STEAMPUNK SPECIAL
The State Railway of Thailand’s steam locomotive tours are chuffing along the tracks
Sometimes, people wish they could turn back the clock to the “good old days”. Thus visiting ancient places and collecting antiques is trendy, especially in Thailand. To cash in on this trend, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) operates one of its century-old steam locomotives from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital. Although destinations may change to Nakhon Pathom or Chachoengsao occasionally, Ayutthaya remains the most popular.
Ayutthaya was established in 1350 by King U Thong as his capital. The city lasted for 417 years and was ruled by five dynasties and 34 kings. It was lost to Burmese invaders twice. The last invasion was in 1767. Today, the province is a Unesco World Heritage site and one of Thailand’s most popular cultural tourism spots.
To explore Ayutthaya on a steam train, travellers have two choices — buy train tickets to get to and travel in Ayutthaya or buy a full-board tour to visit a few temples and a market.
Destinations vary according to different themes, such as places built in memory of a few monarchs or scenes of famous novels and TV series. Previous trips have visited Wat Maha That, Ayutthaya Historical Park, Bang Pa-In Palace and Wat Niwet Thammaprawat.
The upcoming trip to mark the anniversary of the SRT on Sunday includes a boat ride on the Chao Phraya and Pa Sak rivers and a visit to Wat Kasattrathirat and Wat Tha Karong. Even Bang Pa-In railway station, where tourists board the steam train back to Bangkok, is art itself and worth appreciation.
On Oct 23 last year, also King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day, the SRT organised a steam train trip between Bangkok and Ayutthaya and arranged tours to Wat Phutthaisawan, Wat Kudee Dao and Kong Khong Market under the theme of tracing places in the famous novel and drama series Phit Sawat.
Tourists first visited Wat Phutthaisawan, where Ubon (a leading character in Phit Sawat) performs a dance to celebrate victory at war. According to the Third Regional Office of Fine Arts, Ayutthaya, a royal chronicle states that the temple was built by King U Thong in 1353 in Wiang Lek. It was in memory of the area he had resided in before crossing the Chao Phraya River to establish a palace in Nong Sano in 1350.
The next destination was Wat Kudee Dao, where Ubon was killed by her husband Phra Akk, to ensure her spirit would safeguard the Kingdom’s hidden treasures. Another stopover is Kong Khong Market in Bang Pa-In where visitors can experience a retro atmosphere and can shop for local handicrafts and delicacies.
King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day is when the SRT hosts a steam train tour because King Chulalongkorn, or King Rama V, introduced modern transportation to Siam. During his reign, the first railroad was constructed from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. He presided over the opening of the Siam Railway on March 26, 1869. In 1893, a rail route from Bangkok to Pak Nam (Samut Prakan) was opened and this helped support troops when Siam was in conflict with France.
A steam train journey is not only an opportunity for people to see century-old locomotives but also inspires them to learn about Thai history and seek to conserve an old travel tradition and beautiful railway stations.