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Thailand made history with Danish diesel train
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fully demonstrated the superior technology of its newly acouired six Danish diesel locomotives on the long distance route all the way from
Bangkok
to Singapore
and
back.
Ten years earlier, Thailand had acquired its very first diesel locomotive on a test basis. Even the United States had at that time not even thought of changing their old steam engines to the new technology. Satisfied with the diesel locomotives, Thailand then in 1930 ordered the six new, Danish diesel locomotives for passenger trains and one more especially designed locomotive for freight trains.
When delivered in the autumn of 1931 , they were first put to test on the tough and uphill Bangkok-Chiangmai railroad. Pleased with their performance, the Danish locomotives were then employed on the rails to and from all the othqr major provincial capitals of Thailand. A key person behind the
decision to buy the Danish equipment was the then
Chief Engineer of SRT, a 6
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At a time when the United States had not even thought of changing their old steam engines, the State Railway of Thailand in 1930 set an example to the World by ordering six Danish diesel locomotives. It made headlines from Singapore to Bangkok, when the State Railway of Thailand in May 1932 success-
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called H.A.K. Zachariae. Mr. Zachariae had first Dane
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come to Thailand in 1907 and - like so many other Danes at that time - soon rose to his prominent position within the administration. Zachariae, however; per-
sonally disagreed with the revolution in 1932 that changed Thailand to its present constitutional monarchy. Consequently, he left Thailand at the end of December that year. But his job was done. No other country in all of Asia had at that time embraced
the new technology
and
Thailand's neighbours were
watching closely. The request for demonstration of the new train on the route to Singapore in 1932 came from Malaysia.
Of course, Denmark's consul to Thailand was
among the prominent passengers on the very first train. One can only imagine his excitement of being pulled along the track by a Danish supplied locomotive and sleeping in the luxurious 1st Class sleeping carriages build of teak wood, which was likewise delivered from Denmark.
The trip went smoothly until shortly before arriving
back in Bangkok when the locomotive hit a water buffalo on the track and had its stairs up to the drivers cabin slightly bent.
The new train initially shortened the trip down to 32 hours and later further cut
the trip down to only
26
hours including half an hours
stop at the Thai-Malaysian border at Padang Besar. While the diesel locomotives where delivered by the
company A/S Frichs, the
luxurious sleeping carriages were delivered by the company Scandia in Randers.
big ABB-group of companies
under the name of ABB Scandia. Although ABB earlier this year decided to merge ABB Scandia with AEG (Daimler
Benz) of Germany, it is still very much the same company, which in the 1930'ies delivered the then latest Danish railroad technology to Thailand, that is today once again offering the SRT
to be at the forefront of the international railway technology with its uniquely flexible train concept known as the Flexliner.
These two companies in 1977 merged into one com-
pany, and in '1988, this single company - combining the ultimate of Danish railway technology - joined the
Research: Pq V Rasmussen Text: Gregers Moller
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