Mae Phuak Railway Halt
History
In 1903, Ban Mae Phuak was part of Mueang Phrae District, subsequently, it was upgraded to a Mae Phuak District. Later in the year 1917, the government changed the name of Mae Phuak District to Sung Men District and Ban Mae Phuak was merged with Den Chai District since 1887.
Mae Phuak railway halt was originally a railway station which opened in 1919. The station building has beautiful architecture in the era of King Rama V. It is one of the oldest railway stations in Thailand, over 100 years old. It is a two-storey wooden building, divided into office building and station master's accommodation, and office building and assistant station master's accommodation separated by a passenger shelter.
In 2003 it was shut down due to lower passenger numbers. SRT can't bear the expenses that come up to 100,000 baht per month, while earning only a few tens of baht.
Later, a local leader gathered residents to rebuild the station. They started by initiate a Pha-Pa fundraising project to find a budget to repaint, and then installed electricity. Including receiving budget support from the government about 2,000,000 baht. At present, the entrance to the station has been developed into a landmark and also the recreation ground. The interior of the building has been transformed into a local museum displaying daily appliances and old photographs depicting local history.
The railway halt station building received the ASA Architectural Conservation Award in 2016 from the Association of Siamese Architects.
In addition, the area of more than 133 rai (about 52.5 acres) opposite the halt is also the first and the largest teak plantation site in northern region.
References
- ^ "ปู๊นปู๊น ถึงสถานีแม่พวก" [Choo-choo arrives at Mae Phuak station]. Bangkokbiz (in Thai). 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ^ "THE END OF THE TRAIN TRACKS AT SAWANKHALOK". Thai PBS. 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
17°56′10″N 100°03′27″E / 17.936050°N 100.057624°E
