Railways in Myanmar/Burma


During a trip through Myanmar/Burma in 2007 I accidentally discovered the last steam locomotives in regular service around Bago. So I became addicted to railways again and over a number of years collected a lot of information about the history, lines and rolling stock of the railways in Myanmar/Burma. The very extensive information can be found on my portal on the railways in Myanmar/Burma.

Railways on Taiwan Island


As part of a family vacation in 2017, I went to Taiwan for a few days without spending much time on the railways. Only later, when I was writing the travel report, did I discover the most interesting railways that once existed on the island. Spectacular forest railways, an extensive network of sugar railways and archaic mine railways. From many Chinese and Japanese websites, I have compiled an extensive collection of information on my Taiwan railway portal. The pages are still under construction and will be gradually expanded.

Railways in Baden-Württemberg


As being born in the south-western part of Germany, I'm naturally interested in the railways in Baden-Württemberg. My main focus is the historic development of the railway network. Further information can be found on my portal of railways in Baden-Württemberg which is so far however only available in German.

Travel reports


I regularly publish railway travel reports in the German-speaking railway forum Drehscheibe-Online. Here are the links to all travel reports published so far (to expand the lists please click on the arrow symbol, to view the report please click on the respective link). The reports are all written in German, but you can use a translation app (e.g. Google Translate) to translate the pages.

Tour de Turk – Turk stuff from West to East (Steam in China 2016)

As usual, I celebrated the Chinese New Year 2016 with my family in Beijing. I used the opportunity to once again visit the steam locomotives in the Sandaoling coal mine and to make a last detour to the steam locomotives in Fuxin, where the steam era ended shortly after my visit. There are also a few impressions of the modern railway from Beijing.

 

An island with many mountains and railways - Railways on Taiwan Island

As part of my trip to Asia in 2017, I spent a few days in Taiwan. Actually, I only wanted to write a few lines about the background of the railway in Taiwan. However, the unexpectedly huge diversity of the railways in Taiwan prompted me to write a multi-part series of articles, which deal comprehensively with the railways in Taiwan. The focus is on history, but current developments are also covered. The articles deal with the history of the railways in Taiwan, present steam, diesel and electric locomotives as well as railcars of the state railway in detail and give detailed insights into other railways in Taiwan, namely the forest and sugar railways as well as other small railways.

 

Myanma my love -Goodbye forever?! (Diesel and Steam in Myanmar/Burma 2011)

In 2011, I visited my favorite country Myanmar (Burma), most probably for the last time. The trip focused on a steam tour on the Namtu mine railway, for me the most beautiful (narrow gauge) railway in the world. But I also covered also the train traffic of the state railway with their self-built motor coaches (report series currently runs still).

 

Finally historic - The Railways in Myanmar/Burma (Steam in Myanmar/Burma 2007)
Pig stuff on monkey rock (Steam in China 2019)

Same procedure as every year, I made a visit to the relatives in China in 2018/2019 at the turn of the year. In addition to some train traffic in and around Beijing, there was probably the last time a trip to the coal mine of Sandaoling, the last mine railway worldwide, which uses almost exclusively steam locomotives. The reports contain only a rough summary, more detailed reports will follow in a few years time.

 

Full steam ahead – Four weeks in the last steam paradises of the world (Steam in China 2010)

In October and November 2010 I visited the last steam paradises in China with a tour group: Shibanxi / Jixi, Sandaoling, Yamansu, Bayin, Diaobingshan / Tiefa and Fuxin. Just in time before the steam pictures became historic, I published detailed illustrated travel reports. All paradises, with the exception of Sandaoling, have long since lost their steam operation, and in Sandaoling in 2020, the fire will finally go out. Anyone who can once again warm up to nostalgic flashbacks and a lot of real steam operation is just right with the following reports.

 

Active holidays on the spoil dump (Steam in China 2015)

Again and again, China. In March 2015, I was back in China to visit my relatives in Beijing. For me the chance to visit the coal mines of Fuxin and Pingzhuang with their steam operation. After successful six days in Fuxin with eight steam locomotives, the trip continued on to Pingzhuang, where one day was sufficient to cover the few remaining steam operation. After the return journey in the sleeping car to Beijing, I went on a trip to southern China with my wife but without much rail. The series of reports is concluded by two reports about the Beijing Railway Museum on the history of Chinese railways and historic locomotive series in China. Finally, there is a report on the Beijing subway and its history:

 

Dishwasher tablets, spirits and spies - Another three weeks in East Asia (Railways in China and Hong Kong 2013)

In October 2013, another visit to the relatives in China was due. After traveling alone to Sandaoling in February (see previous series of reports), I had to promise my wife to travel with her to Hong Kong on our next visit to China. My interest was limited because she wanted to travel to Hong Kong mainly because of Disneyland. But promised is promised and a little time was left for the railways and trams in Hong Kong. You can see the captured impressions in the following reports:

 

Thick air with the in-laws?! (Steam in China 2013)

In February 2013, the obligatory visit to the in-laws for the Chinese New Year in Beijing was due. However, there was by no means atmospheric disturbances with my parents-in-law, but the title rather refers to the then predominantly prevailing Beijing air conditions. After the second wedding celebration with my wife (the first celebration took place without much involvement of the Chinese relatives in Germany) and drinking with the dear relatives, I was able to the coal mine Sandaoling in the deep west of China. There I was mainly interested in the more than 25 steam locomotives that still were in daily operation. But the adventurous return trip by train was also worth a few reports. Why I crawled through the train from Beijing to Urumqi in the middle of the night, and what happened when suddenly the door of the compartment opened and I was caught by the young conductor, you read in the following reports:

 

On rails from capitalism to socialism and back - 13,000km by train from Pyoengyang to Singapore

My longest rail journey so far took me from the North Korean capital Pyoengyang via China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia to Singapore in almost three months. Each chapter covering a country starts with a puzzle and an introduction to the railways of the corresponding country. Most of the pictures were taken from the train, so they are not perfect pictures, rather the travel experiences and the railway life are in the foreground, only in Myanmar I focused on taking pictures "outside" the train, especially when visiting the Namtu mine railway. At the end of each report, there are also mostly a few non-railroad related images. But now have fun diving into exotic railway worlds:

Prolog

 

Schweiz

 

Nordkorea

 

China

 

Vietnam

 

Kambodscha

 

Thailand

 

Malaysia

 

Singapur

 

Myanmar

 

Epilog

 

On narrow tracks through Myanmar/Burma (Railways in Myanmar/Burma 2009)

On my second trip to Myanmar I visited the workshop at Insein and made train trips from Nyaung U to Mandalay and from Mandalay to Myitkyina. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Namtu mine railway, where I was able to witness the last ore transports on this breathtaking railway shortly before the mine was closed:

 

Steam, elephants and opium - The railways in Myanmar/Burma (Railways in Myanmar/Burma 2007)

My first intensive contact with the Myanmar Railway came in December 2007, when by chance I was able to experience the last scheduled steam service of the Burmese state railway around Bago. The pictures are unedited and the quality is no longer enough for my current demands, but I do not get time to rework the pictures. Nevertheless, there are many exotic impressions from a country that was one of the last countries in the world with regular steam services:

 

Miscellaneous