Steam and Semaphores in Burma (Myanmar)

Metre Gauge Steam in Burma 7. - 15.12.2019

The Godeln Land: 14. - 22.12.2019

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

The overhauling and repair of wagons, water supply facilities, triangles, turntables; converting a loco from coal to oil burning and the work on a branch line required a financial involvement which was, sadly, mirrored in the tour price. So for the December 2018 tour, we gave six passenger coaches a new livery, working on the line to Madauk got them to repair a bridge, overhauled two four wheel flat wagons and brought four freight wagons over a 1,000 km to Bago. This resulted in an expensive tour, not affordable by everybody. With this new trip (over 700 Pounds cheaper) we hope to appeal to those with a slimmer budget. A chance to visit wonderful Myanmar, a chance to experience semaphores, gantries, pagodas and parts of the traditional mainline still with flagmen, token rings and manually operated points. All this and steam!

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

When the December tour ended, we went to several offices to talk to people with four and five golden stripes on their epaulettes. The construction work on the main line started with a ceremony in December 2018. Tons of ballast, tens of thousands of brand new concrete sleepers and so on, are ready to be laid. So at last they start to modernise the railway. For us bad news! But not everywhere at the same time. Good news! Pyuntaza is the centre of the construction works, and the plans for re-signalling and re-building the stations of Pyuntaza and Bago are on the drawing board. However, we managed to get a very precious promise from the management: they will not touch Pyuntaza and Bago until the end of 2019!

That’s why we can offer this nine day tour. We now have sufficient wagons to create perfectly authentic looking trains in different combinations. Everyone in Bago knows what and how we want things. The work done for previous tours will make THIS tour so much easier, enjoyable and photographically rewarding. Wonderful Burma awaits. I know you will enjoy it!

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

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Itinerary Steam and Semaphores in Burma

Date

Itinerary

07.12.

Individual flight to Yangon

08.12.

Arrival in Yangon until noon, early afternoon transfer to our hotel in Bago

09.12.

Morning transfer to Pyuntaza, visit to the depot, continue to Madauk. We’ll have a mixed charter train from Madauk to Nyaunglebin in the afternoon, almost exactly at the time the mixed 162 used to run with steam until 2001. We’ve arranged pottery which will be loaded on the train, recreating scenes which could be seen until the turn of the millennium. We’ve planned with the beautiful pacific class YC. Return to our hotel in Bago

10.12.

Main line steam! We’ll go from Pyuntaza to Bago on the double tracked main line. We’ll use a passenger train and the YC. Parts of the line will be under construction, but there will be some larger sections which are still looking very traditional. Hotel in Bago.

11.12.

With a stone train behind a YD we’ll go from Bago to Mokpalin, where our loco will be turned. Hotel near Kyaikhto

12.12.

We return to our stone train. The stone trains were always fantastic, but we’ll top it! This will be the best stone train we ever run, as another four MHV wagons will be available. Hotel in Bago.

13.12.

We made a deal with the headquarters: they won’t touch Bago’s semaphores at least until the end of 2019. Hence we will play around the semaphores and gantries for quite possibly the last time. We’ll also go out on the main line. We’ll use the YC again. This is the weakest locomotive, and it’s not sure we can use it for much longer without a very pricy heavy boiler repair. We’re not even sure anyone in Burma is capable to of undertaking the much needed boiler repair. Hotel in Bago

14.12.

In the late morning we’ll be bussed back to Yangon, for those who booked a later flight: visit to the world heritage site Shwedagon Pagoda, and in the evening we’ll fly home

15.12.

Arrival at home

Itinerary The Godeln Land

Date

Itinerary

14.12.

In the morning our charter bus will take us to Yangon Airport for the domestic flight to Loikaw, the capital of Kayah state. In the afternoon we will visit various attractions in the city including the famous Taung Kwe Buddhist monastery, the local market, the palace of the mayor of the region and other sights. Hotel in Loikaw.

15.12.

In the morning we will visit the villages of the Kayan people near Padaung. The Kayan are famous for the extraordinary long necked women, who wear heavy brass rings around their necks. There are now only 20,000 Kayans left in Kayah. We will hike to several villages over unpaved roads, which may become very muddy after rainfall. We will have lunch in one of the villages to sample the local food. On the way back to Loikaw, we will visit the Ngwe Taung Se dam and Kan Kunasint, one of a series of seven interconnected lakes. Hotel in Loikaw.

16.12.

After breakfast, we will transfer by charter bus to Phe Khone, where a speedboat will take us to Sagar. On the way we can enjoy some of the most beautiful landscapes to be found in Myanmar. In Sagar we will see the ancient sunken ruins of stupas and Buddhas from the 15th century. Lunch at a local restaurant. The lakes are all interconnected and we will stay on board until we reach the famous Inle Lake.

For accommodation we have two options: a hotel in Nyaung Shwe or a hotel which sits on stilts in the lake – the last one is much more expensive (210 Euros/180 Pounds) and a more luxurious, but due to the passing boats, noisier. The noisy motor boats will only rest between 11 pm and 4.30 am. On the registration form under the section „Comments, questions“, please state which one you would prefer: hotel in Nyaung Shwe or hotel on stilts in the Inle lake.

17.12.

The Inle Lake became a tourist hot spot some years ago, but is still well worth a visit. Floating garden agriculture has helped to reduce the size of the lake by a third over the past 60 years along with silt running off the hills due to new intensive farming methods. The villages on stilts are becoming islands or part of the new shore line.

If you wish we can arrange sunrise shots with traditionally dressed fishermen. They control the rudder of their boats with one of their legs, which is a unique technique. You will need to pay the fishermen for their demonstration.

Later we will visit a local flea market and the ruins of the Inn Tein pagodas, which are partly overgrown by trees. We then continue to the Phaung Daw Oo temple, where you can find golden Buddhas, the Nga Phe Chaung monastery, which is known as the jumping cats monastery (but the cats do not jump any more) and other sights.

Hotel in Nyaung Shwe or in the Inle lake.

18.12.

Transfer to Heho airport for the flight to Bagan. After arrival, we will continue by charter bus to Mount Popa. On the way we will stop at a palm candy workshop. On top of Mount Popa sits the Popa Taung Kalat monastery, which is a sacred mountain for the Burmese. If you want to go up to the top, you need to climb 777 steps, some of which will be covered in monkey poo, who live there in their hundreds. For the first 200 steps, you can keep your footwear on, the rest needs to be climbed barefoot. Be careful – the monkeys are keen on any kind of food. As soon as you unpack something they will steal it from you …

Hotel in Bagan.

19.12.

Bagan is famous for its many pagodas, over a thousand. Some of them are truly splendid, some more modest and humble. We will visit – the Shwezigon pagoda, the 900 year old glory of Bagan; - the Htilominlo temple, with its impressive engravings; - the temple of Ananda, built in the eleventh century and one of the most impressive; - the Dhamayangyi and the Sulamani temples, built in 12th century. In the afternoon, we will visit a lacquer workshop, a specialty of the area. For the sunset, we will go back to the pagoda fields. It is no longer permitted to climb the pagodas. They have built some – photographically useless – artificial hills instead as viewing points.

If you want you can book a balloon flight over Bagan. This will start early morning, so that you will be in the air for sunrise. The views from the balloons are magnificent, the price is as well: US-$360, but it is worth it. It is often sold out well in advance. So please let us know with your registration whether or not you wish to book the balloon flight.

Hotel in Bagan.

20.12.

Morning flight to Mandalay. Charter bus transfer to Amarapura, the ancient capital of the Burmese kingdom, where we will visit the Mahagandayon monastery to see the main meal donation to the more than 1000 monks who are living there. Afterwards we continue to Ava. First you need to travel by a tiny ferry then a horse cart to visit the numerous sights. We start with the Okkyaung monastery from the 19th century and continue to the Bargayar monastery, with its impressive 267 carved teak pillars. Later we continue to Sagaing to visit the Ponyashin pagoda. From the Sagaing you have a beautiful view over the countryside and the Ayeyarwaddy river with two bridges crossing it, one of them being the old railway bridge. In the late afternoon we will return to Mandalay to enjoy the sunset from or at the U Bein bridge, the longest teak bridge in the world. It is so well known that we will might meet hundreds of tourists there.

Hotel in Mandalay.

21.12.

After breakfast we will transfer to the Mandalay International Airport. From here you can catch flights to Bangkok, the international hub from where you can fly home.

22.12.

Arrival at home

Dampf in Birma/Myanmar für Eisenbahnfotografen

Dampf in Birma/Myanmar für Eisenbahnfotografen

Inle Lake

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Line description

The non-electrified, double tracked main line from Mandalay to Yangon is among the slowest main lines in the whole of Asia. Some sections are like a green meadow, with some rails peeping out of the grass. At the beginning of 2019 we still find riveted bridges from the time of the line’s construction, semaphores and gantries in Pyuntaza and Bago, timber-framed signal cabins and flag-man protected level crossings. The line leads to flat countryside along the Sittaung River valley but offers a good number of nice locations for photography. The main feature will be, of course, our authentic, steam hauled charter freight train.

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

In December 2018 they started the planned construction work to catapult the line into the 21st century. But large sections will still remain completely untouched by the end of 2019. From the agreement we have, the stations Pyuntaza and Bago won’t be changed until December 2019.

The nice branch line to Madauk allows only a speed of 25 km/h, partly just 8 km/h (5 Mi/h). The line offers a very special feature. Until the turn of the millennium, they loaded hundreds of earthenware pots at a tiny, unimportant stop. Because the “pot stop” was so unimportant to the railway, even the slowest mixed train trains stopped for only a minute or two. The hectic hustle and bustle while loading dozens, if not hundreds, of pots was amazing. Some pots broke, some were left behind when the train departed. This is the exactly the same scene we will re-create with our train.

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

Bago (the town was previously known as Pegu) had one of the last steam sheds of Burma. It served two lines, the first of which headed to Mottama, southeast of Bago, the second one is a main line. Initially it is flat (but not without photographic potential). Beyond the bridge over the Sittaung River, hills start to appear. At Mokpalin, there is a small, barely used shed with a turntable, overhauled especially or our group. Locos can take water here and minor repairs are still possible. Two of the rarely used locomotives have a reduced boiler pressure and so can’t handle the same weight as they used to. Locomotive reliability is always suspect, but the crews are incredibly helpful and always try their best even if skills are fast disappearing. We will aim for light passenger trains only, with three to five coaches. We have three serviceable locomotives, two of them will be used for our group. There are two 2-8-2 Mikados of class YD and one 4-6-2 Pacific of class YC

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

So please be prepared for delays, not only from the operational/timetabling perspective (they are very common in Burma), but also with reliability. It is simply not possible to guarantee that anything will work exactly as planned. We will have spare locomotives which could help out, but not at the drop of a hat. Please remember, we’re there a decade after the last fire was dropped on regular steam operations!

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Small Print

A chartered tour bus will follow the steam trains. Occasionally we’ll travel by bus and follow our train, but usually we’ll board the train to get to most photo spots. Getting aboard the freight wagons is, sometimes, a bit demanding, but we’ll have ladders available for the non-athletes!

All in all, the technical condition of the railway and its equipment makes guarantees difficult. The steam locos haven’t been used for a long time and haven’t been fully overhauled - they’ve just been made serviceable. It might be that some parts of the programme might not go ahead as planned and need to be skipped. Money already paid to Myanmar officials or to the railway will not be refunded even if they don’t then deliver what we have paid for. As before, I have had to sign had to sign my acceptance of this. So do you. However, we don’t expect serious difficulties. On all the recent tours everyone in Burma tried very hard to fulfil our wishes. On the recent tour nothing failed and the photographs were amazing.

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

Time keeping in Myanmar is “flexible” and there might be hefty delays. However, our charter trains have departed pretty well on time. Charter buses (mostly with air conditioning), local aircraft, trains and accommodation are to the standard of our host country, are somewhat short of European, Australian or North American expectations. While we will try to avoid long walks but some photo positions may require a bit of extra effort. The itinerary is designed especially for both still photographers and video film makers. To make the most any opportunities, we may change our route or hotels/guest houses as necessary.

Usually our hotels are okay, but occasionally the standard of hotels in smaller places may be variable. Please be flexible and tolerant, but after you have seen and felt the quality of the roads, you’ll understand why we don’t drive enormous distances just to get to a better hotel.

Please note that morning trains have a higher priority than breakfast in the hotel. So breakfast may be served as a packed box if necessary. Lunch and dinner are planned according to the situation with the steam train timetable. If necessary we’ll buy papayas, bananas and oranges instead of risking missing some good pictures because of a time-consuming restaurant stop. Excellent lunches, with local fruit and rice and curries are usually available in the small stations along the railway too. Beverages are not included in the tour price.

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

Always use common sense when crossing roads and railway tracks. For instance, if you walk on dark streets during the night please take a good torch with you. Neither the local tour operator, Myanma Railways, nor FarRail Tours Club can be held responsible, and will not accept any liability whatsoever, in the case of any accident or illness, damage or delay etc. We suggest you take out a comprehensive overseas accident and health insurance policy.

We recommend that you take some US dollars with you. To change some money at the airport for souvenirs or beverages, other major currencies, such as Euros or British Pounds, are ok as well. With about $200 US you should easily be able to cover all expenses.

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

Charging rechargeable batteries in the hotels is usually not a problem. Sometimes there’s a power cut, and the hotel’s generator set is not able to deliver the same voltage as the country’s network. Therefore, recharging batteries can take a longer time than usual. However, no one missed a picture on our recent trips because of battery problems.

Despite the difficulties we might face, you’ll be very pleasantly surprised by this lovely country, it’s friendly and welcoming people and above all an amazing railway, preserved for the moment as it was, with a program of steam activity quite remarkable for 2019.

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

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Price

Burma (Myanmar)
Steam and Semaphores in Myanmar 31 to 40 participants £2,270
07.12.2019 – 15.12.2019 22 to 30 participants £2,540
  Single room surcharge £300
Registration Deadline: 17.08.2019
Loikaw, Inle Lake, Bagan and Mandalay 12 to 18 participants £1,620
14.12.2019 – 22.12.2019 5 to 11 participants £1,820
  Single room surcharge £270
Registration Deadline: 31.08.2019

Bookings after the registration period expires are possible at a premium of £105.

The price includes:

Not included are:

Steam in Burma/Myanmar for railway photographers

All pictures shown here were taken in December 2018.

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