My Train Journeys - Part 2.

In 1981, I began to work as a Bank Clerk/Teller in a bank at Kuala Lumpur. I left my beloved hometown, Taiping, on the Express Rakyat on a fine Saturday morning and arrived KL that afternoon. I went to my brother’s house in Taman Permata. It has been agreed that I stay with him for that few months until my transfer to Taiping some months later. I got the job primarily due to the bank needed people from Taiping to staff its new branch to be opened in Simpang, Taiping. During that few months while I worked in KL, I made regular trips home by train. Those days, we had to work half-day on Saturdays. Therefore,  I would take the Express Rakyat Northbound (Singapore-Butterworth) on Saturday afternoon and arrived Taiping that night. Sunday, I would return to KL with the Night Mail and arrived KL Monday morning and went straight to work. I would wash-up myself at the Wisma Central toilet before I start work. After I passed my probation period and  was qualified to use my Annual Leave, I would return to KL with the morning Express Rakyat Southbound (Butterworth- Singapore). That time, the Express Sinaran services were not yet available.

Sometimes, I would use the express buses but I always preferred to use the trains. Perhaps, I just enjoyed the train rides more than travel by bus.

So, what were the memorable moments in those train travels?

One, I met up with a my former school-mate, Wong Tat Weng, on one train trip from KL to Taiping. Tat Weng was working with an accounting firm in KL. That evening, our Express Rakyat journey had to end at Kuala Kangsar station. There was a goods train that had derailed near Bukit Berapit. We were informed that passengers will continue the journey by buses. Since the arranged buses had not arrived yet, some of us walked to KK bus station to ride the KK-Taiping express bus. I have not met Wong Tat Weng since.

Two, on one of my trip to Taiping, one passenger played the “newly released” 1981 Air Supply cassette on his portable cassette player over and over again. Remember, those were the years before CDs was invented.

Three, I enjoyed the view of the marshlands along Batu Gajah-Lahat- Ipoh line. Once in while, I could spot the Weaver Bird’s nest among the trees by the trackside. Hmm, I wonder whether this marshy area still exist now.

Four, the track-side vendors were still in existence only they could not board the express trains because these trains only stopped at the main stations for a short time. However, I could remember one pakcik who sold curry-puffs(big sized and full of filling whether beef or chicken). This pakcik would board the train from Malim Nawar until Kampar station or vice versa. Each curry-puff cost RM2 (1980’s). I would usually bought two. Oh, yummy!

I was transferred to Taiping sometime in the middle of 1981. While working in Taiping, I made monthly trips to KL, sometimes by express bus mostly by express trains. Why the monthly trips you might ask? Alright, the trips were to visit my girlfriend who live in KL (she still does. She is my wife now). Ah! What a young man would do for a girl, eh.

This went on until mid 1983, when I got the job in the Bank’s EDP (Electronic Data Processing) Department and moved back to Kuala Lumpur. This was the time that I had begun to be permanently located in KL. It was a sad day when I left  my Taiping home in my old Fiat 124ST (my late father’s car). I still remember my sad mother’s face waving goodbye from the house front door.

Thus, from then onwards, I made my monthly trips to Taiping to visit my mother and my beloved hometown. As a Systems Operator, I had to work on shift. Between the weekly shift cycle change, everyone was entitled a two days off. So, after every payday, I would travel to Taiping. Usually by train, sometimes I drove in that old Fiat but it was tiring (no PLUS highway yet) and sometimes by express bus.

If I went back home by train or bus, I would move about in Taiping by my old Chopper bicycle. That time, I was still a young (and slim) man. So, to ride a Chopper bike was not strange (my mom sold away the Chopper bicycle when I had grown “older” and bigger. My bottom got achy because of its slim seat).

When I was working in Citibank in the 1990’s, I even took the night train to Butterworth and visit Penang first. After an on overnight stay, then, I would go to Taiping to visit my mom. On these few occasions, I was able to meet up two of my school friends, Ban Heng (who works in Penang) and Karunamurthy (who studied at USM).  The most magnificient view on this journey was when the train passed through the Bukit Merah Lake, between Parit Buntar and Bagan Serai stations. By this time, KTMB had added the Sinaran Express services. Another beautiful sight is the swing railbridge near Prai.

This monthly trips went on right up until the year 2001 when I had to go to Singapore to work. In the 1990’s my mom had become quite weak due to her age and she needed someone to help her collect her monthly pensions at BSN bank. Of course, this monthly trips were usually by train. I just enjoyed the trains rides compared to riding the bus. It was more relaxed too, especially when I rode in the sleeping berth of the Senandung Malam trains.

In 2001, I went to work in Singapore for three years. The first trip down a day before I reported for duty, I rode the Senandung Malam Southbound train on the Second Class Sleeping Berth.  While working in Singapore, I travelled weekly to KL to visit my family. The trips were mostly by express bus (cheaper) and sometimes by train when I am not in a hurry.  However, several times, the Senandung Malam trains had encountered delays. I remember once due to another train derailment and two occasions due to floods near Gemas.  KTMB transferred affected passengers by local buses to the next station, where we would continue our journey to Singapore by train.

In 2004, I returned to Kuala Lumpur to work. By these time, I resumed to visit Taiping every month but usually by driving my car. Sadly, my mom had reached a frail state due to her age. It was easier for me to drive home because I had to collect her pensions on her behalf.

So, here it ends of my travels by train. I have yet to take a train ride right to Bangkok. Future plans will include to travel Europe by train and to ride the AMTRAK in North America.