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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