Samut Songkram, Thailand. The train comes through several times per day.
40 seconds. Link to Video
Steve Van Beek describes the train’s route:
Whoever built the Mae Klong railway had a superb sense of whimsy. The tiny railway line—already one of the shortest in Thailand—is sliced in half by a very large river. For adventurers, it presents a day trip like no other.
The starting point is Thonburi’s little-known Wong Wian Yai railway station. As the funky little train leaves the station, it trundles past tiny stations, crosses canals and passes the beautiful Chinese-motif monastery, Wat Raja Oros, on the right. Eventually, it emerges into lush countryside, and rolls past small villages, buffaloes grazing pastures, fishermen and farmers — the traditional bucolic scene which typifies rural Thailand.
This first portion of the journey ends when the train runs out of track at the edge of the Ta Chin River. Exit the station train, turn right, and walk a short distance to the ferry landing which crosses the river to a new railway station, Ban Laem.
The section from Ban Laem to Mae Klong (also known as Samut Songkram) is a charming journey through a quiet backwater.
Unlike Thailand’s other trains, designed for speed and efficiency, this train’s modest interior matches its leisurely pace. The passengers are rural with the friendliness such settings imply. From their easy conversations, it is clear that they travel this route daily, taking fish and produce from their farms to the markets in Thonburi. At this hour, many are on their homeward journey…
Samut Songkram is another fishing town. For the last few metres to the station, the rails run through a market. As the train approaches, watch how the previously hidden tracks appear as vendors rush with poles to raise awnings from the train’s path, lowering them once it has passed.
If you’re not into dodging trains to buy your fruits and vegetables you might want to visit the Amphawa Floating Market instead. It’s just upriver from the train station market. At the floating market you sit on the bank and the vendors come to you.
