Ever since Casey Jones started a steaming and a rolling on TV, I’ve had an affinity with trains.
Not in a “stand at the end of a platform and write down carriage numbers” kind of way you understand.
More of a “let’s get on one and go somewhere exciting while watching the world go by” kind of way.
So when the opportunity to take my first ever train ride in Thailand came up, I was all aboard.
We arrived at Chiang Mai station at 8:15am on a Saturday morning for our 8:50am ‘Special Express’ departure to Lampang, the third largest city in the northern region of Thailand.
The quaint little station (originally built in 1922, rebuilt after Allied bombing in 1945) was relatively quiet and the train was already standing at the platform.
The journey was scheduled to take an hour and 48 minutes although if you want you can take the train all the way to Bangkok, a distance of some 661 kilometres. There are five direct trains a day to the capital city and sleeping facilities are available.
First tip: There’s no dining car on the train so it’s a good idea to bring or buy some snacks and drinks before boarding. Two hours isn’t a long time but even with air-con it can still get quite hot and humid in the carriage and you don’t want to dehydrate.
Thanks to the good folk at Tourism Authority of Thailand I was furnished with a first class ticket, which cost the princely sum of 400Baht (approx. $AU20) for a one-way journey.
This provided me with my own seat and air conditioning, which apparently was only installed some 20 years ago (the antique fans that used to provide relief are still in place on the ceiling.)
A slight mix up with the seat allocation saw me temporarily incur the wrath of the female train guard but once we’d sorted out a potential international incident, I settled into my aisle seat.
It was basic but comfortable enough, with a recline facility and pop down foot rest – it reminded me of an airline seat from the 1980s.
Second tip: I’m not sure if the Thailand train system has a seat plan of their first-class carriages but if they do, make sure you pick a window seat. The view is obviously better and some of the seats had totally obscured views.
Just a few minutes after our scheduled departure time and we were rattling along through the suburbs of Chiang Mai. The line runs right next to the main road and I was a little concerned that motorists might get distracted, particularly as the driver was a bit “whistle-heavy”.
But soon the modern housing developments under construction gave way to the green fields of the countryside and we left suburbia behind. I could see that the gentle rocking motion of the carriage had already sent several of my fellow passengers off to sleep.
A very stern looking guard in full uniform appeared to check our tickets and I was grateful that I’d finally ended up in the right seat.
Half an hour in and we’re chugging through rice paddies and open fields, with farmers toiling and various animals chewing. Only a massive string of electricity pylons gives away the fact we’re actually in the 21st century.
I was starting to get a little peckish (see first tip) and one of our fabulous guides from the modestly-named Absolutely Fantastic Holidays offered me a snack of Jackfruit, which she’d brought specially for me to try.
It tasted a bit like a cross between a banana and a pear, but it was both delicious and filling.
Third tip: Let’s talk toilets for a moment. If the bathrooms at Chiang Mai station were basic – the ones on the train were positively prehistoric. Ladies would need to do some kind of Barnum & Bailey balancing act just to use the facilities, so make sure you go before the train leaves the station…maybe in your hotel before leaving!
As the train continues its journey the terrain becomes more mountainous and you begin to be seriously impressed with the engineering feat it took to build this railway line. When you get to Khun Tan, however, this admiration goes up a level.
Khun Tan is the highest station on the northern line and is part of Khun Tan National Park which surrounds the area. Just 200 metres from the station is the Khun Tan Tunnel which is the longest railway tunnel in Thailand at 1,362 metres.
Started in 1907, it took 11 years to complete and is cut through solid granite. Those who worked on it were mostly Thai and Chinese labourers who blasted and drilled through the rock.
Unfortunately the tunnel is also called the “Cemetery of Laborers” because more than 1,000 workers lost their lives during the construction due to accidents, tigers and malaria.
The lights come on as we enter the tunnel and it’s both exciting and eerie at the same time. There’s the smell of damp walls and it’s a tad claustrophobic for the short time it takes to reach daylight on the other side.
Fourth tip: Try and make friends with the helpful lady train guard. She might be able to get you a great spot close to the driver to take those all-important train-selfies to show your friends and put on Instagram.
We’re really high up now and the train almost seems to be travelling through the jungle canopy as we gaze down into verdant valleys below.
The train is moving at a snail’s pace and my fellow passengers are taking whatever vantage points they can to get photos.
Some stick their heads out of the carriage door window (not recommended) while others take snaps from behind the glass door of the driver’s cabin. It’s hugely impressive scenery.
The last 20 minutes of the journey sees the train back on level ground and chugging sedately into Lampang station.
Did the train arrive on time? Come on, this is Thailand, with their wonderful ‘sabai sabai’ attitude. And what’s 10 minutes between friends?
The time has gone quickly and it’s been a thoroughly entertaining and absorbing journey – although clearly not for the gentleman sitting next to me who, despite occupying a window seat, spent the whole journey asleep.
Clearly he’s never seen Casey Jones…
https://www.thailandtrains.com/
https://www.tourismthailand.org/home
https://www.absolutelyfantasticholidays.com/
