PNR FLEET UPDATE - AT MANILA CLOSURE

						PNR NARROW GAUGE
						NOTE: PNR Manila Passenger Operations Suspended On March 27th.
						Manila Locomotives Still Seeing Limited Use.
CLASS	#	YEAR	MODEL	LIVERY	DATE	NOTES
900	902	1973	U15C	Orange	4/2024	Operational, Allocated Manila.
	906	1979	U14C	Blue/Red	4/2019	Beyond Economical Repair - Caloocan
	911	1979	U14C	Orange	4/2024	Repairs nearing completion.. - Caloocan
	913	1979	U14C	Orange	4/2024	In Service.
	914	1979	U14C	Blue/Red	3/2024	Returned to service in Manila.
	915	1979	U14C	Blue/Red	2/2024	Next for repair. (Possibly not going to happen) - Caloocan
	916	1979	U14C	Blue/Red	3/2024	Returned to service in Manila.
	917	1991	U15C	Orange	10/2023	Operational, Allocated Calamba
	918	1991	U15C	Orange	4/2024	Operational, Allocated Manila.
	919	1991	U15C	Blue/Red	10/2023	Caloocan Workshops
	920	1991	U15C	Blue/Red	10/2022	Beyond Economical Repair - Caloocan (Bent frame)
	921	1991	U15C	Orange	04/2024	Operational, Allocated Manila.
	922	1991	U15C	Orange	04/2024	Operational, Allocated Manila.
2500	2535	1979	U10B	Blue/Red		Manila
	2538	1979	U10B	Blue/Gold	5/2020	Transferred from Naga to Caloocan
	2540	1979	U10B	Orange	7/2021	In Service - Bicol Commuter and DMT use.
						Recently operated to Ligao to pick up the Buda car.
5000	5001	1992	U6B	Orange		Caloocan shunter. Receent orange repaint
	5002	1992	U6B	Blue/Red		Non-Operational
	5003	1992	U6B	Blue/Red		Caloocan
	5004	1992	U6B	Blue/Red	0-5-2020	Non-Operational - Manila
	5005	1992	U6B	Blue/Red	0-5-2020	Non-Operational - Manila
	5006	1992	U6B	Blue/Red	05/2020	Non-Operational- Manila
	5007	1992	U6B	Orange	04/2024	Operational Manila, transfer of 922 to Caloocan (7-10)
	5008	1992	U6B	Blue/Red	0-5-2020	Non-Operational - Manila
	5009	1992	U6B	Blue/Red	11/2021	In Service - Bicol Commuter and DMT use
	5010	1992	U6B	Red/Yellow	10/2023	Beyond Economical Repair, Heavily stripped
TMC	1	2019	LM250	Orange	12/2021	Lucena
	2	2019	LM250	Orange	3/2024	Allocated to Lucena as shunter. 1905903-2
9000	9001	2020	CC300	Orange	4/2024	Allocated Manila - CC300 20 01 - Unused for some time.
	9002	2020	CC300	Orange	4/2024	Allocated to Lucena, - CC300 20 02
	9003	2020	CC300	Orange	4/2024	Legaspi (4/2024) - CC300 20 03
			System:	Passenger:		Calamba - Lucena
						Sipocot - Legaspi
				Available		Tutuban - Gov Pascual and Alabang
						Calamba - Ligao
				Closed		Tutuban - Gov Pascual / Calamba (for building elevated railway)
				Pending:		Lucena - Southwards
				Notes:		Locomotive transfers from Manila to South Line expected.
						Brad Peadon, Mark Chua, Paul Nicholas Domingo Cabalhin
						Danganan Avim, Reynante Bulaon
						Date Column-Date of most recent update (New)
						Updated: Brad Peadon (1st April 2024) - Manila System Closed
						Philippine Railway Historical Society
						Corrections/Additions Are Welcome.

 

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Nearing the End Of PNR Manila.

Above and below.

916 (ex 908) sitting in Tayuman shed on the last day of PNR (original) passenger operations in Manila.

Photos: Reynante Bulaon

Tayuman shed on the last day of Manila passenger operations.

Photos: Reynante Bulaon

918 and 922 sit side by side at Alabang station as services get close to finishing forever.

That is local rail legend Mark Chua up front.

Photos: Mark Chua

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2010 - PNR Manila.

Interesting little Caloocan Workshop shunter inside the workshop.

Photos: Brad Peadon

911 inside Caloocan Workshop. Today she is nearing the end of her refurbishment, and is looking grat in the current orange livery.

Photos have appeared in the PRHS forum.

Photos: Brad Peadon

Accident damaged, and heavily stripped, 920 sits in Caloocan Workshop..

Photos: Brad Peadon

Above and below.

Now stored 915 sits around a very moist Tayuman shed in Manila.

Photos: Brad Peadon

916 sitting in Lucena station back during 2010.

A good comparison can be had with the 2024 photo seen back in this post.

Photos: Brad Peadon

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Further Reading:

Philippine National Railways Website

'Philippine Railway Historical Society' Linktree

PRHS Forum

Travel & Aviation Blog

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Thanks To:

Reynante Bulaon, Mark Chua & Robert Go.

Philippine National Railways

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Promoting friendships between the Philippines, Australia, NZ and the UK.

Join here.

THE BIG CHANGE - PT 2 - 2024

 

Whether or not you are happy about 'the big change', it has started and the coming years are going to see massive differences along the traditional 'Philippine National Railways' line from Manila to Calamba.

In 2023 we saw the section from Alabang to Calamba close and the removal process began. This action strangely left the system around Manila isolated, resulting in no way to rail out all the locomotives and rolling stock for use south of Calamba when that section closes at the end of March.

With April 1st (ironically) now looking like being the date the lines in Manila close, any items needed to be used for provincial services will have to be road-hauled south. This will be a mammoth undertaking.

We would like to cover this change, for the benefit of historians in the future, using our site to post occasional updates.

We are after photos and information covering:

1) Trains from January 1st 2024 to closure.

2) The transferring of trains after closure.

3) Tracks following the closure.

4) The removal of tracks, stations, and other infrastructure from Manila to Calamba.

5) The construction of the new elevated railway.

You will be acknowledged for your work, and contributions can be either sent by email or posted on the 'PRHS Group'.

7B-41 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

918 passing through Pandacan 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

922 at Alabang station - March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

BC-552 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

BC-583 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

Calamba Yard - March 2024.

Photo: Jay-Ian Carlos A. Palacol

FCD-6 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

FL-65 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

FSC-8 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

GC-1 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

Malangaw Bridge (Manila) March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

Paco Bridge (Manila) March 2024.

Photo: Mark Chua

Calamba Yard - March 2024.

Photo: Jay-Ian Carlos A. Palacol

Calamba Yard - March 2024.

Photo: Jay-Ian Carlos A. Palacol

Calamba Yard - March 2024.

Photo: Jay-Ian Carlos A. Palacol

CMC-201 Tutuban Yard in March 2024.

Rerailment Crew car.

Photo: Mark Chua

Outside the Tayuman locoshed on the last day of PNR commuter operations in Manila.

Photo: Reynante Bulaon

The long awaited return to service of 914 happened not long before the end of PNR (Metro Manila) and is seen here in the Tayuman locoshed.

Photo: Reynante Bulaon

Commemorative tickets to celebrate the last day of PNR Manila operations, supposedly for 5 years..

Photo: Mark Chua

PNR Suspends NCR Operations For NSCR.

New Body Formed To Fix ROW Issues.

PNR Stop Operations For 5 Years.

PNR Metro Trains Moving South

Our PRHS Roving Reporter: Mark Chua

Reynante Bulaon & Jay-Ian Carlos A. Panacol

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2010: PNR Infrastructure & People - Part 1

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2010: PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE/PEOPLE PT1

 

2010

It is truly hard to believe that it is approaching a decade and a half since we took my Aussie friend David to the Philippines for the first time.

At the time there was already a general feeling that major change would be coming in the future and, given that Dave was also a railfan who had not chased trains outside Australia, I endeavoured to take him to as many places as possible between Manila and Legaspi.

The looming prospect of change also set me on my latest project, that of trying to photograph all the items of rollingstock and infrastructure that I had thus far not covered.

 The aim was to get photos of every individual item that existed since at least 2004, although most items have been around since well before then. Also to get any remaining structures & yards before they too were obliterated.

With this in mind, a massive amount of photos were taken during that trip. I feel that rollingstock is always the less covered part of the railways, people being more obsessed with locomotives, and I wished to make sure it was recorded for the future.

To share all this on the blog, I am placing it all into several posts, all divided into varying topics.

Locomotives

Rollingstock

Railcars

Infrastructure & People

These posts will appear on the blog all during 2024.

Don't mention it, my pleasure.

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Lucena

Much has changed here since these photos were taken.

The Lucena locoshed has since been rebuilt from how it is seen here. This will be covered in a later blog post and on our group.

Photo: Brad Peadon

In one of the worst acts of heritage vandalism I have seen there, this lovely station was half destroyed after this photo.

 Work was put to a stop once local officials became aware of this disgraceful destruction of their rail history and, despite orders to rebuild it, as of a 2023 inspection there had been absolutely no work done. 
Photo: Brad Peadon

(3 photos) Camalig station was opened in 1914,but the diversion of the railway saw it fall into disuse. 

A small part of the former station building still exists.
Photos: Brad Peadon

Hondagua station before a failed renovation was commenced. Today this lovely stations remains derelict
Photo: Brad Peadon

Hondagua Video - 2019

Engineering Division - Hondagua Division
Photo: Brad Peadon

Kilbay Bridge - Del Gallego

A sled is dwarfed by the bridge in the photo above.
Photos: Brad Peadon

 Sipocot railway station, in the Bicol Region of Luzon was, and still is, the northern terminus of the Bicol Commuter train.
Photos: Brad Peadon

 Malansad is a small halt on the Naga to Sipocot section of the 'Bicol Commuter Train' service..
Photo: Brad Peadon

Pamplona is another stop on the Naga to Sipocot section of the 'Bicol Commuter Train' service.
Photo: Brad Peadon

Naga staff in the shed opposite Naga station. Behind can be seen BC-557 which was used as a tool car.
Photo: Brad Peadon

My good friend Romeo Caincol who retired from the 'Philippine National Railways' just this year.

Naga station.
Photo: Brad Peadon

Blackboards around Naga shed.
Photos: Brad Peadon

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The next selection of shots show Travesia station (built in 1981 on the new diversion away from Camalig as seen above). Services however, did not commence until 1986.

It was a replacement for Guinobatan station which served the area on the former line. 
Photos: Brad Peadon

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Photos of the rebuilding of the damaged Travesia bridge.

It is located a short way south of the station. 
Photos: Brad Peadon

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How they do not fall off the railhead is beyond me :-). 
Photos: Brad Peadon

Tutuban yard around the time those new sidings were built on the left side of the photo.

The control tower, shed, and I believe part of the PNR building in the distance, are expected to all soon be wiped out as part of the upcoming modernisation guff.
Photos: Brad Peadon

Blumentritt station in Manila. The line here is covered in a ghastly elevated road nowadays.
Photos: Brad Peadon

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PRHS Railfan Days

Back in the days before local railfan hate destroyed a once great hobby, we used to arrange annual railfan days to visit numerous locations of railway interest.

One location during our 2010 event was Blumentritt station, haven ridden a new Rotem railcar set to get there.

A selection of photos below.

Attendees of the annual 'PRHS Railfan Day' resting at Blumentritt.

Sadly, we have lost two of these people since that day.

Jun Sanchez (light blue shirt)

Ben Exconde  (closest to camera on platform edge)

Rest In Peace guys, you are both sadly missed.
Photos: Brad Peadon

The LRT1 passes over the PNR just beyond Blumentritt station.
Photo: Brad Peadon

A friendly smiling security guard.

I miss that being a thing in 2024. :-(
Photo: Brad Peadon

The LRT1 passes over the PNR just beyond Blumentritt station.
Photo: Brad Peadon

Back when the Rotem cars were still quite new. - Blumentritt station.
Photo: Brad Peadon

The old Blumentritt station.
Photo: Brad Peadon

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Solis Signalbox & Station

Situated near the north fork at Triangulo is both Solis station (seen here under construction) and the signalbox of the same name.

The platform facing for the new Solis station.

Despite being completed, a change in government meant it would be many years before it would see regular service. 
Photos: Brad Peadon

Despite looks, Solis signalbox probably the remains the best example for the last four surviving signal boxes.

The nearby Abad Santos, which underwent a small restoration around this time, was in an advance state of collapse during my last visit. 

Photos: Brad Peadon

Solis Signalbox Video - 2018

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Video: Solis Signalbox (Manila)

Video: Abad Santos Signalbox (Manila)

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Further Reading

Lucena Rail Heritage Committee

Abad Santos Signalbox

Abad Santos Signalbox Again

Solis Signalbox

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Thanking You

 Nhing, Onyo & MrX.

Mark Chua, Brian Young

Philippine National Railways

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