Kra Canal Railway [Archive] - 2Bangkok.com Forum

GWR

11-04-05, 08:00 PM

I'd like to try and find out who wrote this, because it's an account that the writer obviously enjoyed creating. It provides enough evidence to keep a 2Bangkok Fieldtrip well absorbed for a long weekend; and then some. I have created a few observations by copying the text of the page and pasting them between [*****] One of the things I found about working in Ranong is that a considerable proportion of older locals speak very passable English. The difficulty of travelling to the rest of Thailand made it easier for them to travel to Penang for their higher education on the weekly tramp steamer. And when they came back to Ranong, they often worked for tin mining companies with English connections. The local younger generation no longer have these advantages in learning a second or third language. I feel that one such 'older' Ranong resident may have created this account.
Quote--------------->

The History of the WW II Japanese Military Base and Railway at Khao Fachi Village, La-Un District, Ranong, Thailand:-

Before 1941, the village of Khao Fachi, the banks of the La-un canal, where the La-un community (30 km.)[From Amphur Muang, Jungwat Ranong] is now located, were rich with mangrove forest. Royal Highway Petchkasem No.4 ended at the La-Un canal. There was no bridge to cross the canal and Ranong was reached by boat. In fact, in 1941 Ban Bangland village [Ban Bang Lat on 1:250,000 RTSDMap?], 3 kilometres northwest of Khao Fachi had only 5 houses.

On December 8th 1941 the Japanese army landed, at Parknam [Paknam] Chumpon, or the mouth of the Chumpon River, and began to move their soldiers ashore. As they then advanced to seize and occupy Burma they met resistance from volunteer soldiers, mainly young people, students and villagers from the southern provinces of Thailand. Many people were killed or injured on both sides of the fighting. But the Japanese were too powerful and an agreement was made between Japan and the Thai government for the resistance to stop. The Japanese moved quickly and had captured Victoria Point [Now Kawthaung. Or is it the island between Kawthaung & Ranong that is confusingly named Koh Sawng? Endless debates are possible on this.] in Burma by the end of December 1941. To achieve this the Japanese first moved their infantry along Royal Highway no. 4. They followed the route between Chumpon, Kraburi, the La-Un canal and Petchakasem [The name given to Route 4 all the way to the Malaysian Border near Sadao]. Because of the difficult terrain, with narrow and steep winding paths, it was not easy to move troops and supplies and heavy weapons could not be transported along this route. Therefore, the idea of constructing a railway parallel to Highway No.4 was formed.

The Military Headquarters at Khao Fachi:-

At first, after landing at Chumpon the Japanese forces looked for a suitable place to set up their headquarters. They established Khao Fachi village (the present Bang Kaew community)[Ban Bang Kaeo on 1:250,000 RTSD map. About 5Km up the Khlong La-Un. Later data in this account shows that the entire camp covered a very large area. It's possible the Japanese thought this site was more difficult to attack from the land, sea and air. It's also possible that the road passed down this inland valley to a boat quay to avoid the coastal mangroves.] as their military headquarters. This became an important base of a number of bases set up along the Andaman coast. The position was important because troops and supplies could be moved by land, sea and air to strengthen their hold on the region.
Two methods were used to move forces to Burma. By land from Chumpon and along the Petchkasem Highway, and also by ship via the Straits of Malacca and then up the Andaman Sea. Ships were anchored to the south of Victoria Point, or Kothong [Kawthaung], and troops, equipment and supplies transferred to the shore on small boats. From the mouth of the Kraburi river the boats moved north by Ko Yao and Ko Kwang islands [Both visible on Thinknet's Paper & CD Atlases of Thailand] and entered the La-Un canal only 7 kms away. Khao Fachi military base covered an area of 7 square kilometres [Presumably from Ban Bang Kaeo to the mouth of the Khlong]. The buildings were mainly constructed of wood and had tin roofs.

The headquarters was established at the top of a mountain, at a height of 259 metres. [Khao Fachi is shown on Thinknet maps. The RTSD map doesn't name it, but indicates the quoted height] but this gave the soldiers a commanding view over the surrounding countryside and from here they were able to observe enemy movements on land, sea and air. The River Kraburi, the La-Un canal and the Kema Yai and Maliwan canals in Burma could all be seen from this vantage point.[Two large canals do issue forth into the Kra Inlet at this point on the Myanmar side, and almost all maps indicate that this area of Myanmar is still called Maliwan.] Today, there remains one rubber tree on top of the mountain [Anyone care to go and confirm this], but in 1941 there were two tall trees. From these trees the soldiers used telescopes to observe the enemy.

Anti aircraft guns were situated around the garrison and were used when allied aircraft from Burma [I've seen maps that indicate the Brits had two or three airfields near Victoria Point & Maliwan before the Japanese occupation] bombed and attacked the base with machine guns. For protection the Japanese surrounded the base with air raid shelters and trenches.

Camouflaged accommodation for the commissioned and non-commissioned officers was situated in the valley. The camp also had its own water storage system and a well. The soldier’s quarters were at the foot of the mountain and here were underground prisons to hold prisoners of war. The prisoners were mainly Malaysian Indian, but included some Thai people. To the south of the La-Un Canal the low-lying plain was covered by mangrove swamp, which at times was submerged by seawater [The same is indicated on modern maps. Indeed, I seem to remember this from the time when I enjoyed Tom Yam Gung at a restaurant right on the southern end of the existing bridge.[I seem to remember there are actually two bridges now, as the first bridge was rather narrow.]]

The prisoners of war were used for construction work. This forced labour excavated and levelled the area for buildings and roads.

A wooden warehouse (1) was built next to the La-un canal and a quay (2) was constructed, against which boats were moored. The warehouse was used to store food, fuel and military equipment, (but not weapons and ammunition). These supplies were brought to the warehouse by trains and boats. Fresh water for the boats was taken to the quay, from the storage tanks at Khao Fachi, along a 400metre pipeline. Alongside the quay, buildings (3) were constructed to house labourers and prisoners of war. The complex also included a hospital (4), kitchens and dining halls (5) and a railway station (6). This railway station was the most southerly of the military stations. [I certainly remember quays here. It would interesting to see if any of these structures still exist] The double railway track allowed the wood-fuelled steam locomotives to make a U-turn [Perhaps they mean that the train was able to run back to the other end of the train and pull the return train in reverse.] and return north. To the north of the station, near where La-un Wittayakarn School [Clearly marked on Thinkmap] is now situated, was the graveyard. Here the many prisoners and labourers who died during construction of the railway were buried.

Front line troops were located at Kho Kwang Island [An island in the inlet a little to the South, marked on Thinkmap] and Khao Hua Kang [Thinkmap shows this as a hill at the mouth of the Khlong La-Un.]. At Kraburi River, on Kho Kwang Island, a lookout post was established where the Japanese could observe and control ship movements. The island had a maze of air raid-shelters, trenches and tunnels. Large defensive guns were also located here.

Khao Hua Kang at La-un canal was the rear guard post. Its purpose was to offer further resistance if the attacking enemy got passed Ko Kwang Point.
The base at Khao Hua Kang was similar to that at Kho Kwang with gun emplacements and air-raid shelters.

A 15 km bamboo walkway across the mangrove forests between Khao Hua Kwang Point and Khao Fachi military base was constructed, along which the Japanese soldiers marched.

TO BE CONTINUED (For the sake of the 10,000 character length limit on this board)

GWR

11-04-05, 08:05 PM

I have created a few observations by copying the text of the page and pasting them between [*****].
Quote--------------->

The Railway:-

The Chumpon- Kra Buri - La-Un Railway was constructed to transport soldiers, arms and supplies from the Chumpon Province to the Andaman Sea.

Surveying of the railway route began on May 16th 1943. Japanese Lieutenant-Colonel Kumota and Thai Major Prince Chidchanok with a staff of 15 people carried out the survey. The line ran parallel to the Chumpon-Kra Buri highway to the La-Un canal some 90 km away.

On May 31 1943 an agreement was signed, between the Thai Supreme Commander and the Commander of the Japanese Army, for the construction of a railway through the Kra Isthmus. The shortage of labour was a major problem because the majority of Thai villagers were employed in other areas of the war. No heavy earth moving equipment was available and the excavation relied heavily upon manual labour provided by Malaysian and Chinese workers. Thai carpenters were used for the construction of the wooden bridges.

Work on the railway commenced in June 1943 and the rails had been laid by November 1943. Prisoners of war and labourers were brought by train from Chumpon Railway Station. They were then marched a long distance to the construction sites. Many of these workers died from disease. Some of the prisoners escaped to Petchaburi [This is a story I've seen elsewhere] and survived by begging for food from villagers on the way. Prisoners that were recaptured by the Japanese were treated very harshly and returned to prison.

The Engineer in Charge of the railway construction was Colonel Ongawa, he later changed his name to Ichui. The Chief Mechanic was Mr Kamahachi. Railway sleepers and bridges were made from wood and in total 31 bridges were constructed along the route. The track gauge was 56.5 inches [Standard Gauge!?], the same as in Malaysia [Perhaps these rails came from a timber operation that used Standard Gauge.I believe mainlines in Malaysia have long been Meter Gauge. Khun Wisarut?] The rails themselves were brought from Kelantan in Malaysia and were transported to the construction sites on freight wagons. The radius of the curves varied between 400 and 1000 metres. On the entire route there were 137 curves, and 8 cuttings were driven through the landscape. The railway began south of Chumpon at 4469+805.30 km [SRT's website maps show Chumpon at 485 Km; which is indisputable. This almost certainly corresponds to some special track distance measurement system used by SRT. For those who know about these things [I've seen the signs, but don't understand how they work], this should be very easy to pinpoint. And there is no indication of whether the line terminated at the SRT mainline; or crossed it to terminate at Paknam Chumpon] Along the length of the railway were 7 more stations. These were at Wangpai [Wang Yai on Thinkmap?], Parkjan [Pakchan], Tablee [Airlana's map shows a 1935 projection ending here. Is it possible that the Thai Army dusted off one of SRT's plans for part of their route?], Kra Buri, Klong Lamlieng and Khao Fachi [All clearly indicated as following Route 4 on RTSD & Thinkmap]. The material used in the building of the stations was mainly wood and bamboo.

The weapons and supplies were initially transported in railway carriages pulled by trucks adapted to run along the rails. On reaching Khao Fachi the goods were unloaded and transferred to boats for further transport along the La-Un canal to the River Kra Buri and hence on to Victoria Point.

The Japanese used the railway for just 11 months. Heavy use of the track ceased when, on March 19th 1945, at between 2 pm and 6 pm, 30 heavy allied bombers attacked the railway and the base at Khao Fachi. Severe damage was caused, destroying part of the track, and sinking boats and supply ships on the La-Un canal. In June 1945, the Japanese dismantled a part of the track, between 28 and 30 km from Khao Fachi quay. The sections were used to repair the damaged track further south. Attempts were made to keep the railway open, but further allied air attacks meant that it could no longer be used for transporting heavy weapons. Only food and light equipment could be moved along it to the soldiers at Victoria Point.

The Japanese surrendered on 10th August 1945 and their army was disarmed. British soldiers dismantled the railway and the rails were returned to Kelantan, Malaysia. Today, only traces from the path of the railway can be seen running alongside the Petchkasem Highway.

Although the railway had been built and used throughout the war only a very few Thai people know of its existence.

60 years after the Japanese occupation and the building of the railway, very few of the young Thai generation are aware that at one time Khao Fachi had been crowded with Japanese soldiers and prisoners of war. Now, the remains of guns, ammunition, mortar bombs, samurai swords and the tunnels, trenches and underground shelters are just some of the evidence bearing testimony to the existence of the WWII Military Base.

As for the railway, there are overgrown paths, rusty tracks, decaying sleepers, and sadly, the remains of those who died. Wrecks of sunken ships still lie on the seabed. And in Khao Fachi the well is still there, and used by today’s villagers.

The history and evidence of these events are to be studied and preserved for future generations. Memories, from the tragedy of war, will lead to lasting peace for humanity.

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GWR

12-04-05, 07:46 PM

The route indicated on this map is only designed to be VERY approximate, as you will note when you look at some earlier map links in this thread. That said, we don't know how much Route 4 itself has changed since the 1940s. I note from earlier on in the thread that Khun Wisarut is of the opinion that this route definitely ran from Chumpon to La-Un District. He also adds that the rails were returned to Malaysia after the war. As always, download and examine at normal size in your desktop graphics proram. This is not intended to be any more than a rough sketch. I'll leave the real mapping to 2BKK's experts. I'm off to look at 2BKK's archives to see what they say about this line. I have portrayed the line as going to Paknam Chumpon, but that's only a hunch. It would seem rather pointless if they hadn't completed the line to some sort of quay on the Gulf of Thailand. That said, I don't know if Paknam is useable by anything other than trawlers. I dare say lighters and captive labour would have surmounted those problems:-

http://pub8.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php?img=74768&usernum=633867102

GWR

12-04-05, 10:01 PM

These rather garbled directions are probably intended for folks coming from the south, as Dusit runs resorts in the vicinity of Amphur Muang Jungwat Ranong. Dozens of websites carry this TAT-written material; although this one has fleshed it out a bit. Before any railfans get too enthusiastic, the picture of the plinthed train is probably not from Ban Fachi. However, let me know if this is not true:-
http://www.dusit.com/destination_guide/south/dest08/attraction_activity/attr00096/print/

GWR

13-04-05, 12:11 PM

http://pub8.bravenet.com/photocenter/album.php?img=74776&usernum=633867102

von Hirschhorn

13-04-05, 06:31 PM

Quote: Before any rail fans get too enthusiastic, the picture of the plinthed train is probably not from Ban Fachi.

Well, I am compiling a new list of all preserved steam engines in Thailand on the moment, this picture is unknown to me so far.
Unfortunate the whole cannot be enlarged without being blurred, so the engine number on the cab side is unreadable. If you know it let know maybe after all you found another location and new plinthed locomotive. (on paper at least) The spot looks original.

GWR

13-04-05, 11:23 PM

I've seen different versions of this article on many tourist sites, so it's obviously TAT-penned material that they encourage other sites to use. The address of TAT's Southern Region 5 Office at page bottom is probably a clue. I guess they also provided the snaps. This office covers Surat Thani, Chumpon & Ranong Provinces. My guess is thus that this loco is plinthed at Chumpon or Phunphin (Surat Thani). I suppose there is also the possibility that it is at a medium-sized station like Map Amarit, Pathiu, Sawi, Thung Tako, Lamae, Tha Chana, Chaiya, Ta Chang, Ban Na Doem, Ban Na San or Wiang-Sa. Maybe an email to ...
tatsurat@samart.co.th
... might provide an answer. I have already asked Dusit website if they know anything about the picture and will contact tatsurat too.

If this loco was plinthed at Ban Fachi (I don't remember seeing one there in 1996) or at some other point on this line, it would presumably be an example of a loco used on that line. The article provided by 'Jungwat Ranong' suggests the line was standard gauge, with the tracks having been filched from Kelantan. This opens up a whole can of question worms; which I don't claim to be able to answer. My limited knowledge suggests that Malaysian railways have long been meter gauge; although I seem to remember that some of the early pioneer lines were standard gauge (but were later converted). Apparently, the track was returned to Kelantan at war end. To me, alot of this just doesn't add up; including the assertion (on 2BKK someplace too) that this line was standard gauge. I guess we would both like someone nearer to hand to go & do some investigation for us.

von Hirschhorn

14-04-05, 05:32 PM

First of all 1996 and 2005 makes a difference, in all my years of Thai plinthed loco history knowledge I see them come by night and disappear in the morning and nobody seems to know why and how. A real rail fan organisation should know. Here in Europe ‘the freaks’ are quite aware of what’s going on. In that respect Thailand is a little behind or is this due to a language barrier?
However, just the number on the locomotive will do. If this machine is on my list we know exactly where it stays or stood before. (A sharper picture is the answer)
Malaysia never had standard gauge but it’s possible the Japanese decide to build this special line in standard but I doubt. In the years 40 there was hardly any stock available on that seize in the region, even there own was cape gauge = 1067 mm.
The same reason why after all those years people still think that the Burma line was build on that gauge. From a logic point of view this makes no sense apart that the steam locomotives of the C56 class good have been run without adjusting.
Well, there is a way to find an answer if somewhere along the line an old sleeper is still hiding in the ground – as you can find along the old Burma line. Just measuring the old holes where once spikes or bolts fastened the rail and no more fairy tales.

Wisarut

14-04-05, 08:34 PM

GWR

14-04-05, 09:14 PM

...
However, just the number on the locomotive will do. If this machine is on my list we know exactly where it stays or stood before. (A sharper picture is the answer)
...
Well, there is a way to find an answer if somewhere along the line an old sleeper is still hiding in the ground – as you can find along the old Burma line. Just measuring the old holes where once spikes or bolts fastened the rail and no more fairy tales.

700 Kilometers away. No time & no money, Guv'. I have sent off a couple of enquiries on this, but doubt we will hear anything until then; if at all.

Your measurements had already sprung to mind. If I'm in the vicinity, I'll have a scout around.

I also note from another of my trusty 1:25,000s that two of the (tin?) mines just south of Ranong had short mineral lines. Makes you wonder if they used track filched from the north of the province. Those two lines are no longer operative, but I suspect that they are even more likely to have remaining track relics. Are these measurements 'inside', 'outside' or 'centres'?

The Cape Gauge (Was it ever used in Japan?) theory still doesn't explain why track would be returned to Kelantan. Unless it was shipped in from Japan at Tumpat, and was returned to Kelantan as some sort of war reparation; with the track being used there for industrial purposes. I somehow doubt it, as the Japanese stretched themselves so thinly that they had to pilfer rail equipment from Indonesia.

Was Cape Gauge used in Indo by the Dutch? Is 'Cape' some sort of reference to its original use by the Boers in South Africa?

GWR

14-04-05, 09:37 PM

The recent discovery of Steam Loco Sunk in meklong River in Ratchaburi is C56 Type which implied that The IJA has REGAUGED their C56 Locos from Cape Gauge (1.067m) to meter gauge (1.000 m) once thsoe Loco have reached Thailand. Otherwise, it is IMPOSSIBLE for C56 to RUN on the main Thai Railway Networks such as the one that go to Ratchaburi. Same can be said to C56 Loco Plinted at Thanbyusayat.

I'm interested to know if you think this loco was the one that you mentioned as being derailed on the bridge by the locals near war end; or whether there was a loco on that bridge when it was bombed (as detailed in the thread on 'The 490th Squadron'. http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=756 ) The photo in question has disappeared and I can't remember whether it showed a loco on the bridge. My one observation is that the station is quite close to the bridge. The POWs reported that there was troop train wreckage all over the station area. Presumably, an extra long troop train (brought on by the panic of flight) might have extended from the bridge center back to the station. Or the train may have tried to depart over the bridge after having been caught in the station.

As an aside, it is also quite remarkable that Ratchaburi's residents were quite so friendly to the POWs. Such a bombing raid would have undoubtedly killed or injured quite a few citizens; or just damaged their property. Not even to mention the effect of previous Bangkok bombing raids.

It is obvious from this thread and others that Thailand's rail system took some hefty blows at the end of the war. One of the comments one often hears repeated about Burma's rail system is that it never really got over the pasting it took from allied bombers and 'chindit' sabotage ops. Is there any evidence that the railways in Thailand had any difficulty effecting repairs and rearting normal ops post war?

GWR

14-04-05, 11:49 PM

http://www.2bangkok.com/images/490th.jpg
Zooming the pic doesn't appear to show any train wreckage. It's also not clear if is a single or double track bridge. Or a single track with a road deck?

Budewizer

15-04-05, 03:30 PM

Was Cape Gauge used in Indo by the Dutch? Is 'Cape' some sort of reference to its original use by the Boers in South Africa?

3ft 6" (1067mm) was/is used in Indonesia whether this is Cape Gauge i cannot say. (See below)
The British built the first 3ft 6" (1067mm) line in South Africa between Wellington and Cape Town.
Cape Guage refers to the loading gauge - max height / width that a locomotive, wagons can be built to without contacting the surrounding structures - bridges platforms etc. In the case of Cape this is very generous and at that time given the technology available the maximum that could be built with regards to ride quality and stability.
Cape Gauge stretches from Cape town in the south to Dar es Salam in the north, east to Mozambique and west to Angola and the DRC.
Many other countries used 3ft 6" (1067mm) rail gauge but whether they used the same loading gauge is another matter.
To muddy the waters SA locomotives with regauged bogies (1000mm) are able to run without further structural mods on Kenyan and Tanzanian metre gauge lines.

Wisarut

16-04-05, 01:42 AM

Well, eveh though the 3 feet 6 inches gauge was originated by Scandinevian countries, it was popularized by the applicatyion in South Africa - thus it got the name "Cape gauge"

Yeah, the Japanese and Indonesian railway are using 3 feet 6 inch gauge ....
the Railway in Java has been completely regauged from standard gauge to Cape gauge in 1942 after the mixed gauged day during the Dutch Colony

After the Japanese occupation in Java, the IJA did move soem NIS Locos to Thailand but need to be regauged for Thai railway networks - those C-52 Ten-Wheeler Locos are good examples for that ...

Yeah, the level of he destruction on Thai railway networks were REALLY severe ... More than a half of Steam locos, good wagons, and pasengers were damaged beyond repair ... the destruction of Makkasan Maintainanace Center, 3 Major bridge knocked down, the destructon of Chaingmai,
Uttaradit and Thonburi station. The Railcars and Diesel Locos are at very rundown condition ... need to be canibalized to keep the other running.

It take massive effort to get it back to prewar condition ... by oridering Second-handed McArther steam Locos from USA, purchasing the war-time Locos from the Alliced Forces, the good wagons from India, bridge
reparations + track rehab. and the reconstruction of Makkasan
maintianance Center in 1951. However, Thai government has to
reorganize Railway Dept into SRT to obtain the World Bank Loan

They even removed the tracks form Nikhe to Tha Sao (Nam Tok) for the construction of Bangsue Railway Yard, Nong Pladuk-Suphan Buri, Ban Thung Pho - Khirirat Nikhom, and Kaeng Khoi - Chai Badan ...

// ------------------------------------------
That C-56 Loco at Ratchaburi must be the one beign derailed by local people ... as the anti-Japanese resistant.

von Hirschhorn

18-04-05, 06:54 PM

Some earlier questions, some new, and a answer

Quote GWR:
…700 Kilometres away. No time & no money …

OK, but what about me, 7000 km plus and for the rest the same.
Hopefully your inquiries will have any result and not the 'mai pen rai' mentality sometimes quite elegant and handy in certain situations but in respect to get things straight without use.
Ask a question and look at the faces with a smile but behind that mask the reality of don’t bother me and why you want to know. A dangerous thing (asking) because saying sorry I don’t no is more or less loosing face and that in the SEA culture is a real no no. (SEA= South East Asia)
About the measurements: between inside top of the rail.
And Japan: beside standard gauge – the skinhansen system – al other main lines are on cape gauge.
The rest of the questions are answered above.
Meanwhile I faced another problem. Someone send me a CD with more than 7000 images of Thai Railways, plain pictures with hardly any information. (Most of them copied from www.rotfaithai.com) Two steam locomotive pictures (colour), one shows the 163 and two: the 163 + 185 and another in front of what seems to be a workshop. They look brand new or refurbished? In the latter I missed something but still I cannot believe that the SRT recent put three more steam engines in service. On the picture they look able to run by themselves.
It’s for the sake of a list and a little bit peace in mind and so is the thought loco at Ban Fachi.
So you out there for one more time look around and tell what locomotive is plinthed where or hidden in someone’s backyard, a barn full of dreams and hope!

(see also this thread: list of preserved steam locomotives)
_______________________________________
Your nightrider in the wake of what seems to be thin steam air.

GWR

11-05-05, 02:24 PM

Is it possible to regauge Meter Gauge rail into Standard Gauge by utilising wider sleepers and just setting the rail at a different width?

My outsider instinct suggests that Meter Gauge track probably employs different profile & weight rail. But could this perhaps have happened in the 'make do & mend' situation of war. I continue to wonder if this line was really Standard Gauge and whether the rail was really requisitioned from Kelantan.

I will, of course, go looking for old track in the vicinity when time and funds allow. ;)

Budewizer

11-05-05, 04:25 PM

In theory yes if using wooden sleepers and they were wide enough could just move one rail outwards to give STD guage, howevr problems occur when you get to points (switches) some parts would need to be remanufactured as they wouldn't fit the new formation. Other factors such as curves, loading guage, axel loads would come ino play but in an emergency anything is possible.

FWIW
India (IR) has been converting important NG lines to BG (1676mm) and Pakistan (PR) has just started converting one to allow cross border traffic with India. They all use new materials.
Julias Berger (Nigeria) Ltd built an industrial line in the mid to late 90's in southern Nigeria with guage convertable concrete sleepers - 1067mm as standard but allowing conversion to 1435mm (STD guage) as and when a larger STD guage system is built in Nigeria.

von Hirschhorn

12-05-05, 05:37 PM

Quote:
…My outsider instinct suggests that Meter Gauge track probably employs different profile & weight rail …

Normally it does but rail comes in pieces with different weights. 600-mm gauge for example use 24-kg rail, simple tiny rods (metric values) but nothing forbid to use heavy rail (e.g. 60 kg) instead although it looks quite funny and is without any necessity unless there are heavy things to transport. My advice; opt for an other gauge.
Frankly spoken you can nail the rail on the sleeper in any gauge you want, the only question is why you should do so. If everything else for example is build on meter, why bother by building in standard and adjusting the existing rolling stock in order to roll. A waste of time and money.
Even war circumstances cannot justify the decision. So I am highly sceptic about the standard gauge of the Ban Fachi line.
Gauge decision is a thing with consequences, look at the Thai side. The Germans started building in standard, however, the British on the Southern line in meter because the Malaya network was meter. After opening of the Rama IV bridge and thus two separate networks became connected, a problem arise. It took ten years to regauge the standard to meter, first by putting in a third rail.
And now some engineers at the SRT like to have a standard gauge network instead of meter.
Dream on, who can afford the bill. Southeast Asia is bound to meter (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Birma, and a single line in Yunnan* (China)) and so it will be for the next decades.

* This is another story see:http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=683

GWR

12-05-05, 10:13 PM

The following was written offline without the benefit of having read Khun Von Hirschorn's post. I won't change my post, as I think it stands in its own right. That said, we seem to be barking at squirrels up the same papaya tree.

Given that it is technically possible and might have happened as a war contingency; why would anyone want to build a Standard Gauge Line in a Meter Gauge country? Especially since a more ambitious local military rail project (Thai-Burma) opted to stay with the local MG [Am I right in assuming this, having seen nothing to the contrary?]:-

(1) Loading. But as someone else pointed out, MG is able to acheive loadings almost equivalent to SG, with the added advantage that tighter curves & steeper gradients are possible in difficult terrain. The terrain of this line was far from easy.

(2) Availability of surplus track, locos & rolling stock from elsewhere. Someone said that Japan had many MG railways at that point. Indeed, Japanese MG locos probably had to be regauged for this line. Malaya was/is MG; in spite of the story that that is where the rails came from. Well, we now think that the track might possibly have been regauged. [We also know that rail equipment like bridges was requisitioned from Indonesia. Is there/Was there any standard gauge in Indo?].

(3) There was a need to carry loads of considerable width. The wide load that comes to mind is tanks. The Japanese had proved that they could be used in countries with a lot of rainforest; the Brits having never sent them to Malaysia because it was perceived they couldn't work in such an environment. It's surprising that the Brits never figured-out that tanks could be used in the relatively unforested areas along main routes; and that in the event of very heavy anti-tank action in a tank-unfriendly terrain bottleneck, bicycle-borne troops could fan out to outflank the obstruction. So if the Japanese envisaged the need for more tanks in Burma & India, a SG line would probably have eased their transport over a comparatively short & quickly-built route. However, I think I can blow this idea out of the water with only a minimal knowledge of railway & military technology. The Japanese tanks & trucks of that era appear to have been somewhat smaller than some of those used in the European theater. Indeed, they were often typified derisively as 'boxcars' in western propaganda [effectively ignoring the fact that 'a boxcar is better than no boxcar'; which is undoubtedly how it played out in Malaya]. Added to which, I have actually seen more modern tanks, armoured cars & trucks being carried on SRT low-loader bogies.

I'm sure there are some arguments I've left out here; probably through subject ignorance. However, it seems to me that no rail historian has ever bothered to figure out why this decision was made. If they have, they're certainly keeping the answers close.

I suspect that the documentation for this line has all been destroyed. As one of my contacts put it on a related issue, 'we have no local perspective'. To put it diplomatically (I hope, since I have no axe to grind on the big picture 'reasons'), there was obviously a hasty need on both sides to bury evidence that would stand in the way of new alliances.

And that is another reason why I find it strange that SRT should choose to plinth a loco at Ban Fachi. A commemoration at a site that no one would ever normally associate with the cold steel rail, since the line died almost before it was used. Added to which it indicates a historic activity which most other agencies have tried to forget.

Maybe the answers are stareing me in the face. Internet's huge disadvantage is that the reader almost always blunders into a topic at the wrong point in the 'connectivity chaos'. And the sheer overload of info stops her/him from quickly glimpsing some very simple truths; something that is usually effected with ease in more traditional texts.

Wisarut

13-05-05, 11:46 AM

BTW, Japanese Railway mainly use 3 Feet 6 Inch gauge (1.067 m).

Therefore, IJA has to regauge their C-56 Loco, NIS Loco (AKA C-52 Loco) since 3 Feet 6 inch Gauge of both Japanese and Java could NOT be used in Thailand without regauging. The regauging had been done at Yokjakata
and Samarang (or even at Makkasan - according to the report in 50-Year anniversary of Railway Dept pubished in 1947 -> very hard to find book) though.

Railway system in Java used to have mixed network of standard gauge
(1.435 m) and cape gauge (1.067 m) during the Dutch colonization until
the IJA Decree in 1942 to change all tracks in Java into Cape gauge (or japanese gauge if you preferr) which Japanese Loco could be used without regauging. The standard gauge locos in Java have been shipped to IJA stationed in Manchuria

The discovery of C56 Loco sunk in the bottom Mae Klong river
at Ratchaburi has confirmed that C56 have been regauged before being
used in Thai-Malay-Burmese railway system ....

According to the Supreme Commander HQ Papers from National Archieves,
there are a few reports on the usages of Kra Railway (Chum Phon- La Un)
by local fishermen in addition to the IJA even though the line was NOT
fully DONE yet.

GWR

13-05-05, 07:46 PM

I'm also deeply sceptical that this line was ever SG. And I suspect investigation of the plinthed loco won't help that argument. For the following reason. Surviving locos from this line would probably have been re-regauged to MG to work on Thailand's main railways at a time of loco shortage after the war. And I can't imagine anyone re-re-regauging a plinthed loco (& its accompanying track) to SG just for the sake of historical accuracy and realism. I guess I'll believe it only when someone finds some SG track relics. These might well exist at the termini of this line, where the lifting of sidings might sometimes be considered not worth the bother. You would think that local 'salings' would have a field day with such scrap, but I'm here to tell you that much of the rail on the Old Songkhla line is still in situ.Hell, they even just tarmacced over it on road crossings. I guess not everyone could handle such large scrap item; especially when there was no ready market for it. Even track lifted for recent canal widening in Hat-Yai has just been dumped alongside the site. No one appears to want it just yet. And perhaps this is one crime against the state that is treated very seriously by judges.

Khun Wisaruth's comments suggest that some of the SG rail MIGHT have come from Indo post 1942.We certainly know that some Indonesian bridges ended up here. Could it also be that there was some SG track equipment was left over in stockpiles from Thailand's own SG era? And that someone realised that it could help the war effort. We know that a Thai General & Prince was involved in the planning & implementation of the line. We also know that some of the remaining track from the lifted sections of the Death Railway was eventually used after many years to build the Supanburi line. And I believe I'm right in saying that the military suggested the use of this rail because they had some long-term military purpose for the line (which never materialised). (Perhaps there wasn't enough stockpiled track left to get to Lopburi. And Treasury wasn't prepared to shell out for new stuff. This has frequently happened to such projects.)

I suspect the military probably has quite a history of trying to use up surplus track stockpiles. One wonders if they decided to build the Suwankhalok line partly because there was rail left over from the construction of the Northern Line; for example.

Wisarut

13-05-05, 08:22 PM

Nope, All Standard gauge Equaipment from NIS (Java) went into machuria ... No way to go to Thailand at all.

Mikado 962 is originally delivered in 1950 from Japanese Loco producer
as a war repatriate, so it is meter gauge from the origin though.

Well, All Loco from Standard gauge era (except the scrapped ones)
have been regauged by Makkasan workers in the mid 1920's until 1929 ..
so NO standard gauge loco left .... NOT even the equipment for
Standard gauge SURVIVED after 1930 - ALL Scrapped.

The decision for Sawankahloke branch line (still use the good old
50 Lb/yard rail since the first days in 1909) was due to the fact that
It served Sawankhaloke Province (whne Sukhothai was just a district
within Sawankhaloke province) and those who live along Yom river -
including Denchai when the rail has NOT reached Denchai Yet.
It was ABSOLUTELY tough to contruct the track from Sila At to
Chiang mai ...even the route to Denchai was REALLY tough.

Even after regauging in 1930, Swankhaloke line still used 50 lb/yard rail instead of upgrading with 60 lb/yard as theri peers. Even after the
track rehabilitation in 2002, Sawankhaloke line did NOT get 70 lb/yard rail
to replace the good old 50 lb/yard rail due to very few daily trips
between Ban dara and Swankhaloke.

Wongwian Yai - Mahachai got rehab by using 70lb/yard rail due to
the frequent commuter service (34 trips a day- fewer than the old
42 trips a day in the past).

GWR

13-05-05, 09:55 PM

:confused: Sorry if I like to go off on a 'Wild Goose' Chase. But judging by your useful response, it works.
So that Loco was not used on this line during the war, but was a 1950 War Reparation. If anything, it now seems even more bizarre that SRT would plinth a loco at Ban Fachi.

von Hirschhorn

14-05-05, 05:15 AM

No, a ‘Wild Goose’ has more charm than a ‘Tame Duck.’ The replies (after my last) are quite useful. First of all something about the rail historians, my thoughts are that even amongst them this line is unknown or better spoken was unknown for short. (look at me said the madmen and spins another round) I think too that most of the papers concerning this enterprise are lost or stored in a far away archive beyond public access.
On the other hand eleven months is not enough to build up an substantial archive and for the Japanese the railway was only a means to reach a different goal, hasty laid with insufficient materials but further nothing to bother about as long as the goods came where they wanted. The similarities with the Burma line are obvious. It is this line that became a short of publication hype after the war with all the attention focused on and (almost) none for the others. Recent I attended a lecture about the Pakanbaru railway on Sumatra, new to me but on the other hand so familiar, so well-known, it good have been happen on the Burma line. (and in fact it did – same play, different scenery)
In my eyes it’s less bizarre that the SRT plinth a loco here. They just do it and have no deeper thoughts behind or worse, and I hate to say this, hardly any or poor historic notion and knowledge. (or real interest) Look at the way for years the Burma line history was treated in two Thai museums at Kanchanaburi, one by a monk and the other by a wealthy family. The two other (new) museums – ‘Hellfire pass memorial’ and ‘Thailand – Burma railway centre’ - are a foreign enterprise, well documented and artefacts displayed in a proper manner.
However, a visit to the burden grounds and some digging or searching in weeds and undergrowth, will give us the ultimate answer. To bad I am not in Chiang Mai at the moment, my hands are itching to do so!

Wisarut

14-05-05, 09:00 PM

The space constrain inside Hua Lamphong terminal has prevent SRT
from plinting Mikado 962 so they decide to plint C56 No. 714 instead
even though that C56 should be at Khao Fah Chi (No Ban Fa Chi PLEASE!).

GWR

14-05-05, 11:27 PM

Khao Fa Chi it is from now on!

I'm currently reading McCormack & Nelson's 'The Burma-Thailand Railway'. Much as I haven't spent a lot of time on this & other rather dilletante-style research, I have yet to find any account of POW & 'Romusha' Slave Labor on this line, other than this entry from the following posts in this thread:-
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4131&postcount=6
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4137&postcount=7
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4138&postcount=8
On May 31 1943 an agreement was signed, between the Thai Supreme Commander and the Commander of the Japanese Army, for the construction of a railway through the Kra Isthmus. The shortage of labour was a major problem because the majority of Thai villagers were employed in other areas of the war. No heavy earth moving equipment was available and the excavation relied heavily upon manual labour provided by Malaysian and Chinese workers. Thai carpenters were used for the construction of the wooden bridges.

Work on the railway commenced in June 1943 and the rails had been laid by November 1943. Prisoners of war and labourers were brought by train from Chumpon Railway Station. They were then marched a long distance to the construction sites. Many of these workers died from disease. Some of the prisoners escaped to Petchaburi and survived by begging for food from villagers on the way. Prisoners that were recaptured by the Japanese were treated very harshly and returned to prison.
Almost certainly the Thai Laborers were paid; although doubtlessly they were also treated in a shameful fashion. One suspects that the POWS involved may not have been the more vocal Euros & Antipodeans; or that if they were, there were few left to tell the tale. Thai Chinese were often conscripted by voluntary & forceable means; but many of them appear to have been well aware of the dreadful conditions, and sensibly found ways to either avoid going to such workcamps; or ran away from them at the first op. The silence about work practices on this line also tends to suggest heavy use of Indonesian & Tamil 'romusha'; long since dead or silenced by the threat of further & later atrocities in their own lands.
I still think about the Indonesian who was pressganged, but who escaped to live out his days in this Soi. Stateless and Silent to the Last!

GWR

15-05-05, 12:05 AM

Interesting to see if this place has any evidence or relics:-
Chumphon National Museum Located in Chumphon Governmental Center on Phetkasem Road at the 484-km marker before approaching Pathomphon Junction, the museum displays historical and important ancient materials of Chumphon. The displays are divided into the following parts : History of Chumphon; Chumphon during World War II; Chumphon and the Typhoon; Nature and Outstanding Heritage of Chumphon by means of pictures and movies. The museum is open for the public from Wednesday to Sunday, except official holidays, during 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission fee for foreigners are 30 Baht per person.

GWR

16-05-05, 12:41 AM

Unfortunately, I have lost the exact statistic from the Death Railway, but if one were to apply the fatality count/km on the line and then apply it to this line you would arrive at about 5,000 POW fatalities. And that's before we ever even consider the almost certainly much higher Romusha fatalities.

That said, one suspects that the same level of fatalities did not occur on this line. There must be some reason why so little has been said about this line; perhaps the fatalities were in hundreds rather than than thousands.

There might well be some reasons for lower fatalities:-

(1) Much shorter route that does not entail such remote labor camps; so camps are easier to supply and keep some level of discipline amongst the guards.

(2) The IJA actually learned something from their abyssmal foulups further north.

(3) Better command structure. POWs reported that some commanders did show some level of compassion and better organization.

(4) This may well be the most important. This line was built parallel to an existing route. Many fatalities on the Death Railway could be attributed to the terrible conditions on new roads built to aid the construction. Logistics were an absolute nightmare; leaving paranoid pressganged Korean guards with few provisions. In many cases, Korean guards were convinced that eventually the Japanese or the POWs would slaughter them. And of course they could always be overrun or bombed by allied forces. Violence probably seemed the only way for the Koreans to keep their Japanese Commandants satisfied, keep POWs in check and act out their own traumas from the frequent beatings, deprivations and racial slurs (from their supposed Japanese compatriots). Not to mention the fact that they were undoubtedly 'looked down on' by their own prisoners, who carried their own baggage of patronising 'Empire' values. No excuse, of course; but one wonders how many of us would remain even remotely sane under such a regime.

(5) Easier terrain than the DR, with 'dock' facilities at both ends of the line.

(6) As a 'minor' project, this project may not have been under the same heavy pressure to achieve at any cost. One should never lose sight of the fact that the Japanese actually came seriously unstuck in Burma. 50% of their military casualties occurred in this one theater; and as much of it was from disease & malnutrition as from allied attack.

Again, trying to make amends for their overambition through expending POWs is totally reprehensible, but ordinary IJA soldiers had been nurtured in an environment of blind acceptance at any cost. Burma really was Japan's 'Bridge Too Far'. All the inadequacies of their feudal system came home to roost in the face of their overreaching 'modern' ambitions. [Of course, the same could just as easily be said of the British Empire at the same point in history.]
---------------------------------------------------------------
Although only a fairly short line, tracklaying appears to have proceeded quite fast. This relative speed and perhaps better planning may have avoided quite so many POW & Romusha fatalities. That said, the reality was almost certainly almost as bad as the DR. Perhaps, the cover-up was also more successful.

Who can really blame the Chinese for their continuing distrust of Japan! The evidence is there that the real 'puppetmasters' behind Japan's Imperial ambitions were almost entirely unpunished & incapable of facing up to their responsibility for such foulups & atrocities. Only a few relatively minor military toerags and their Korean slaves ended up paying the ultimate price; and I note that even some POWs believe that was an element of 'scapegoating' in the War Trials.

Wisarut

22-05-05, 06:28 PM

Accordign to the records from the interviews with tyhose who was at teen or 20's and withnessed the construction of Kra Canal Railway ... They said that Kra Railay DID reach Khao Fah Chee - after the construction started from Chumporn in late 1943 but this line is ONLY 11 months before IJA has dismanted the track to repare the main routes. And Allied Force removed
the rest.

The ONLY reminant of thsi railway is "Thanon Anusorn Songkram" the small road that was built on the former Kra Canal Railway Track

GWR

24-05-05, 02:27 PM

Surveying of the railway route began on May 16th 1943. Japanese Lieutenant-Colonel Kumota and Thai Major Prince Chidchanok with a staff of 15 people carried out the survey.

Information really does come from the strangest of sources. I'm amazed how often my own scanty library provides clues.

This is a short excerpt from Thomas D'Agnes's 'From Condoms to Cabbages' (2001, page 174 and pictures & notes on pages 198-200), an authorised biography of Mechai Viravaidya; Thailand's very famous 'Family-Planning' Khru and Senator; and the reason why condoms are often nicknamed 'Meechais'. Highly recommended reading for insights into Modern Thailand. Mechai also runs the 'Condoms & Cabbages' restaurants & resorts, and is a veritable one-man PR machine for social causes in the Kingdom.
.
Khun Mechai's wife's maiden name was Mom Rachawongse Putrie Kritakara. Mom Rachawongse Putrie Viravaidya will be be a familiar face to anyone who watches Thai television news, as she is Secretary-General of the Privy Council. MR Putrie accompanies the Queen on many public engagements.

Quote below:-

' Putrie's lineage descends from the Royal Family. Her paternal grandfather was the son of King Rama IV and the first Mon offspring of the Royal Family. Her maternal grandfather was the son of King Rama III. Her father, Mom Chao Jitchanok Kritakara was a cavalry officer working in the Ministry of Defense as a young cadet. Mom Chao Jitchanok was sent to England for military training at Sandhurst. He had learned to speak English from his paternal grandmother, who in turn was taught her English by Anna Leonowens.

His position in the MOD required frequent overseas diplomatic service. During the Second World War, Mom Chao Jitchanok was a liaison officer between the Thai Military and the Japanese forces stationed in Thailand under General Nakamura. After the war, he was a member of the diplomatic mission negotiating the terms of the peace accord in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 1947, he was appointed as the Military & Air Attaché to Britain His entire family joined him for this assignment, including Putrie, who was five years old at the time.'

And in the Chapter Notes:-

Mom Chao literally means 'His Serene Royal Highness' or grand-child of a King. In practical terms, a Mom Chao is considered a Prince in the hierarchy of the Royal Family. Mom Chao Chitchanok was the younger brother of Prince Boworadet, who led the aborted rebellion against Phibunsongkhram in 1933.

Mom Chao Jitchanok went on to be Head of the Cavalry Division and Military Intelligence. Later, he was stationed in Washington, DC. In 1958 he became the Thai Ambassador to Japan, and ended his career as the Ambassador to Ethiopia.

HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej presided over Mechai & Putrie's wedding in 1971. In this 'crop' (below)of their wedding photo, the gentleman at the back right is almost certainly Mechai's father, Samak. In which case, Mom Chao Jitchanok is almost certainly at the back right. The gentleman in the middle is almost certainly an esteemed family friend of Mom Chao Jitchanok. This gentleman’s facial features & Thai Civil Service uniform suggest that he might be a person of mixed Thai & Japanese descent; although it is not unknown for expatriates to wear these uniforms if engaged in work for the Thai State:-

http://tinypic.com/5cfx8h

One wonders where Doctor Ella, Mechai's Scottish mother, is in this photo. Did she perhaps take it? During the Japanese occupation, she remained uninterned by resigning her medical positions and hiding in then rural Sukhumvit Soi 39. Doctor Samak volunteered medical care to British POWS and internees; and their gratitude for his attention & company was rewarded with frequent donations of medical equipment after the war.

GWR

26-05-05, 04:03 PM

http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4776&postcount=1
Follow the link to find the fascinating biography of another 'Kridakara' who fell out of favor because of his links with 'Boworadet'. I need to read this further to figure out the exact relationship. I doubt that the mystery middle man in the photo was Prince Sithiporn because of his advanced age in 1972. In fact, I don't know yet when he died. Let's just say that the photo in this link shows some family resemblance.
http://www.rmaf.org.ph/Awardees/ImgAwardees/ImgKridakaraSit.jpg
Future discussion of this topic will be in the Thai History Thread above, unless it's more railway-related.

Wisarut

26-05-05, 05:58 PM

For the case of Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara (Kritsadakorn) [1883 - 1971], his is "the Farther of Modern Thai Agriculture" thanks to hispioneer at Bang Berd Farm in Prachuab Khirikhan ... He pubished his magazine abotu the modern agriculture since 1927 and MOAC has decied to take over this pubishing jobs later on.

Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara was thrown in Tarutao Prison
from 1933 to 1945 due to his blood connection with
fugitive Gen. Prince Bowondej who escaped into Indochina (Vietnam)
after the failed coup. - Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara is a younger
borther of Gen. Prince Bowondej.

Well, Momchao Sitthiporn Kridakara has his own words often quoted:
"Money is illusion - Food is the real thing!" ... He pased away in 1971 though.

GWR

26-05-05, 10:54 PM

Thanks for giving us the year he died. He must thus have been about 88 when he died. That means he wasn't at the wedding in 1972. I now guess that the thin-faced man in the middle was MC Jitjanok himself; or perhaps MC Sithiporn's oldest son from his first marriage, Amnuayporn.

I'm going to continue the MC Sithiporn saga in the Thai History Subforum, so I hope you don't mind if I transfer your quote over there.

As an ex-agriculturalist myself, I completely share his sentiments.

MC Sithiporn - Thai History Subforum (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4776&postcount=1)

GWR

26-05-05, 11:32 PM

http://www.thaiembassy.jp/embassy-e/image/itchanok.jpg
H.S.H. Prince Jitjanok Kritakara, Thai Ambassador to Japan from1958-1964; as pictured by the Thai Embassy in Japan. This tends to suggest he is the gentleman at center back in Khun Mechai's Wedding Photo.

GWR

03-06-05, 05:03 PM

Some evidence from an Australian POW, Elliot McMaster, who seems to have been engaged in repairing bomb damage to the railways:-

http://greatlakeshistorical.museum.com/burmarailway/chumphon.html
QUOTE:-
TO CHUMPHON CAMP
After few weeks here, 300 Aussies were loaded on the rail and headed south on the Singapore line, passing Ratburi (where I was eventually released), Pataya and many other places, eventually reaching Chumphon on the east coast of the Kra Isthmus.

Chumphon is the junction of the railway which runs across the Isthmus to Victoria Point in the extreme south of Burma.

Here we were billeted in an "attap" hut camp on the outskirts of Chumphon (a fairly large town at the mouth of a river, crossed by a large steel bridge, which was badly damaged by our bombers - and of course vital on the line linking Bangkok and Singapore).

BOMBED BRIDGE

Our first job was raising a smaller steel span of bridge back up onto concrete piles, from the bed of the river, where it had been blown by some of our 1,000 pound bombs.

We achieved this task the with aid of about a dozen huge railway screw jacks set in a row across and under the span. The land end was still on its abutments. We had to crouch in an area 3 or 4 feet high, and, as we slowly raised the steel span, we pig-styed a huge stack of rail sleepers, using them as temporary pier. We got it working again.

I remember one day, I had to stand on a 1,000 pound dud bomb to work on the bridge. I was hoping it wasn't a delayed action bomb, as many were. They were designed to keep enemy from attempting rapid repairs. Fortunately, it was genuine dud.

ATTACKED BY OUR AIRCRAFT

One day, while returning to the railway via the bridge approach, I happened to be leading the group, when suddenly I spotted a distant plane coming fast.

I yelled "sqwaucki" (Japanese for plane) and joined the wild rush to be anywhere but near the bridge or rail line.

I remember Cush Evans ran down a track across the line towards the west. After running half a mile, he pulled up, surprised to see two Japs coming back from up ahead. Cush thought he was pretty fast but the Japs left him for dead!

ONE HOUR OF BOMBING

Twenty Liberators began a round and round beat - up from the rail station, line and bridge.

There were no ack ack guns, so the bombers came down as low as they liked and stayed for about an hour. There was quite a mess for us to clean up afterwards!

Liberator B-24

BUDDHA UNSCATHED

A small Buddhist Temple was totally destroyed yet, strangely, the golden Buddha idol was left sitting, apparently unscathed.

MET A PILOT LATER

In I946 in Taree, New South Wales, I casually met Denby Campbell (from the nearby town of Forster) whom I had attended school with. He is a beaut bloke.

Denby was a fantastic athlete and all-round sportsman. He had joined the RAAF as a bomber pilot.

We talked of where we spent our war years and discovered he had been in a bomber in the Chumphon raid.

I rarely saw him after that. I had the feeling he felt guilty about dropping bombs on us, not that he could possibly have known we were there. He was merely obeying orders anyway.

BOMBED AGAIN BY OURS

On another occasion, at another camp, we were a few kilometres south of Chumphon.

One day, the line was raided by bombers. We had to take to the paddy fields and sought shelter behind the raised banks separating rice fields.

The planes came in very low - about 150 feet altitude. As one flew past we could clearly see two men standing in its doorway.

One silly P.O.W., without thinking, and in the joy of the moment at seeing one of our own chaps, waved his hat at them and almost instantly our area was blasted by heavy machine gun fire.

We sure hugged the dirt and certainly didn't hail any more planes, friendly or not.

When we eventually went back to work on line, I remember seeing rail-line sliced like butter by armour-piercing 0.5 machine gun rounds or bullets and realised how lucky we had been.

RAILWAY YARD DAMAGE

Back at Chumphon, there was the evidence of damage at the railway junction yard despite cleaning up that had been done.

There were bomb craters, almost large enough to drop a large truck into.

Lying on top of one steel box carriage, was another steel box car, with all of its wheels pointing skywards. It had obviously been blown there by a bomb blast. I guess they didn't know how to get it down, other than let it fall down.

http://greatlakeshistorical.museum.com/burmarailway/recollections.html
http://greatlakeshistorical.museum.com/burmarailway/warend.html
http://greatlakeshistorical.museum.com/burmarailway/free.html

GWR

03-06-05, 05:06 PM

I guess he got it mixed up with Hua-Hin. I doubt that Pattaya was much more than a village until it was discovered by American Forces on R&R decades later. And the railway came much later.

The Kra Railway stopped way short of Victoria Point, too.

GWR

07-09-05, 12:36 AM

Found this frustrating snippet from HighBeam Research. Not being in possession of a creditcard, I had to forego MY FREE TRIAL READING OF THE FULL ARTICLE :mad: I'll see if it is available at NST itself:-
http://static.elibrary.com/n/newstraitstimes/october152002/roleplayedbymalayanforcedlabourers/index.html
New Straits Times

10-15-2002

Role played by Malayan forced labourers
Edition: Main/Lifestyle; 2*
Section: Nation

THE 90km railway line connecting Chumporn town near the Gulf of Siam and Khao Fachi on the other side of the Kra Isthmus has been confirmed as having been built almost entirely by Malayan workers during the Second World War.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery manager Rod Beattie said based on written and visual records collected to date, the Kraburi Railway was built within one year in 1944 and involved only Malayan forced labourers, especially Indians.
"We have the photos and films which show these Malayan workers clearing the route and constructing the track," he said, adding that the labourers included women and children.

He said one of the written records mentioned the case of an Indian woman from Malaya who carried sleepers a few hours after she gave birth.

He said the first 70km track was ...

GWR

07-09-05, 01:05 AM

There is an NST article in its archives. Anyone here with a Credit Card or a current subscription to NST:-
http://202.184.94.19/bin/main.exe?state=pr1ums.1.1&f=archtoc&p_toc=archtoc&p_search=search&p_help=s_help&a_search=Search&p_s_ALL=khao+fachi&p_op_ALL=AND&p_plural=no&p_s_PU=NST&fdy=2002&tdy=2005&fdm=1&tdm=12&fdd=1&tdd=31&p_L=25&p_SortBy1=DA&p_Ascend1=YES
1. NST 15/10/2002 Role played by Malayan forced labourers (290 wds)
THE 90km railway line connecting Chumporn town near the Gulf of Siam and Khao Fachi on the other side of the Kra Isthmus has been confirmed as having been built almost entirely by Malayan workers during the Second World War. Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery manager Rod Beattie said based on written and visual records collected to date, the Kraburi Railway was built within one year in 1944 and involved only Malayan forced labourers, especially Indians.

I'm also looking to see if the CWGC have an archive material.

Wisarut

07-09-05, 09:42 PM

Better contactwith KTM Railway Fan to do this down and dirty job for you at
http://www.ktmrailwayfan.com :D

GWR

09-09-05, 12:24 AM

http://www.ktmrailwayfan.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7861#7861

From the above link, we already have the suggestion that some of the rail came from the Tampines-Malacca Branch in then Malaya. And a local claim that rail from the Ipoh-Teronoh Branch was used for 'the Death Railway'. One can imagine IJA using their Malayan Tamil slave labor force to actually remove the track before using them to reassemble it in Thailand.

Hafizia wrote:
The Ipoh and Teronoh link was sadly not restored after WW2 (It was taken off by the Japanese for the Death Railway construction - and I have reason to believe it used to be from Lahat to Tronoh, not Ipoh. I have to check again tho). There are traces of crew quarters though here in Teronoh - I've seen them - and some old folks have been kind enough to show me where the tracks used to lay. I've been told that there are more significant traces of the old track in a small town about eight kilometres North of here - Seputeh - will check that out and see if there's anything.

GWR

09-09-05, 01:24 AM

This scanned book chapter, courtesy of Airlana contains a 'second page' with a map of the Federated States Railway of Malaya from 1936, clearly showing an Ipoh-Teronoh Branchline:-
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/lanastar/MalayaRail.htm

GWR

09-09-05, 03:22 PM

Wikipedia also says that the Malacca branch Line in (then) Malaya was lifted by the Imperial Japanese Army to help build the 'Death Railway'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacca
Tampin, a town 30km north of Malacca town, is the nearest train station that serves Malacca. There were railway tracks from Tampin to Melaka before World War II but was dismantled by the Japanese during the war for the construction of the infamous Burmese Death Railway. It was never rebuilt after the war though traces of the line remain.

I don't suppose we'll ever know how much of the stolen rail from Kelantan, Malacca & Ipoh actually ended up on the Kanchanaburi & Chumpon-Khao Fachi railways respectively. No doubt it had to be supplemented by other rail equipment from Indonesia. The return of the stolen rail equipment from the Chumpon line in 1946 to Malaya in 1946 was probably only enough for patching wartime damage to mainlines; and that's probably one of the reasons why the Terenoh & Malacca Branches were not reinstated.

GWR

10-09-05, 11:57 PM

http://www.ktmrailwayfan.com
A 1919 picture of Pusing Station, Perak State, (then) Malaya on the Ipoh-Teronoh Branchline; built to service the area's then highly-productive tin mines. This railway was one of the lines 'lifted' by the Imperial Japanese Army to build Kanchanaburi's Death Railway and the Chumpon-Khao Fachi Line:-
http://www.ktmrailwayfan.com/pics/details.php?image_id=832&mode=search

GWR

11-09-05, 10:51 PM

http://www.tbrconline.com

Has anyone visited this museum opposite the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Cemetery in Kanchanaburi? Any comments?

The Thailand-Burma Railway Centre is an interactive museum, information and research facility dedicated to presenting the history of the Thailand-Burma Railway. This ran 415 km from Ban Pong in Thailand to Thanbuyuzayat in Burma, and was built by the Imperial Japanese Army during the second World War using Allied prisoners of war and impressed Asian labourers. The Centre is fully air-conditioned and offers the visitor an educational and moving experience.

Map of Location:-
http://www.tbrconline.com/images/kanmap.jpg

It appears that the Cemetery Manager at CWGC Kanchanaburi is none other than the Rod Beattie quoted in the recently cited New Straits Times article. He's also the TBRC's Museum Curator.

I've asked Rod by email if it might be possible to view any of the data about the Chumphon-Khao Fachi line that he mentioned in the article. I suppose some of it might be available at the Museum, but I've also asked him if he knows of any publications on the subject. However, I suspect Rod gets many enquiries of this nature, and is probably honor-bound to deal with those from the families affected by the TBR first. So it might be better to just visit the museum to try and find this evidence.

I'd like to visit this museum, but it could be a while before I do so. In the meantime, it might make an interesting weekend visit (& 2Bkk report) for one of our Bangkok-based posters.

GWR

12-09-05, 11:00 PM

A post on the victims of both Death Railways:-
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?p=6197#post6197

GWR

12-09-05, 11:22 PM

The Kra Isthmus Railway - David Boggett - Faculty of Humanities, Kyoto Seika University

A lot more evidence in this report, complete with pictures & maps. I usually balk at pdf downloads, but this one is entirely worthwhile:-
http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/johokan/kiyo/pdf-data/no27/david.pdf

This article is heavily referenced, and includes a couple of references that can still be easily purchased.

The map shows that the railway was not extended to the Port of Pak Nam Chumphon, where many Japanese commandeered ships docked during the war. No reason is given for this.

GWR

12-09-05, 11:52 PM

Thai version of the article on Ranong Province's Website that originally inspired this whole thread. Thanks to Khun Wisaruth for this find!:-
http://www.ranong.go.th/war2.htm
The Thai version contains some different & larger images; including this interesting sketchmap of Khao Fachi:-
http://www.ranong.go.th/lmenu3/war2/map.htm
And in English:-
http://www.ranong.go.th/english/trace.htm

von Hirschhorn

13-09-05, 07:43 PM

Quote: Has anyone visited this museum opposite the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Cemetery in Kanchanaburi? Any comments?

Yes, several times, the only comment; by far the best documented site for facts and figures although the Hellfire Pass memorial museum is almost equal.
However, the latter provides a life experience by walking the track bed and feeling what it must have been for the men who were brutally forced to build this notorious railway. One should visit both, its worth to keep the memory vivid. History proofs that learning from history is another thing.

GWR

13-09-05, 11:01 PM

[B]The Kra Isthmus Railway - David Boggett - Faculty of Humanities, Kyoto Seika University:-
http://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/johokan/kiyo/pdf-data/no27/david.pdf

There's a seemingly HUGE discrepancy in Boggett's report. He tells us that the Thai-Burma (Death) Railway (of Kanchanaburi) was not the first attempted link between these two countries. He calls the much shorter Kra Railway 'The first attempt to link the two countries' railroad systems ..... '. Here, he completely ignores the fact that the Kraburi Railway didn't even run into Burma; indeed it came nowhere even remotely close to a railway in Burma. And no one else (to my knowledge) has ever attempted to call the Kraburi Railway 'The first attempt'. He tells us that construction on the Kraburi line commenced in June 1943 and was finished by the end of November, 1943. And he goes on to make further time reference observations that continue to give the impression that the Kraburi line came first.

The introduction to McCormack & Nelson's 'The Burma-Thailand Railway' tells us straightaway that the BTR (TBR elsewhere) was built from November 1942 to October, 1943.

ncr

14-09-05, 01:11 AM

Has anyone visited this museum opposite the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Cemetery in Kanchanaburi? Any comments?Yes, been there last year (and posted a thread about it: A must-see in Kanchanaburi (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=467).

An excellent museum. (I mean, probably the best museum in Thailand.)

It appears that the Cemetery Manager at CWGC Kanchanaburi is none other than the Rod Beattie quoted in the recently cited New Straits Times article. He's also the TBRC's Museum Curator.Yes. I think I saw him there, explaining some exhibit in the main entrance hall to visitors.

I'd like to visit this museum, but it could be a while before I do so. In the meantime, it might make an interesting weekend visit (& 2Bkk report) for one of our Bangkok-based posters.That's for sure. Not far from here, and absolutely worth visiting.

ncr

14-09-05, 01:19 AM

The Kra Isthmus Railway - David Boggett - Faculty of Humanities, Kyoto Seika University

A lot more evidence in this report, complete with pictures & maps.And one of the photos (p.32, or p.7 in the PDF) shows that Mikado loco No. 962 in Khao Fa Chi that couldn't clearly be identified elsewhere.

GWR

14-09-05, 09:59 AM

Khao Fachi (La-Un near Ranong) 962 Mikado 2-8-2 1950 Hitachi (Japan) 2054 previous location: Thonburi
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/steam/trains/thaipreserved.htm

Wisarut

14-09-05, 10:14 AM

List of stations of Kra Buri Line:

1) Chum Porn (On the Main Line)
2) Wang Phai
3) Tha Sarn (Ban Tha Sarn)
4) Pak Chan (Ban Klong Chan, Pak Chan Commune)
5) Thab Lee (Ban Thab Lee)
6) Kra Buri (Kra Buri District)
7) Klong Lamliang (Lamliang Canal)
8) Khao Pha Chee (Terminal with permanent structure -> not bamboo huts like other stations -> having Weapon Depot, Oil Depot, and Ration depot and pier at Klong La Un)

Constructed: June 1943
Opened: November 1943

Locos: The Heavy Locos for track maintianance borrowed from RSR (Royal State Railways) and Japanese diesel trucks which can be run on railwya track by removing the wheels

Track: Stripped mainly from Instrustrial Railway (Railway in the forest estate, and mines) in Kelantan

Bombing:

Nov 1944: 20 bombers of B24 Type bombed Chum Porn station yard -> rail damaged, and the boats nearby sunk on the river

March 19,1945: [2 PM - 6 PM] 30 Bombers of B24 (or B29) type bombed Godown, Klogn La Un Pier (near Khao Phachee station) as wellasChumporn - Kraburi railway lines -> sunk lots ships

June 15, 1944: IJA remopved the track from Khao Pha chee by 22 km to be used for reparing the other railway tracks

August 19, 1945: British Army had removed all the remaining track back to Kelantan - end of Kra Buri Line

GWR

14-09-05, 10:36 AM

The Kra Isthmus Railway - David Boggett - Faculty of Humanities, Kyoto Seika Universityhttp://www.kyoto-seika.ac.jp/johokan/kiyo/pdf-data/no27/david.pdf

This article mentions the fact that the invading IJA approached the city from the North, but met resistance from Colonel Thawin Niyomsaen and a force of student millitary cadets on 8th December, 1941 at the Tha Nang Sang Bridge.

This bridge is easily found. It's on Route 4 just North of the intersection where it veers West to Ranong. About 0.5 kms North of the intersection, Route 4 crosses a major khlong. If you turn your eyes East whilst crossing this modern bridge you will note the timber remains of an old bridge running parallel. There isn't much left other than the timber pilings on each bank; very much as shown in the picture with this article. What the article doesn't make clear is that it is showing you the remains of the old bridge with the modern bridge immediately behind.

One imagines that the IJA wanted to avoid the center of Chumphon. By heading North of the city center they would have been able to block the main line to the South and then move onto secure this major bridge and nearby intersection; much more important objectives than the market, and involving little damage to the station through head on attack.

GWR

14-09-05, 10:52 AM

Track: Stripped mainly from Instrustrial Railway (Railway in the forest estate, and mines) in Kelantan

Bombing:

Nov 1944: 20 bombers of B24 Type bombed Chum Porn station yard -> rail damaged, and the boats nearby sunk on the river

Thanks for that. Your comment that the IJA stripped industrial lines in Kelantan seems to fit in with my idea that they would hardly have wanted to rip up mainline track in Kelantan. But of course, we still haven't had the definitive answer as to whether the Kra Isthmus Railway was Standard Gauge or not. I'm certainly sceptical, but it seems to be frequently asserted by many sources. I'd like to go and check this line for clues, but time is always a bit short. Hopefully, others will read this and go take a 'butchers'.

The fact that boats were sank on the canal near the station suggests that IJA may have built a spurline to offload ship cargo at this point. Perhaps lighters were used to transfer cargoes from larger ships lying off the coast. Perhaps they considered the port facilities at Pak Nam Chumphon inadequate and highly vulnerable to attack; and thus decided NOT to run this line to the existing port.

Wisarut

14-09-05, 11:41 AM

RSR has Scrapped the remaining 28 standard gauge locos by Jan 1930
Thererfore, it is IMPOSSIBLE that it will be standard gauge .... since Kra railway has used RSR Locos ....

[Ref: RSR Annual Report of Year BE 2472 Pubished in BE2474 (1931)].

ncr

14-09-05, 03:12 PM

Hopefully, others will read this and go take a 'butchers'.Why you start to speak Cockney now? Thought you were from Wales? (Or am I mixing you up with The Enforcer?) :)

von Hirschhorn

14-09-05, 05:22 PM

Quote: Boggett's report tells us that the Thai-Burma Railway was not the first attempted link between these two countries.

I am not so sure about this.
The British undertook a survey around the twenties for a possible link between Burma – by that time under their influence – and Thailand. The idea was abandoned because of the different terrain situation. Good aerial photographs were rare those days. (I suppose) A look at road 323 in my opinion learns that this alignment is easier than the chosen railway alignment especially beyond Nam Tok.
However, the Japanese were in a state of hurry and proceed with was available, the British survey with all the consequences we know all to well. Give an order to build a railway like this today and under the same circumstances, no company is able to do this within 13 months like the Japanese did.
By the way: The real TBR building started in September 1942 till October, 1943.

GWR

19-09-05, 11:03 PM

Khun Wisaruth has started a string on 'The Origin of the Death Railway' in the 'Second World War History' Forum that also discusses the Kra Isthmus Railway:-
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=1156

GWR

16-10-05, 09:40 PM

I recently sent this email:-

Dear Mr Beattie,
> I understand you are the CWGC Cemetery Manager in
> Kanchanaburi and part of the TBRC organisation. .....

> I recently found a snippet from an article in the New
> Straits Times of 2002, in which it was claimed you had
> photos and evidence of the IJAs use of slave labor
> from Malaya to build the Kraburi Railway.

> Could I please ask you how interested folk might be
> able to view such data? Is it available at TBRC for
> example. And do you know of any publications on this
> subject? One suspects that many Asian laborers also
> suffered and died on this project, but very little
> seems to be known about it. Little seems to be known
> about it in Malaysia too.

> Regards,
> GWR

I have received this interesting reply:-

Dear GWR,

I have several articles about the railway built across the Kra Isthmus, which I located in the Public Records Office, in London. These plus a book written by a British Officer sent to arrest the Japanese Officer in charge of the labour camps are now held in the TBRC's library collection.

As a follow up after locating this information I drove to Chumporn with a friend so that we could search for any remnants of that railway. Having years of practice at searching for the railway through the Three Pagodas we were able to locate traces of the Kraburi railway. Several photographs attached.

Railway Cutting:-

http://tinypic.com/elemw6.jpg

Bridge Pier:-

http://tinypic.com/epehcj.jpg

Track Relics:-

http://tinypic.com/epehjb.jpg

The best way to check the files held by TBRC would be for someone to visit. We will formally be setting up the Centre's Research Room during the next few months. Once this is ready visitors will be able to access (with staff assistance) many of the records held by TBRC.

I see that many railway enthusiasts write to your site. As such I have
a question for your readers.I have recovered many different rail spikes from along the route of the TBR [Mod: NOT the Kra Railway!]. A sketch of the head of one that we have not been able to identify is attached:-

http://tinypic.com/epeidh.jpg

Could you ask your readers if anyone knows where this spike was manufactured and used, please.

Yours Sincerely,

Rod Beattie
Managing Director
TBRC Co Ltd
Thai Burma Railway Centre (opp. the CWG Cemetery, Kanchanaburi)

Interview with Rod Beattie in 2Bkk.com Archives:-

http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/srt/kanchan.shtml

Unfortunately the often quoted URL for TBRC seems to have been placed behind a login:-

http://www.tbrconline.com

von Hirschhorn

17-10-05, 01:01 PM

I’ am flabbergasted or to use a Dutch proverb: “ nou breekt me klomp” (something about a broken wooden shoe) :confused:
The same question about the spike I asked a long time ago in the thread: A small mystery of the Burma line. http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=584
Than no answers from this side. Mr. Beattie once gave me such a spike with the same question. For more than a year this question kept circling my mind. I tried to find clues from all places, asked many people, but the question remain blank until I came up with a maybe possible solution after consulting the Yorkshire Railway Museum.
S.Y.R. could stand for: South Yorkshire Railway and although this company merged already in the late ninetieth century, their (probably) spikes could have end up in Malaysia when the British established the Railway System. The Japanese removed rail and other equipment from elsewhere in order to build the TBR. If I am correct the branch line from Tampines to Mallaca was offered for the purpose and never rebuilt again. The only problem remains the + 39 sign. If this stand for a year – lets presume the year of production – the whole South Yorkshire idea disappear in the rubbish bin. What surprises me however, is the fact that I wrote Mr. Beattie my findings but never received any comment or even simple answer on that. Maybe the letter got lost in the old way of sending mail (the postman rings only once) or he overlooked my letter, at least the question is still vivid on his side. I don’t have his e-mail address – at least with me while I am in Thailand at the moment – hopefully he'll read this. The first week of November I'll be in Kanburi, there still other things to solve. [like the fake 175 near the bridge]

GWR

18-10-05, 12:01 AM

Malaysians on http://www.ktmrailwayfan.com seem to unanimously believe that the Tampines-Melaka (Mallaca) Railway was carted off to Thailand, never to be rebuilt. They also cite the same fate for the Ipoh-Teronoh mineral line. Khun Wisaruth believes IJA also made off with mineral & lumber lines from Kelantan; and numerous folk have said that Kelantan track went into the Kra Railway. Although, no one seems too sure whre these ripped-up Kelantan tracks were.

I thought I had some 'deja vu' about SYR. I did read your thread on this, but forgot it. I put it down to either having seen the same spikes at Kuala Lumpur or on one of the rather unused looking tracks running through Pla Duk Junction. I now seem to remember that what I actually saw in KL was track produced long ago by the long defunct Workington Steelworks in the UK's Cumberland. But perhaps I have seen similar spikes at Pla Duk; so if you are passing thru', take a quick gander!

Mr Beattie tells me that his Host has reported a problem with the following site; which should be fixed soon. His corporate email address should then be visible:-

http://www.tbrconline.com/

GWR

04-11-05, 04:52 PM

This 1:250,000 scan of an RTSD Map shows narrow gauge tracks (i.e: Less than Meter Gauge) just South of Ranong - Amphur Muang. I would speculate that these were used to transfer tin ore from the mines (shown) to jetties for onward transport to the tin smelter in Penang. Ranong had a regular freighter trade with Penang; the ships also carried passengers. Many Ranong folk of older generations received their secondary education in Penang, as steamers made it more accessible than Bangkok. Older Ranong folk often have considerable skill in English, as a result:-

http://tinypic.com/fbf3x2.jpg

Wisarut

04-11-05, 04:57 PM

Yep thsoe railway tracks in Ranang are DEFINITELY Industrial Railways for the Tin mines

GWR

01-01-06, 02:45 PM

Railwaymen in the war: Tales by Japanese Railway Soldiers in Burma and Thailand - 1941-47 - Kazuo Tamayama

Published in 2004.
Hardback 138mm x 216mm
November 2004 1403932247
304 Pages £55.00

Cover Illustration:-

http://covers.allbookstores.net/c/1127410133/book/big/1403932247

Kazuo also co-wrote 'Tales by Japanese soldiers' with Juhn Nunneley - Cassell - 2000, which is available in just about every bookshop in Thailand with an 'Asia Books' rack. Presumably a paperback version of the above will eventually arrive:-

http://www.palgrave.com/products/Catalogue.aspx?is=1403932247

There's a sample chapter and index in .pdf too. The index shows that it has some content on the 'Kra Railway' too:-

http://www.palgrave.com/pdfs/1403932247.pdf

DescriptionThe Japanese railway soldiers, who built the notorious Burma-Thailand railway in 1942-43, earned an unenviable reputation for brutality, but they have not hitherto told their own story. This is the first book to bring to light the testimonies of the soldiers of the Emperor, who worked with 55,200 British, Australian and Dutch prisoners of war in the construction of the 415 kilometre railway.

Contents Introduction
PART I: THE TRAINING OF RAILWAY SOLDIERS
A New Conscript
Military Civilians
The British View: Railways in the Burma Campaign
PART II: ADVANCE IN BURMA
Assault Landing on Singora
The First Battle
Advance to Malaya
Advance to Moulmein
Advance to Rangoon
Start the Train Service
Diary of a Company Commander
The British View: Railway Demolitions in Burma
PART III: CONSTRUCTION OF THE BURMA-THAILAND RAILWAY
The Zero Mile Post
The Volga Boat Song and the Bridge
My Touchstone - The Chunghai Cutting
Painter
A New Company Commander at Konyu and Hintok
The Konyu Cutting
Cholera
The Hirota Platoon at Hintok
Lt-Colonel Banno and the POWs
A Hard Sruggle in the Remote Jungle
Matoma, the Hardest Time of All
Celebrating the Completion of the Railway
A Thief of Tins
A Private and Prisoners
Korean Guards
The Relationship between the Railway Regiment and the POW Camps
View of the POWs
The British View
The Featherstone Incident and its Effects on POWs
PART IV: STRUGGLE AT THE MYITKYINA LINE
Myitkyina Line
Fight with Chindits at Mawlu
The Battle Near Ponchan
Keep the Trains Running
Transportation of Provisions
Annihilated at Myitkyina
The Retreat from the Myitkyina Line
Maintenance of Locomotives
The British View: The Battle at White City (Henu) on 17 March 1944
PART V: RETREAT
Move to Lashio Line
Defending Mandalay
Retreat on the Mandalay Line
Destroy the c56 Locomotive
Evacuation from Rangoon
The Last Train from Rangoon
Over the Burma-Thailand Railway to Malaya
To Sumatra
Trans Sumatra Railway
The British View: Advance to Rangoon
PART VI: JAPANESE SURRENDERED PERSONNEL AND THE MILITARY COURT
We Were Defeated
Days Without Pride
Report to the Gaol
A Korean War Criminal and a Japanese Officer
Sacrificed Men
Petition for a Reduced Penalty
A British View: 'March to the Scaffold'
Appendix
Author BiographiesKAZUO TAMAYAMA, MBE, was born in 1919. After working for a synthetic oil company, the Japanese government, and an American pharmaceutical company, he became President for eight years of a British company, a subsidiary of Beechams. It was during his last appointment that he began his study of the military operation in Burma. On his retirement he became secretary of the Japan British Society, actively involving himself in the reconciliation of the Japanese and British people, and was awarded an honorary MBE (1998). His published works include Burma 1942 - The Japanese Invasion, co-authored with Ian Lyall Grant, and Tales by Japanese Soldiers with John Nunneley.

GWR

29-09-06, 10:29 PM

Anyone here got a JSTOR login from a university library. It would be interesting if someone could take a peek at this article in a geographical journal. Khun Wisaruth or PKV, do your research institutes have JSTOR access. Each webpage includes a tantalising first page scan?: -

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0016-7398%28194607%2F09%29108%3A1%2F3%3C85%3ATNRISA%3E2 .0.CO%3B2-9&size=LARGE

Two New Railways in South-East Asia
R. Rees Rawson
Geographical Journal, Vol. 108, No. 1/3 (Jul. - Sep., 1946), pp. 85-88
doi:10.2307/1789335

If you do, there are login details on the page.

Here's another:-

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-0095%28194704%2923%3A2%3C85%3ATTR%3E2.0.CO%3B2-M&size=SMALL

The Thailand-Burma Railway
Charles A. Fisher
Economic Geography, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Apr., 1947), pp. 85-97
doi:10.2307/141316

GWR

29-09-06, 11:32 PM

http://www.ias.chula.ac.th/fileDownloads/AR/AsianReview_2004.pdf#search=%22chumpon%20military% 20railway%22

Starts on Page 73 of the .pdf document

The Japanese army and Thailand’s southern railways
during the Greater East Asia War, 1941–1945
Puengthip Kiattisahakul
Abstract
As part of their attempt to establish a Greater East Asia Co-
Prosperity Sphere, Japanese military leaders took control of
Thailand’s southern railways to provided direct links to frontline
battlefields in Burma and Malaya. They ran special troops from
Bangkok to Malaya, and built two new railway tracks extending
into Burma. These tracks were used for transporting rice to its
troops in Malaya, and to transport troops and war equipment to
Burma. Thailand suffered adverse effects. The Railway
Department had to carry an enormous amount of loss as costs
incurred by the Japanese army were left unpaid. The life and
security of the local population were threatened by the Japanese
abuse of power, the rising cost of living, and problems connected
with prostitution.

I'll post some more relevant parts of the article for this thread eventually. The whole article is interesting in any case.

GWR

30-09-06, 12:03 AM

Starts on Page 87 of the .pdf document: -

The construction of new railway tracks
The construction of new railway tracks was another aspect of
the Japanese army’s control over Thailand’s southern railways that
was equally important to their overall military operation as the
running of special trains to Malaya. The Japanese army built two
new railway tracks extending from the original southern railways.
These were the Thai–Burma railway (the Death Railway) extending
from Nong Pladuk station in Ratchaburi passing through
Kanchanaburi to Thanbyuzayat in Burma, and the Chumphon–Kraburi (Kra Canal Railway) extending from Chumphon station to
Kraburi station in Ranong. The latter was further connected, via a
sea route to Victoria Point in Burma. The Japanese army planned
to use the Thai–Burma Railway and the Kra Canal route to send
reinforcements to Japanese troops in Burma for the planned
invasion of India.
The negotiation for the construction of the new railways that
the Japanese army had planned in advance was an urgent and secret
operation. Lieutenant-Colonel Iwayashi, the director of
Transportation for the Japanese army was sent to present a “Draft
Thailand–Japan Agreement on the Construction of the Thai–
Burma Railway” on March 23, 1942. After that, the Japanese
army urged Thailand to consider and approve the agreement,
claiming their strategic need to finish constructing the Thai–
Burma Railway as soon as possible, and pointing out the fact that
the Japanese had already trained skilled technicians for the task.[33]
Finally, the agreement was signed on September 16, 1942 by Field
Marshal Pibulsongkram, the Thai Supreme Commander, and
General Moriya Seji, the representative of the Japanese army in
Thailand. However, while the Thai–Burma Railway was under
construction, the Japanese army sent General Yamada, a military
ambassador, to Thailand to secretly present a draft agreement on
the Kra Canal Railway or Chumphon–Kraburi Railway on May 13,
1943. The Japanese army claimed that they were facing difficulty in
sending troops and armaments both by sea and air because of heavy
attacks from Britain. Therefore, it was necessary to construct the
Chumphon–Kraburi Railway line.[34] This time the Thai government
responded immediately. They took only three weeks to approve the
draft. Field Marshal Pibulsongkram, as Thai Supreme
Commander, signed the agreement with Lieutenant-General
Aketo Nakamura, the Commander of the Japanese Army, on May
31, 1943.

The details of the Thailand–Japan Agreement for the
construction of railways, both in the case of Thai–Burma and
Chumphon–Kraburi routes, show that Thailand was taken
advantage of in many ways. For example, Thailand had to allow the
Japanese army to use land for the construction free of charge; she
had to cooperate in finding mechanics, laborers, and equipment for the construction and had to resolve problems occurring during the
construction of railways.[35] All these burdens had to be borne by
Thailand.

As for the actual construction, the Japanese were in a hurry to
complete the 359 kilometer Thai–Burma railway within one year.
For this reason, the army had to recruit many POWs, Chinese and
Indian laborers from Singapore and Malaya and transport them by
the southern railway across the Thai border to Ban Pong and
station them at Don Tum Temple Camp in Ratchaburi. Then they
had to walk or take trucks to Kanchanaburi. One of the secret
documents reveals that in September 1943, in the area of
Kanchanaburi alone there were 130,144 men recruited to construct
the Thai–Burma railway: 24,764 Japanese soldiers, 41,570 prisoners of
war, 40,900 Indian laborers and 22,190 Chinese laborers.[36] Even so,
the number of laborers was not enough to serve the urgent plan of
using the route to send supplies to the troops at the border of
Burma and India which was being heavily attacked by Britain. The
situation forced the Japanese army to make the POWs construct the
railway by day and night for thirteen months until it was finished on
October 17, 1943. The POWs and the laborers did not have
enough food and had to face disease and natural disaster. It is
recorded that 12,339 POWs died during the construction of the
Thai–Burma line, thus earning the railway its subsequent name,
“the Death Railway.”

For the Chumphon–Kraburi line, the Japanese army had to
construct the La-un canal pier as well. This was because the railway
could not go directly to Burma. The railway only ran from
Chumphon to Khao Fachi in Kraburi, which is the closest point of
contact to Victoria Point in Burma. So it was necessary to build a
pier to ship soldiers, food and armaments across.[37] In constructing
this route, the Japanese army did not use POWs but hired Chinese
and Malay laborers recruited by Japanese companies in Singapore.
These workers travelled by truck and walked to the site.[38] There is a
secret report of the Committee in Chumphon and Ranong on the
number of laborers brought into the country by the Japanese army.
For example, from 15 August to the end of September 1943, a
thousand laborers were sent from Singapore to Chumphon by train
each day. In total, 30,000 men were sent during that period. [39] Moreover, the Japanese army hired local Thai workers in
Chumphon and Ranong who wanted to be hired because of the
high pay of 1.20–1.50 baht per day.[40] However, as laborers were
still in short supply, the Japanese army asked Thai officers to find
more workers and was willing to pay 2.50–3.00 baht per day.
Therefore, workers from other provinces such as Trang, Surat
Thani, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Phetchaburi, Nakhon Pathom,
Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, and Nakhon Nayok travelled to
Chumphon and Ranong until the railway was finished on
December 25, 1943. [41]