Burma January 1996

Heinrich Hubbert reports:

Insein (near Rangoon)

The workshops were overhauling YD 969 and YB 536. Many Ys and Garratts are dumped behind the shops. The Manager said, up to five engines are to be overhauled p.a.. Nearly a dozen GC- and GB-Garratts are dumped in the yard-area. S3 (0-6-0ST) is preserved.

Bago (Pegu)

The shed is steam-only. 8 Engines

Two more engines are said to be stabled along the line to Martaban for substitution of the YD and YC hauled ballast-trains that run most of the time at night-hours with no timetable. But daylight-departure and arrival can be seen. These engines are painted in a nice green and are very well maintained. The YB is not that fine, working the daily mixed-trains to Nyaungkashe. Can be chased at least up to Waw. Driver Mg Khin Nyunt can be contacted with the help of Mg Yee by the Myananda Motel (single 5 FEC, good value). Upper accommodation can be found: Emperor Hotel and Three-Five Hotel.

The loco foreman U Tin Shwe is a very nice man who can tell a lot about the railway.

Pyuntaza

YB 532 and YC 623 in 10 days interchange haul the two daily mixed-trains to Madauk via Nyaunglebin. Engines cannot be turned. YC is chimney first from Pyuntaza, the YB opposite. Another YB (508) was stored. There has also a D-class been prepared for plinthing. There is also a railcar-service on this route (two trains). No vacancy in Pyuntaza, but Nyaunglebin boasts three Motels: Sann Htay Motel is recommended (400 K single). U Khin Mg Win is a good driver and can be contacted there.

Toungoo

An ST plinthed in the shed area. In the Shed: M-class 364 derelict, YD 961 was cold. The foreman told me, it is for spare with YD 973 working cane-trains around Yedashe (north of Toungoo). However, YD 973 was later found in Pyinmanaa.

Pyinmanaa

What a surprise: Four engines are stabled here. YD 973, somewhat dusty, but healthy appearance, YC 629 supershine condition. YB 520 and 534 as well. The latter one cold. After every week an engines is changed for checking, while the others are bringing each one empty train to the cane-fields around the day. They are scheduled to depart at 8 to 9a.m. but this could also happen at 12noon or 4 pm. Up to 26 cane hoppers behind, the engines give a good show, when roaring out of Pyinmanaa junction. The loads return tender first late at afternoon or night. They interstop at the loading points by the stations along the line. Up to Kiydaunggan (YC 629), north, Thawatti (YD 973), south of the mainline, and to Kantha (YB 520) on the Kiaukpadaung-line. There are waiting dozens of oxen-cars with wooden wheels. Only handcutting is done. The engines are chimney first when leaving the station. In Pyinmanaa is also no turning facility. The shed bears the ST 764 (plinthed), ST 754 (not in working order, painted yellow for conservation) and the accident-wreck of a Y-class. DF 1242 is said to be used for the cane shuttle to the mill, which is combined from three to two or so after the loads have arrived. But the YD can also handle this, when the Diesel is unavailable. The mill was said to be situated 5 miles out at the end of a branch, beginning at the south of Pyinmanaa, then swinging to the east. Cane-harvest is from October to April.

A very basic guesthouse is the Miunt Mint 300 metres from the station.

Thazi

Two Garratts without boiler in the shed, plus two dumped ST. Garratt GC 833 (2-8-2 + 2-8-2) and S1 (0-6-0T) have been plinthed recently, both in freshly painted green. Two steam-cranes are stabled here. Grateful second-hand users for boilers in the country were said to be rice-mills!

Mandalay

The only steam here is a plinthed 0-6-0T in the shed-area. The foreman said, there is also a Garratt plinthed at Mohnyin.

Diesel-failures

Looks like a main problem. Dead engines in trains have been seen several times on the line. Once behind a YC with her ballast-train approaching Pegu. I suffered this myself, when I took the Mail 1 up from Pyuntaza departing 1.30 a.m. when the DF was already In trouble. In the next station, the engine was at the edge and a substitute DF arrived well after dawn.

Rail-cars

Self-constructed vehicles converted from a lorry or so, with the lorry-axle wheels for traction and with one long ore three very small coaches attached.

Steam operation

The steam-local-trains are very crowded and at the stops mountains of stuff are loaded. Compared with the Mirpur Khas system, the engines are in a good or very good condition, but despite being oilfired as well, black smoke is rare, as the combustion is very good and the drivers (almost in splendid white uniform!!) look to save fuel. As the Head Quarters stated, more than 10 engines of each Y-class are working (no ST), there should be more to discover, especially cane-traffic. However, in the Myanma Railway Head Quarters in Rangoon, the officials confirmed Pegu and Pyuntaza, but did not tell me anything about the Pyinmanaa operation

Photo-permission

Easy to get spending two hours after arrival at the Railway Head Quarters in Rangoon. It was actually only needed in Insein and Pegu. Generally, I was never faced with any problems from the officials while photographing railways.

General

The „Visit Myanmar Year 1996" seems to affect the steam-enthusiast-tourist as well. For my own part as a first-time-visitor, I found traveling in Burma a relaxed experience, much different from what I expected. Especially in behaving with railway-photography, considering the long-time isolation and the.... However, the infrastructure is still poor. Bus rides are a nightmare as even the trunk-road is potholed. Express-trains saw over six hours delay on different occasions. The condition of the tracks is bad, even on the mainline: Old and nailed on teakwood-sleepers with an average distance of two feet in between. Highest speed are maybe up to 70 km/h. In the soft-seat upper-class, the coach-bounces can be very funny, but I did not want to try it in the hard-seated ordinary!

Currency

When immigrating without a package-group, 300 US$ have to be converted into FEC (rate 1:1). These can be used as dollars (For Trains and Hotels) or can be changed on the open/black-market into Kyats (rate up to 1: 118, official rate 1:6!). Away from the places of „normal-tourists-interests", native people can still be unaware of what FEC are. Anyway, if you cannot spend 300 FEC (Dollars) in this country, FEC can be changed back on the black market (Rangoon or Mandalay) into Dollars equally!

Click here for a full report of my own 3 week visit in December 1996.