Digital and Film Photography Themes Around Mahachai and the Railway (2): The River

By Graham K. Rogers

A small line run by the State Railway of Thailand, completely disconnected from the main rail system, runs near where I live. Originally, the Tachin Railway it ran from Mahachai to Klongsan up to the 1960s, bringing fresh produce to Bangkok when road transport was deficient. The line now begins at Wongwianyai and only carries passengers. A separate line, also originally developed to carry produce, runs from across the river from Mahachai to Maeklong and is famous for its Railway Market.

As well as the railway, to me, Mahachai means two things: food and the river. Inseparable from the origins of the railway, the two are fundamental to the economy of the area and to Thailand itself.

This trip I used an iPhone X along with a Nikon D850 with 50mm and 85mm lenses, and a Hasselblad 503C with the 85mm Distagon lens. I first deleted almost half of the 300 or so images I took, selecting around 60 for editing, finally using 44 for this 2-part photo essay (15%). Only images from the Nikon are used here.

I found distinct themes that the images supported: the journeys, around Mahachai (railway terminal and food), the river and related ideas. The first part with some 20 images looks at journeys and the railway terminal. This second part looks at the market, the food and the important marine links.

Market and food

Around holiday time and at weekends it is sometimes hard to walk in the streets there are so many people. With the market there are also restaurants and I always stop at the same noodle place as the food makes the journey worthwhile.

Mahachai market area

A favourite stop for food before crossing the river

River and Industries

The Tha Chin River between Mahachai and Banlaem

With the river also comes wild-life and the immediate area is rich with a variety of bird species, local and migratory, that use the nearby salt marshes (salt is another industry here) for nesting.

Although the Banlaem side is far less busy than Mahachai (one reason I prefer this side), there are several small processing factories backing on to the river, although some have moved in the last couple of years from sea food to fruit. As the area changes, so new buildings are constructed while some older ones are left to decay.

Abandoned buildings - Banlaem

The river nears the sea

The proximity to the sea means fishing boats and deep-sea fishing means nets, which must be maintained in good repair.

Repairing the Fishing Nets

Fishing Vessels

Changes in the weather can occur in under an hour at this time of year. With rain on its way it was time to head back to the ferry (passing a local signpost) where my travelling companion was a friendly monk.

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