Borneo Co logging tramway

[islandee]

The Borneo Co built a logging tramway over the Khun Tan ridge around Year 1910. Its purpose was to move logs from Chai Prakan to Chiang Dao so they could then be floated down to Bangkok on the Ping: the tramway took logs 4.9 km up the north slope of the mountain from Chai Prakan. Going down the south slope towards Chiang Dao involved a 920 m slide followed by a second section of tramrail, 7.3 km long. That was followed by the logs being "carted" an additional 7.2 km to a "floating creek".

It is described in some detail by Whyte in The Railway Atlas of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, pp 106-108; however, Whyte states, "No remains are known, and no maps of the tramway have been found, so only its general location is indicated on the maps herein." The route is presented in general terms on his book's Map 1 "Chiang Rai".

In 2019, Bob Edgar of Chai Prakan and I happened upon a carefully shaped earth cut crossing the Khun Tan ridge: we believe that it was part of the Borneo tramway. Access at the south end is from Thai Route 107 at N19°35.790 E99°06.622. We followed its route generally northeasterly about 420 m to N19°35.903 E99°06.806 where it simply disappears (probably obliterated by later improvements to Route 107); a side trail leads down a steep slope to Thai Route 107 at N19°35.880 E99°06.812.

Can anyone confirm this? And does anyone have knowledge about the Borneo tramway and what its routing was down from either side of the ridge summit?

[Wisarut]

This kind of railway or tramway has been classified as Industrial Railway though.