More KCR remnants - old track in Tai Wai

Ah feck it! The inevitable could no longer be avoided (I guess if it could it wouldn’t be inevitable, would it?). I have a bunch of stuff in the queue, most of which involving more than one of my excellent and professionally taken snapshots (*cough*) and if I want to keep this thing going (which I do by the way – I quite enjoy this process of learning by sharing, or whatever you wish to call these often nonsensical splutterings – sometimes I feel my recently developed Tourettes has found its true outlet here).

Yes, I have dug deep into my very shallow pockets and amongst the fluff, old sweets and bits of blu-tac, have managed to find enough spare change to cover a media-space-upgrade for the next year. Yes, my site is now bulging with extra GIG just waiting to be filled so I can confound you, faithful followers and accidental finders alike, with pictures as well as words. Anyway, verbal diarrhoea over, let’s move on and what better way to mark this new era of (expensive) blogging with a trainspotting entry.

Okay, maybe not quite trainspotting, but almost. As much as I would like to deny the fact that I have, in later life, turned into a bit of an anorak, trainspotting has not quite entered into my list of pastimes…yet. This time we are train “track” spotting.

I’ve been aware of some old track just outside (just North) of University station which has an almost illegible sign next to it that says something like “… Training Track”, but this stretch next to Tai Wai was new to me and thanks to a tip off from the venerable Dr Pat Hase, off I went with my camera.

To get there you need to leave Tai Wai station by exit A and turn right along the cycle track that runs along Tsuen Nam Road. It reaches the Shing Mun nullah and branches left and right, so we turn right to cross over the bridge and immediately on the other side take a left instead of following the ‘river’ around to the Heritage Museum.

Immediately on entering the pathway that leads to Man Wai Road you will see the large pastel-coloured metal awning that covers the modern track as it leaves Tai Wai station. Between this point and all the way up to the end of the awning – some 200+ metres long. In fact here is a GoogleEarth shot of the awning and if you look closely you may be able to discern, at least some, of the old track at the underside of the awnings upper end.

Now, I have no idea why this track is still there, nor do I know if it is actually some of the remaining original pre-electrification (i.e. pre-1983) single track, but perhaps someone reading this does know and will be able to comment for mine (and everyone else’s) benefit.

In the meantime – here are a few awkward shots (thanks to the fact that the track is separated from the public pathway by an 8ft fence and an equally high embankment.

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