Paknam Railway
The Paknam Railway was Thailand's first railway line, established in 1893. Stretching 21 km (13 mi), it was a narrow gauge line. The line was constructed by the Paknam Railway Company, with construction starting on July 10, 1891.[1] The Company were granted a 20-year concession[2] to run the line. The opening of the railway on 11 April 1893 was attended by H.M. King Rama V.[3]
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Initially there were four steam locomotives constructed by Krauss & Co. of Munich,[4] and four trains ran in each direction daily. There were twelve stations in all, with trains taking one hour to travel over the line.[5] The line was initially a financial success. A motor-tramway service was introduced in 1908 and the line was electrified in 1926. After the end of the concession period, the line was purchased outright by the government but there was little further investment in the line.[6] During World War II the tram's cables were cut at Bang Chak but the tram continued to run.
The Paknam Railway closed at the end of 1959 due to the construction of Rama IV Road.
References
- ↑ Talbot, Frederick A. (2012-01-01). Railway Wonders of the World. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 9783846005279.
- ↑ Wright, Arnold (1908). Twentieth century impressions of Siam : its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources, with which is incorporated an abridged edition of Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya. London: Lloyd's Greater Britain Pub. Co. p. 202.
- ↑ "Newspaper Article - OPENING OF THE PAKNAM RAILWAY.". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ↑ Barrow, Richard. "Quest for the Paknam Steam Train". Thai Blogs. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ↑ "Paknam Railway – Samut Prakan สถานที่ท่องเที่ยวจังหวัดสมุทรปราการ". paknam.com. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
- ↑ Kakizaki, Ichiro (2009-01-01). "Private Railways in Bangkok: Their Attempt, and Ultimate Failure, to Become Urban Railways". Asian Studies. 55 (4): 20–38. doi:10.11479/asianstudies.55.4_20.