We'd arranged that my friend Htein Lin, his wife and two daughters would visit me at my hotel for a trip out. They arrived a little before 8.00 a.m. and we all sat on the Poolside Terrace at the hotel and enjoyed a simple breakfast together.
Htein Lin's Daughters at Rupar Mandalar Hotel.
Until recently, Htein Lin was a locomotive driver based at Mohnyin locomotive depot. We had first met in 2012 when he was the driver of the 'Road to Mandalay' special train from Katha to Naba. That day is described in the post here. Before becoming a driver, Htein Lin had followed his father in working at the Railway Workshops in Myitnge, a few miles south of Mandalay. Recently, he had accepted a supervisory position in the New Coach Construction Factory currently being built at Myitnge and, only a few days before our meeting, had brought his family and furniture back from Mohnyin to Myitnge where family members still live. At the same time, his elder daughter was about to start a degree course in Mathematics at Mandalay University.
So you may imagine that there were many things to talk about but, inevitably, railways in Britain and Myanmar featured heavily. Htein Lin had arranged for me to have a tour of the existing coach workshops at Myitnge and the new factory under construction which should open in 2018 so we had to break off to travel to Myitnge.
My friend had arranged the use of an official railway car (a RAV4) and driver so we climbed aboard and set off into Mandalay's heavy traffic. Being a railway vehicle, the windscreen bore an official 'sticker'. I realised the advantage that this conferred when we approached the modern road toll station south of the city, for we passed through unmolested. I've enjoyed the same happy experience when engaged on charitable work travelling in a Monastery car.
Myitnge Carriage and Wagon Workshop: Main entrance.
On arrival at the Carriage and Wagon Workshop, we parked outside the main entrance and, after a short meeting with the General Manager, we started a walking tour of the extensive workshops, built by the British.
Myitnge Carriage and Wagon Workshop: General view of carriage workshop.
Each production area was neatly laid out, with painted walkways and carefully signed (in English) showing the work carried out. We looked and both major repairs to coaches and New Construction of existing designs. I found it most impressive.
Myitnge Carriage and Wagon Workshop: Welded sides for new coaches being fabricated.
However, in an effort to improve levels of passenger comfort, Myanmar has concluded an agreement with China regarding a 'Concession Factory' to construct large numbers of new coaches of Chinese design. I toured the huge new steel-framed industrial buildings being provided for this project. These buildings are in an advanced stage of construction and production of the new coaches, using air suspension to give better ride characteristics, is expected to start in 2018.
Myitnge Carriage and Wagon Workshop: New factory for producing coaches with air-suspension.
Following the tour of the new factory, we visited Htein Lin's Parents at their home in Myitnge.
Htein Lin and his Parents.
Nearby, we met up with Htein Lin's family at a relative's home in Myitnge, where I had an excellent lunch exactly to my rather limited taste in Myanmar food.
Htein Lin and Family at Myitnge.
We then went to see a modern pagoda which, unusually, is completely clad in jade of various shades of green.
Mandalay district in 2017: The Jade Pagoda.
Ywa Taung is not far from Myitnge (although on the opposite side of the Ayeyarwaddy River). In 1975, Myanma Railways opened a diesel locomotive repair workshop there to supplement the capacity at Insein Works in Yangon. I was in Mandalay in 2015 as described here. I was unable to visit the works on that occasion because of an official holiday but visited the home of one of the managers and produced an article Ywa Taung Locomotive Workshop based on information I was given during that visit.
In 2017, I still didn't get to visit the works because the manager was away but I was able to make a social visit to his home.
It was agreed that I'd return to Mandalay by train from Ywa Taung station, allowing the car to take the family back to Myitnge but then my friend decided to accompany me on the train so he sent his family directly to Myitnge by car.
MR: Ywa Taung Station - DF.1326 arrives with the Up Myitkyina train on which I travelled to Mandalay.
After an interesting journey to Mandalay Station which took around an hour, we engaged two taxis - one to return my friend to Myitnge, a second to take me back to the Rupar Mandalar Hotel.
Related posts on this website
This is one of a series of posts describing my 12th visit to Myanmar. The post Starting out is the first post in the series.
Clicking on the 'Next report' link displays the post describing the next events. In this way, you may read about the trip in sequence.
Next report on this trip
Alternately, clicking on the 'All my Burma-2017(2) reports' link displays all the posts on this trip in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Burma-2017(2) reports.
My photograph albums
Where necessary, clicking on an image above will display an 'uncropped' view or, alternately, pictures from may be selected, viewed or downloaded, in various sizes, from the albums listed:-
Rupar Mandalar Hotel.
MR: Myitnge Carriage and Wagon Workshop.
Family & Friends out & about.
Mandalay District.
MR: Ywa Taung - Mandalay.
[Amended 16-Oct-2017: Picture links added 17-Oct-2017: Minor edits, pictures added 08-Jan-2018]
