Thai Railways BREL class 158 refurbishment

[Snapper]

SRT are refurbishing their fleet of BREL Class 158s. The old Regional livery has been replaced with this:

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p876861... #h104eadd4

The interior is receiving attention too with new seats:

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p876861 ... #h3cf8da21

- and the toilet is being given an interesting line in tiling:

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p876861... #h2bed5964

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p876861 ... #h3890cb11

 

[jopsuk]

The links are broken, but I found my way through anyway- that's quite an attractive look for them. Are the seats of a rotatable variety?

 

[CNX]

Its been in this livery traffic since the middle of June. It works trains 3 and 4 every day.

The other cars are supposed to be in line for refurbishment and re-formation into 4 cars sets, but, so far as I know, 2501/2514/2510 is the only rake to have been done so far, and its a 3 car set.

Here it is running ECS into at Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station and awaiting departure of train 3 on 20th July 2011.

 

[ng1980]

Thanks for the pictures, CNX, and thanks for the original post, Snapper.

Sorry, but did they buy these brand new back in the 1990s or more recently second hand?

I much prefer the trains that I rode on in Thailand - I loved the fact that the doors remained locked open for the entire journey allowing passengers to sit on the floor with their legs dangling outside.

I loved sitting on the floor with my legs dangling outside, and even more, standing on the footplate of the carriage, whole body leaning out!

The only thing - I seem to have lost my SD card with the videos on! :cry:

Anyway, great memories nonetheless!

 

[SouthEastern-465]

Thanks for the pictures, CNX, and thanks for the original post, Snapper.

Sorry, but did they buy these brand new back in the 1990s or more recently second hand?

I much prefer the trains that I rode on in Thailand - I loved the fact that the doors remained locked open for the entire journey allowing passengers to sit on the floor with their legs dangling outside.

I loved sitting on the floor with my legs dangling outside, and even more, standing on the footplate of the carriage, whole body leaning out!

The only thing - I seem to have lost my SD card with the videos on! :cry:

Anyway, great memories nonetheless!

Correct me if I am wrong anyone in anyway, but no they were not second hand they were ordered from BREL at the time 158s were in production by the Thai government. These units are single cabbed, have no corridors, and have different gauge bogies suitable for Thailand. They are very similar to the Class 158s exterior wise as they were based off there design. (not to sure internally or engine wise)

 

[ng1980]

Correct me if I am wrong

I was asking a questions and thank you for your answer. I am sure you are correct!

I used to live overlooking Grove Park T&RSMD (Southeastern) and Hither Green TMD (EWS). Also lived near Hither Green, Eltham, Falconwood and New Eltham stations. Are you anywhere near?

 

[SouthEastern-465]

I was asking a questions and thank you for your answer. I am sure you are correct!

I used to live overlooking Grove Park T&RSMD (Southeastern) and Hither Green TMD (EWS). Also lived near Hither Green, Eltham, Falconwood and New Eltham stations. Are you anywhere near?

Yeah I live right near Grove Park TMD!

 

[CNX]

They were bought new in about 1991. Some of the differences between them and the BR 158's include buckeye couplers, normal type multiple working jumpers, rather like a conventional DMU, open gangways between the cars, hole in the floor toilets, and conventional doors that open regardless of whether the train is moving or not. The bogies are metre guage.

Here's a pic of car 2510 before refurbishment, languishing in Bangkok Station CS. The door and inner end differences can be clearly seen.

 

[LE Greys]

I'd have traded our swing-plug doors for opening toplight windows any day.

 

[CNX]

This link works.

http://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/p876861720

Pics 32, 33 and 101 show the interior, note the generous legroom, and 102/3 the toilet. The opening hopperlights are essential in the Thai climate if the air con fails. Or they can always open the doors, if of course they were ever closed in the first place!

 

[jamesontheroad]

They were bought new in about 1991. Some of the differences between them and the BR 158's include buckeye couplers, normal type multiple working jumpers, rather like a conventional DMU, open gangways between the cars, hole in the floor toilets, and conventional doors that open regardless of whether the train is moving or not. The bogies are metre guage.

And yet despite all that, they were delivered in almost the same basic livery as those delivered to Regional Railways in the UK

I greatly regret not being able to ride the rails in Thailand... I had especially planned to be on the lookout for one of these units in and around Bangkok. A group of us traveled from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to Penang by bus and then to Butterworth by bus and boat in order to catch the overnight train to Bangkok for Chinese New Year. However, around 11pm or midnight that night, one of our party was ordered off the train because her Slovak passport was not acceptable to enter Thailand at that particular checkpoint. The problem was she couldn't re-board the train, but nor could she re-enter Malaysia, because the Malay border agents had stamped us out of the country and promptly signed off the night. For her personal safety, I left the train with her while the others continued as planned. The two of us eventually found a larger border crossing about an hour away that could handle passports from younger European countries, and then used a combination of taxis, private cars and buses to get to Bangkok. This was one of the most terrifying yet exhilarating night's travel I've ever had, although I'm in no hurry to repeat it

Good to know the trains are being well looked after (better than our 158s perhaps?) so maybe next time...

 

[CNX]

And yet despite all that, they were delivered in almost the same basic livery as those delivered to Regional Railways in the UK

I greatly regret not being able to ride the rails in Thailand... I had especially planned to be on the lookout for one of these units in and around Bangkok. A group of us traveled from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia to Penang by bus and then to Butterworth by bus and boat in order to catch the overnight train to Bangkok for Chinese New Year. However, around 11pm or midnight that night, one of our party was ordered off the train because her Slovak passport was not acceptable to enter Thailand at that particular checkpoint. The problem was she couldn't re-board the train, but nor could she re-enter Malaysia, because the Malay border agents had stamped us out of the country and promptly signed off the night. For her personal safety, I left the train with her while the others continued as planned. The two of us eventually found a larger border crossing about an hour away that could handle passports from younger European countries, and then used a combination of taxis, private cars and buses to get to Bangkok. This was one of the most terrifying yet exhilarating night's travel I've ever had, although I'm in no hurry to repeat it

Good to know the trains are being well looked after (better than our 158s perhaps?) so maybe next time...

This is the first reburbishment programme to be carried out in 20 years. I have never been in one, but, believe me, they looked very tatty. Less than half are in normal service, with just one regular daily diagram, albeit a rather long one.

Requirements for entering Thailand without a visa are always changing, and I'm sorry to hear of your party members problem. By the sounds of things you entered Thailand at Sadao, which is a much bigger checkpoint than Padang Besar. She won't have that problem now though, as Slovak passport holders can now enter Thailand without a visa for 15 days if arriving by land, or 30 days by air. Its known as a 'visa exemption stamp'. You are correct regarding the newer EU members, and if you go to http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/download.aspx?id=20111209132231 you will see who can and who can't. At the time, Slovakia was on the 'tourist visa on arrival' list', and note the words 'designated International checkpoints'.

 

[4SRKT]

Wow! A 158 that's even more ugly than a 158! Nice work.