Kaeng Khoi Junction #2

. . . continuation

By Grant Cameron

September 6^th, 2018

Apologies . . .

Part 1 is here - and it has taken me sometime to publish this, the 2nd part. Sorry.

We must have spent a few hours walking round this railyard, interrupted in part as we also had a stroll though the small town of Khaeng Khoi, essentially an outlying suburb of Suphanburi, before coming back for another stroll in the yard.

Railyards can be untidy

But not the above part of the yard. Not only was this watchman's hut clean and tidy, he himself was immaculate, and his scrupulously clean white t-shirt was so bright it hurt the eyes. He was very friendly, and kind enough to pose for a portrait.

Solitude . .

While the junction was in itself quiet, there was still things going on, including the readying and startup of this General Electric UM12C type diesel electric locomotive built in 1964. I'll "pause" the words and let the images speak for themselves.

The station & main tracks

A walk through town.

Engine No. 969 - the story?

In Khaeng Khoi Junction #1, link here, I had several photos of a model 2-8-2 Mikado, numbered 969, yet here in the village I found another locomotive 969. It was a model in a temple, and told the story of the Allied bombing of 3rd April, 1945. At that time Khaeng Khoi junction was the main centre of Japanese locomotive and wagon repair facilities. It was bombed by aircraft of No. 356 (Liberator) Squadron RAF of the Strategic Air Force, Eastern Air Command.

Clearly Engine No. 969 played a significant part on the events of that day. But what was it? And what was the locomotive?

For in the railyard Engine No. 969 is portrayed as a 2-8-2 Mikado, however, this model has a 2-6-0 configuration. Can anyone help; does anyone know the story?

GETTING THERE

As you can see from the map, Kaeng Khoi junction sits just off the main Highway from Bangkok to Nakorn Ratchasima. The easiest way to get there, apart from by train of course (!), is to leave Bangkok heading north past Don Mueang Airport, following Highway 1 to Saraburi, switching to Highway 2 just before Saraburi and head north east. The GPS coordinates are shown below, but please note that they are for the entrance road to the junction and repair yardson your left, not the main station, which can be accessed by crossing the line.