What is Steam Engine?

Unit had been pulled off the line, due to the actions of two loco-drivers, that day.

The loco had developed a fault and should not have been allowed to travel on the main line.

The "Kedah Mail" had not survived long into the 20th century.

The operator was having financial problems, and closed the railway in the 1920s.

The route is now just a quiet little country lane.

The track has long since been removed.

However, the bridge in the middle of the line and the "park bench" which sits on the curved bridge are all that is left.

The south side of the line is now pasture.

However, one of the two crosses and the water tower still stand.

The tank house is still intact, though now in disrepair.

There is also a walkway on the west side of the line.

The path crosses the race track, and continues to the north.

There is an old engine shed just along the track.

It still stands, though rather dilapidated.

The wooden stairs still stand in the shed.

The old engine house is in a state of disrepair.

It has suffered the ravages of years of neglect.

Another sidings is located beside the old shed.

Further along the track, there is a derelict abattoir building.

Behind the abattoir, the remains of a mine entrance can be found.

The gates are still on the gateposts, as well as the handrail.

A rusty old metal tank (vapour storage tank) can also be seen.

The tunnel under the race track is still intact.

Some of the track still exists, though it is in very bad condition.

During the old steam era

The railway used steam engines, and locomotives.

A few of the old steam locomotives can be seen on the island.

A few, including a C class which is also an E & T Class, were later converted to oil burners.

Unfortunately, in the 1950s, there was a mass of old locomotives which were not overhauled or repaired.

This resulted in the formation of small clouds of smoke at all times of day and night.

The smoke pollution got so bad, that the islanders were either asked to remove their livestock or to move away.

The railway had to be closed in 1956.

The track was removed and the site was converted into a road.

Unfortunately, none of the steam engines survived, and only a few of the old wagons, which were housed in the engine sheds, have survived.

Except for the bridge on the north side of the line, which was the highest bridge on the island at the time, and the abandoned abattoir and the tank house, everything else that remains of the railway has been lost to time.

During World War II, the railways of Perak were requisitioned for use as a bomb dump.

There were at least three railway depots on the island: at Santubong (called Banjak railway station), Bagan Lalang and Kuala Lipis.