Hong Kong train 100 years 香港火車一百年 “A City a story” photo contest #51 Topic (Hundred Years ago 百年之前)

I want to talk about trains today. In fact, I work on the trains area every night, there are many railway lines in Hong Kong now, I mainly serve the East Rail Line, from Hung Hom Station to Sheung Shui Station or Lok Ma Chau Station. Perhaps you will not think of a steam train that with smokes, because you find it when watch an animated movie only, Hong Kong is now all electrified, but I can take everyone to the Hong Kong Railway Museum to see the real steam train.

The establishment of the Kowloon-Canton Railway dates back to 1898, when it was licensed by the British and Chinese governments to connect the railway from Kowloon to Guangzhou. The construction of the British Railway began in 1906. The Kowloon-Canton Railway I have served has been over 100 years old, but it used to be monorail.

The one-lane railway that the Hong Kong Government spent 1.3 million pounds to build was officially opened on October 1, 1910. The traffic was started from the Kowloon Terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui. Go to Yau Ma Tei, Sha Tin, Tai Po, Tai Po Market, Fan Ling and finally to the boundary of Lo Wu, connected to the China Guangzhou Railway. Before the 1975, the Kowloon Terminus was in Tsim Sha Tsui. Now only the Hong Kong Clock Tower is left as a memorial. It is the Hong Kong Clock Tower of the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade.

On December 8, 1941, the same day that the Japanese army bombed Pearl Harbor invaded Hong Kong. The Japanese army ruled Hong Kong for three years and eight months. At that time, the trade was completely stopped and the currency was worthless. If there were bitcoin in the past, I think people would not have a bad life. Under the control of the Japanese army, the Kowloon-Canton Railway was only able to provide limited services. In the years after the war, most people who fled to China began to return to Hong Kong. The economy began to recover, and then the Kuomintang government was defeated by the Communist Party. Hong Kong has to face the huge crowds in history. Hundreds of thousands of people have come to Hong Kong, making Hong Kong's population rapidly expanding, over 2.5 million people.

The Tsim Sha Tsui Station was the closest to the ferry terminal. The rickshaw was the busiest means of transport, but the Kowloon-Canton Railway was the most convenient way to go to the New Territories.

In the early days, high-efficiency and low-cost steam trains were used until 1949, and they could still travel directly to Europe via the Siberian Railway. The Kowloon-Canton Railway used a 50-year steam train until it was fully converted to a diesel train in 1962. (It is the No. 51 diesel train), I have took this train in the 70s. I most remember that the train was too crowded, I need to climb the window leaving the train.

It was only in 1983 that it was fully electrified, and then it was rare to see a No. 51 diesel head. It may occasionally be seen for repair or freight services.

The Hong Kong Railway Museum was opened in 1985. Its predecessor was the old Tai Po Market Railway Station. It was completed in 1913. The only reason this station can be kept is that the other stations are British-style buildings. The old Tai Po Market Station used the most Chinese. Traditional way of construction. The blue brick and black tile gold word top also adds a lot of Chinese characteristics of animals, set fire beads, double dragon fishes on the roof, both sides of the gables and red bats, peony, gourd, bergamot and Xiantao and other auspicious things.

In 1984 the building was listed as a statutory ancient ruins. The console and the ticket office are now open to the exhibition. There are six train cars outside. In addition to the famous No.51 diesel engine, you can also see the earliest steam trains of the year.

There are several train cars in different years, luggage compartments, hard seats, soft seats. You can take pictures in the train cars. In addition to tourists, there are still many married people who are dedicated to taking pictures, because there is really no chance in Hong Kong standing on the rails, the children can still lie on the tracks and play with small stones. Young Cosplay ladys, they are frequent visitors here.

Today, I introduced the Hong Kong Railway Museum that is over. If you have the opportunity, you can walk around here and I hope you enjoy it.

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今日要講嘅就係火車，其實每一日每一晚我都是在火車沿途工作，香港現時有很多條鐵路我主要服務的是東鐵線，即是由紅磡站至上水站或者落馬洲站，一講到火車呢大家應該不會再諗起嗰啲有個煙通噴煙，同埋行使時候發出共儂共儂聲音的列車了，只會想起火車就是像子彈一樣快的高鐵，噴煙的火車要看銀河鐵路999的動畫片才看到啊，因為香港現在全部都是電氣化了，不過我可以帶大家去香港鐵路博物館，就可以回憶返當年好似銀河鐵路999的情況啦。

九廣鐵路的成立，要追溯到1898年，當時獲得英國和中國政府的特許建築一條連接九龍至廣州的鐵路。英界鐵路的建築在1906年開始，合指一算，我服務的九廣鐵路都已經超過100年曆史了，不過以前是單軌的，香港政府花了130萬英鎊去建成的單線行車鐵路在1910年10月1日正式通車，通車由尖沙咀的九龍總站開始去到油麻地、沙田、大埔、大埔墟、粉嶺最後移去邊界的羅湖，同廣州的鐵路相連接。1975年前的九龍總站是在尖沙咀位置，現在只剩下鐘樓作為紀念，是的就是尖沙咀海濱長廊的這個鐘樓了。

1941年12月8日，日本軍轟炸珍珠港的同一日侵佔了香港，日軍統治香港三年零八個月的時間，當時貿易完全停頓，貨幣亦一文不值，誒！當年如果有比特幣就唔使咁閉翳啦。九廣鐵路被日軍控制之下，衹能夠做有限的服務，戰後幾年大部分淪陷地方逃往中國的人也開始回流返香港，經濟開始復甦，跟住又到國民黨政府被共產黨擊敗，香港要迎接歷史上從未出現過咁龐大的人潮，有數十萬人湧入來香港，使香港人口迅速膨脹，超過250萬人，當時尖沙咀站最接近渡輪碼頭，人力車是最繁忙的交通工具，但是如果要去新界，九廣鐵路就是最方便的途徑，聽講當時的水貨客唔差得過現在。早期都是用效率高成本低的蒸汽火車做客運車，直到1949年仍然可以由香港經西伯利亞鐵路一路去到歐洲。九廣鐵路用咗50年的蒸汽火車，直至一九六二年全面轉用柴油車(即係51號的柴頭)，70年代我都坐過它，當年跟住爸媽回鄉探親已經做水貨客了，以前的人是帶衫褲鞋襪收音機、電視機、風扇總之是家庭電器囉，最記得落火車太多人很多時都要擒窗口才落到車。到咗1983年才完全電氣化，之後就好少再見到呢個51號的柴頭了，可能偶爾都會見到它用在維修或者貨運服務上。

香港鐵路博物館是1985年啟用，它的前身是舊大埔墟火車站，1913年落成，這個車站可以保留至今唯一原因是其它站都是英式的建築，而舊大埔墟站用了最中國傳統特色方式建造，青磚黑瓦金字頂還加了很多中國特色的動物，定火珠,雙鰲魚在屋脊上面，兩側山牆還有紅蝙蝠、牡丹、葫蘆、佛手和仙桃等吉祥之物。在1984年這座大樓被列入為法定古蹟。裏面的控制台及售票處現在都開放展覽，外面一共有六卡火車車廂，除了展覽鼎鼎大名的51號柴頭之外大家還可以看到當年最早期的蒸汽火車，感受一下銀河鐵路999的情景了。

車卡方便有幾款唔同年份的車廂，行李車廂，硬座軟座。唔知點解頭等車廂的軟座總是被一些大陸遊客坐著很久都不肯離開，真的那麼好坐嗎？唔通他們來香港坐的高鐵或和諧號時真的太快了還未坐過夠？除了遊客之外其實這裏還有很多結婚人士專誠來拍照取景，因為在香港真的沒有機會可以在路軌上站著拍照，小孩子還可以躺在路軌上玩弄小石塊，年輕的Cosplay女子，他們都是這裏的常客。

今日我介紹嘅香港鐵路博物館就到此為止，大家如果有機會嘅都可以嚟這裏拍照留念啊。

All pictures I took when I was in Hong Kong.
This is my entry in the #citystory competition this week by @sasaadrian
Shoot with my Asus zenfone & novatek camera sj9000

I'm also trying to nominate a project of "1001 Places To Remember" by @archisteem

Hope you like it comment share follow me thank you very much

 

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