Sketch Corner: Da Lat Train Station

It is the highest railway station in Vietnam (located at an altitude of 1,500 meters above sea level), the oldest and most beautiful in Indochina, and has the oldest steam locomotive in Vietnam…

Sketches by architect Nguyen Dinh Viet

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Sketch by architect Phung The Huy

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Located at 1 Quang Trung Street, Da Lat Railway Station (66.5 m long, 11.4 m wide, 11 m high) was designed by two French architects, Moncet and Revéron. The station operated from 1938 to 1972 on the 84 km Da Lat - Thap Cham railway line. This line included a section crossing the Song Pha Pass (1,000 m high, 12% gradient), and to ensure safety, 16 km of it used cogwheel tracks (*).

The building combines French architectural styles (domes, stained glass windows, etc.) and indigenous Vietnamese architecture (three main spires, stylized from the Tây Nguyên communal houses, or the Langbiang mountains with sloping tiled roofs resembling mountain slopes). In front, there is a clock recording the time when Dr. Yersin discovered the Langbiang plateau (3:30 PM on June 21, 1893).

Sketches by artist Ho Hung

Sketch by Khanh Van - Student at Nguyen Tat Thanh University

Sketch by architect Bui Hoang Bao

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Sketch by architect Nguyen Hoang Lam

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Currently, the station only operates to serve tourists , particularly those visiting Linh Phuoc Pagoda (the Da Lat - Trai Mat station line is 7 km long).

Sketch by architect Hoang Huu Dat

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Sketches by architect Tran Nhat Minh

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Sketches by architect Nguyen Khanh Vu

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Sketch by Ngo Quoc Thuan, a student at the University of Architecture.

Sketches by artist Pham Minh Chuong

(*): Each locomotive is equipped with a one-way gear system (to prevent the train from rolling downhill when the engine stalls). When climbing a mountain pass, this gear will "lock tightly" with the rack and pinion system located between the two tracks. This unique rack and pinion system was previously only found in Da Lat and Switzerland; unfortunately, it no longer exists in Da Lat. In April 2023, Stadler (Switzerland), a leading global electric train manufacturer, expressed interest in participating in the restoration project of the Da Lat - Thap Cham rack and pinion railway.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/goc-ky-hoa-ga-da-lat-185230514001555517.htm