Remembering our railway men

The Star

These Sikh men from the Malayan Railway were the backbone of this intricate train network that kept the wheels of the nation moving.  Their pride in their workmanship and their devotion to duty was unparalleled.   WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 [Train horn]

00:07 [Train rumbling]

00:10 [Train whistle]

00:11 June 1st, 1885. The railway age dawned on Malaya.

00:16 [Train whistle]

00:20 It was a momentous occasion when the country's first train

00:24 embarked on an 8-mile or 12.8-kilometer journey from Taiping to Port Weld.

00:30 The creation of railroads opened up countless job opportunities.

00:35 A significant number of Sikhs were handpicked for their skills and expertise

00:39 to undertake the monumental task of building, operating and maintaining the railways across the country.

00:46 They worked tirelessly towards the safety and betterment of the Malayan railways.

00:51 [Train whistle]

00:53 [Speaking in Malay]

00:55 The now retired railway workers and the loved ones of those who have departed

01:00 share their untold stories, experiences and collective memory of the railways.

01:05 [Music]

01:14 A dedicated railwayman, Sarajit Singh spent 37 years of his life to railway service,

01:20 working tirelessly to ensure the smooth functioning of trains.

01:25 84-year-old Sarajit, who retired as a controller, was responsible for the efficient running of trains

01:31 between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and handled all types of emergencies

01:35 like floods, derailments and accidents.

01:39 One day, while preparing for the express rakyat from Kuala Lumpur, he received a tip-off

01:44 that some men were planting explosives on the railway line from Temoh to Kampar.

01:50 I cannot forget one incident which happened when I was a station master there.

01:58 Unknown persons had planted explosives onto the railway track between Temoh and Kampar.

02:05 I got a report of this from also an unknown person who just mentioned it and went off.

02:12 We went to the spot with my staff and examined the place and found that actually

02:19 there was something which looked like explosives.

02:23 We came back to the railway station, held back all traffic.

02:26 The police went to the spot and confirmed.

02:30 And they called in the Taiping Bomb Squad to defuse the explosives.

02:35 Sarajit's quick thinking and bravery saved countless lives and prevented a major disaster.

02:41 [Music]

02:48 Ajayab Singh worked as a machine cleaner in the 1940s.

02:52 He later became a fireman and eventually a locomotive driver.

02:56 Sadly, Ajayab met with an accident that took his life on April 23, 1968

03:02 at Layang-Layang Railway Station in Johor.

03:05 The accident was considered the worst in Malaysian railway history.

03:09 [Music]

03:13 His daughter, Narinda Jitkoro said her father was a loving and very hardworking person.

03:18 [Music]

03:21 On the 23rd April, we received news from the railway staffs that my father had passed away.

03:28 We were shocked and sad.

03:30 My grandfather had requested to send my father's body back to Falim Quarters for cremation.

03:39 My father was a very nice and respected person.

03:43 [Music]

03:45 Narinda Jit also said her grandmother used to share interesting stories about her late father,

03:50 especially during his service in Kelantan.

03:53 My grandmother used to share that the late Sultan of Kelantan was very fond of my father.

04:00 And he always requested my father to drive the train whenever he, the Sultan, wants to ride the train.

04:07 [Music]

04:12 On June 18, 1994, locomotive driver Sarajit Singh received a commendation letter

04:19 for his efficiency and fast action by stopping his train immediately between Singapur and Kepong,

04:24 preventing a serious accident.

04:27 I drove the night express train from Ipoh to KL and I had a mishap between Singapur to Kepong,

04:33 or KL they call it.

04:36 I would divert to the wrong track and I stopped in time and saved the train.

04:41 Then we are back to Singapur and given right away on the right track back to KL.

04:47 For that, the railway has given me a letter of commendation for my good job.

04:51 Sarajit joined the railway in 1965 as a locomotive assistant.

04:55 After completing his training at the Malayan Railway or KTM Training Academy in Kuala Lumpur,

05:01 he was transferred to Tumpak, Kelantan in 1971.

05:05 And I was given an opportunity to drive local train first.

05:09 Then the most prestigious train in the East Coast is the Golden Blow Pipe.

05:14 So I had the opportunity of driving the Golden Blow Pipe between Tumpak to Kuala Lipis and back to Tumpak.

05:19 Retired locomotive underforman Manjit Singh said,

05:32 during his 31 years in the railway service, he had witnessed eight incidents,

05:37 mostly suicides or attempts at suicide.

05:41 All through while driving, we come across many unforeseen circumstances.

05:50 So there was one incident where a girl was running towards my train.

05:56 I saw her running. I applied the brakes of the locomotive and whistled and managed to stop my train.

06:06 And then I got down from my locomotive and went up to the girl and asked her,

06:13 "Why are you doing this?"

06:16 She replied in Basam Malaysia, the word, "Saya mau mati. Saya mau mati."

06:22 So I was shocked that she said, then I advised her in a very polite way that this is not the way to do this thing.

06:34 And you should not do this thing.

06:37 And in the meantime, two men came up and told me that she's having some problem and they took her away.

06:46 And after that, I went back to my locomotive and proceed with the journey.

06:52 Manjit said driving a locomotive is a highly responsible job, where safety is the utmost priority.

07:00 Born in Punjab, India in 1934, Mahindra Singh Bedi moved to Malaya at the age of three.

07:06 In 1956, he joined the Engineering Department of the Malayan Railways,

07:11 embarking on a long career of ensuring the safety of trains and passengers

07:15 by maintaining and repairing the rail tracks.

07:18 Ever at all there's an emergency, they will go to the railway station.

07:23 To go and attend the tracks that are affected by floods.

07:29 So that was their job, ensuring the safety of the passengers so that the train does not derail.

07:36 I remember in 1971, there was this thing called the Great Floods,

07:42 where most of Kuala Lumpur was submerged in water.

07:45 Thus disrupting the flow of the train.

07:48 Because of lack of manpower, everybody was summoned to Kuala Lumpur.

07:53 My father and his repair gang also went to Kuala Lumpur.

07:57 And I know they worked many, many long hours ensuring to do clear up the track

08:04 and to be able to reschedule the train services accordingly.

08:10 In 1979, Mahindra was promoted to an inspector and transferred to Alor Setar.

08:16 He passed away three years later in 1982.

08:19 In 1979, Mahindra was promoted to an inspector and transferred to Alor Setar.

08:24 He passed away three years later in 1982.

08:27 [Music]

08:38 [Music]

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