) than the bridge acorss Bang Pakong river at paed Riw due to the relatively primitive technology of yesteryears.

2. It would facilitate military movement between Bangkok and Fort Chakkraphongse - the first Military Fort outside BKK (opened in 1919) and it would allow military movement to the Border at Aranyaprathet -> very strategic railway line INDEED.

3. The other optional routes were not good for Siam at all since it did not connect with the main lines ...

The first pair of track to Aranyaprathet has been laid at km 61 on 5 Jan 1922 by Prince Bhanurangsi (uncle of King Vajiravudh) and the line had been opened to Kabinburi (then a separated province) on 1 Jan 1925. The line eventually opened to Aranyaprathet on 8 November 1926.

This line has been finnaced by 2 million Pound loan as a bond with 7% annual interest rate in 1922 and 3 million Pound loan as a bond with 6% annual interest rate in 1924.

The Rialway resthouse at Aranyaprathet was opened aroudn 1927-1928 .. It is hte place to negotiate for the raiwlay line connecting Thai Railway with Indochina Railway on 4 Jan 1940 ... before Indochina War erupted by the end of 1940 .... and used by IJA as HQ durign WWII ... but that historical resthouse was eventually closed and demolished in 1973.

I'm going to show you the position of that resthouse from the Map of Aranyaprathet Municiple from Royal Garzett om 1950.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6025/arun2493wj2.jpg
//---------------------------------------------

The Bridge across Bang Pakong with the distance of 1743 meter was opeend on 24 Jan 1984 to facilitat the movement of construction materials for the line to Sattahip Naval Base.