Great Malaysian Railway Journeys
MALAYSIAN RAILWAYS
THEN & NOW

The Crag Hotel, Penang Hill, Penang Seafront, Cornwallis Fort, Tanjong Bunga, Ayer Itam, Swettenham Pier, FMS Railway Building, Botanical Gardens,  Ferry to Butterworth, Penang Trams

I hope to see the old Bukit Mertajam railway station before it is demolished to make way for line upgrading. Also worth seeing in this town is a colourful market and the famous St. Anne's Church, which I wrote about on my Thrifty Traveller blog. 

Nearby towns mentioned in the 1914 guidebook are : 

NIBONG TEBAL
People visit this small riverside town to sample their renowned crab porridge or curried prawns or to take an evening boat ride to witness fireflies putting on their nightly show.

PARIT BUNTAR & 5. BAGAN SERAI
The 1914 guidebook describes the countryside around these towns as a picturesque rice growing region offering good snipe hunting during the season (September to March). I'll not be doing any hunting but plan to stop off to see what these sleepy towns have to offer.

In 1914, Taiping was the headquarters of the British Administration of the State of Perak. The guidebook called Taiping the 'most beautiful town in the Peninsula'. It's still a pretty town. 

From here we do a side trip to PORT WELD. The first railway line to be built in Malaya ran from Taiping to Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang). Not much of that line remains now.
Read about the interesting community of Kuala Sepetang on my Thrifty Traveller blog.

The scenery from the railway between Taiping and Kuala Kangsar is very fine according to the 1914 guidebook which also called Kuala Kangsar a 'remarkably beautiful' village.
The guidebook also refers to the Malay Residential College, a school for 'Malays of gentle birth'. The college is still running today. 

Next stop is Sungai Siput, known for the lion-shaped hill which overlooks this small town. It is also infamous for being the place where the Malay Emergency started in June 1948 when three European planters where murdered on their respective estates by communist terrorists.

Ipoh Heritage Walk, Cave Temples, Station Road, Round the Kinta Valley, Grand Hotel Ipoh.

There are a lot of interesting and well preserved colonial era buildings to see in Batu Gajah, which was once the hub of the Kinta Valley region. See my Batu Gajah Heritage Trail to learn more. One of Malaysia's last surviving tin dredges is located nearby. Read details here.

Kampar is another typical Perak former tin mining town that has seen better days. The closure of the tin mines and the opening of the North-South expressway (which diverted traffic away from the town) sent Kampar into decline.You can see some photos of Kampar on my Thrifty Traveller blog. 

Tapah Road has the second oldest railway station in Malaysia, which still survives (just) alongside the new one. Full details and photos here.

The new railway station is a little out of town. The main attraction in this area is the Sungai Klah Hot Springs Park. Read details here.

Slim River has a few attractive temples close to the railway station.
For details and photos click here.

This tiny town comprises a couple of streets of wooden shophouses. It is a quaint and sleepy little place and hardly justifies a station of its own. Find out more here.

An historic mosque, an old rest house and police station and a famous pau shop are among this picturesque town's attractions. Read more here.

Kuala Kubu Baru sits on the road to Bukit Fraser and has a couple of waterfalls and trekking routes nearby. Click here for details.

Rasa seems a quiet and peaceful place with a few old buildings and lots of mature trees. Read more here.

An infamous incident took place here during the Emergency. Batang Kali has nice scenery and waterfalls nearby. Read details here.

Serendah saw action during WWII. Serendah Waterfall and the Seven Wells (Perigi Tujuh) are among the local attractions. Click here for more.

Not a very exciting town but nice attractions nearby. You can read about them here.

Site of an old leprosy settlement. Click here for more details.

Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
KL Railway Station, Padang, Masjid Jamek, Museum, Lake Gardens, Majestic Hotel, Selangor Club, Coliseum, Batu Caves, Kuala Kubu Bharu, The Gap

Old Malacca station, St.Paul's Church, Jonker Street, Heeren Street, Stadthaus, Christ Church, Pulau Upeh, St. John's Hill, Bukit China, Church of St. Peter, Tanjong Kling and more.

Tank Road Terminus, Jinrickshas, Singapore Electric Tramways, Blakong Mati (Sentosa Island), Singapore Cricket Club, Raffles Hotel and, Piracy.