I have always been fascinated of trains and the railroad since I was a kid. When I was a boy, my dad would take me to the Taiping Train Station to buy newspaper at the newspaper shop or for tea at the station’s canteen (nowadays called café or restaurant). I am sure many of the older generation would remember what does it means when their dads treat them tea or coffee. When the hot tea arrived, dad would pour some into the saucer. He would drink from the cup while I sipped the tea from the saucer. From the platform, I could watch a locomotive shunting some wagons. Sometimes there would be a passenger or goods train. Once in a while, I could see a steam locomotive fill up its water tender at the water tower.
My first train ride was to Kuala Lumpur with my mother on a Day Butterworth-KL Mail Train in the 1960’s. Those days the passenger trains were hauled by steam locomotives. We rode on one of the Third Class coaches, which were of unnumbered seats with opened windows. Second Class coaches were with opened windows too but the seats were more comfortable. First class coaches were most comfortable with numbered seats and air-conditioning. The Mail Trains would stop at all stations along the way, so the travel time would take several hours. At every station that the train stopped, there were the trackside vendors selling food (nasi lemak, fried noodles and curry puffs) , drinks (iced red syrup. No bottled mineral water back then) and fruits (water melons or papayas). These trackside happenings added sounds and colour to train travel of those days. Such trackside vendors are not to be seen nowadays. After the long ride, I arrived at Kuala Lumpur station covered with sweaty soot. I would return to Taiping on the Day KL-Butterworth Mail Train a few days afterwards. There were no express trains those days. Passenger services were either the Day or Night Mail Trains.
The first diesel-electric model, the Class 20, was introduced in late 1960’s or early 1970’s . The diesel- electric locomotive had a unique engine sound instead of the steam “woosh -woosh-woosh”. Also was the electric klaxon instead of the steam locomotive whistle. These diesel-electric locomotives hauled goods train at first. As their number increased, they replaced the steam locomotives for hauling passenger mail trains. Slowly, the steam locomotives were withdrawn from service.
My second trip by train was in 1973 from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bharu to visit my sister. For the trip to KL, we rode dad’s car. The next day dad, mom and I rode the Day KL-Singapore Mail Train which left KL in the morning and arrived JB in the late afternoon. Passing by the Sungai Besi air force base, I saw an old Japanese transport aircraft at the end of the air-strip. At Gemas Station, I saw many of the old steam locomotives were being kept, awaiting to be mothballed. A few days later, my brother arrived at JB with dad’s car. Our return trip to KL was by dad’s car. Remember, those were the days without PLUS Highways. The travel by road was an adventure. We left Johor Bharu after lunch. Along the old trunk road, we passed Batu Pahat, Muar and Melaka. We stopped for chicken rice dinner at Pedas, Negeri Sembilan and arrived KL quite late at night. Oh, what a journey.
In the 1970’s, more diesel-electric models joined the fleet, the Class 21, then, the class 22 in the 1980’s.
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For much part of my schooling years, I had not taken a train ride. For my various trips to Kuala Lumpur, we would ride in my dad’s car.
In 1976, the Express Rakyat service was launched. These express trains had new sets of coaches, Third Class (opened windows), Second Class (air-conditioned) and First Class (comfy seats, air-conditioned). For the first time, all seats, the Third Class included, were numbered. I was very impressed with these new Express Rakyat trains. A few times, I went to the train station just to take a look at the new coaches from the platform. While in school, I would get distracted when the Express Rakyat passed by (the rail tracks could be viewed from the classroom at Sheffield Block).
In 1978, I was selected to join the Perak Scouts contingent for the Malaysia National Scouts Jamboree in Kuching. The scouts contingent left Ipoh Station on the Day Butterworth-KL Mail Train and arrived KL that evening. We later rode the KL-Singapore Night Mail Train to Johor Bharu. We arrived JB at 6.00 AM, after which we rode buses to our hostel, a school hall. All scouts from West Malaysia were transported aboard two Navy LSTs (landing ship tanks) from JB to Kuching. The journey by ship took two days and two nights. The return trip was also by the Navy LSTs from Kuching to Johor Bharu. We were billeted at the same school hall before our journey by train to KL.
To add note here that, the trackside vendors were still in existence during these years. A few vendors even took a short ride between stations to sell their goods, calling aloud “Nasi lemak, mee goreng panas” , “teh , kopi panas” or “karipap panas”, all items also panas (panas – means “hot” in Malay). Mail trains Third Class and Second Class coaches whenever seats were not available, you had to just sit down anywhere there was space, usually on the floor. Some even stood at the open doorway which was dangerous. Those days, the Third and Second Class coach seats were unnumbered, on first come first served basis.
I am sure many of us have a tale to tell about being left behind by a train. Mine was in 1978. It was my return trip from JB to Taiping(after the Scouts Jamboree). Upon arriving KL station from JB that evening, I saw the Night KL-Butterworth Mail Train at the next platform. I boarded on one of the Third Class Coach and put my bags on my chosen seat. Then I heard an announcement that the train would depart at 10.30 pm. Since my watch showed 6.00 PM, I thought I could visit my brother at Kampong Baru for dinner. When I arrived at the station by 9.30 PM, I noticed that the train coaches were somewhat different. I boarded one of the coaches to check, sure enough, these were Second Class Coaches. That meant, my actual train had left earlier (the actual departure time was 7.30PM). I went to see the Station Master for help. He was not very helpful but he telephoned Butterworth station that there would be some bags belonging to me. The SM told me to come back the next morning to ride the Day Mail Train to Butterworth at 7.30 AM. With just RM40 in my pocket, I could not afford a hotel and I was ashamed to go back to my brother’s house. So, I slept by the side of the station. I woke up the next morning and walked to the Masjid Negara, where I took my bath. Without a towel, I just waited for a while before dressing up in the same clothes. I rode the Day Mail Train to Butterworth and was able to claim my bags after proving that I knew the contents. I had to really put up a hard explanation because someone from the previous night did not pass any message to the Unclaimed Baggage section.
From Butterworth I took an Express Bus to Taiping. Oh! What a journey.
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