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Welcome one and all to the 'Philippine Railway Historical Society' blogsite. This site was set up to share photos, historical pieces, comment and virtually anything else pertaining to transportation in the Philippines, with a special emphasis on rail. Occasional we vary from topic, but this is the less serious side of the hobby shining through - cause sometimes, in this miserable and uptight world, we just take ourselves a little too seriously.
Since 1999, the Philippine Railway Historical Society has regularly published items, FOR FREE, of railway interest on our PRHS Website. These include locomotive, rollingstock and transit updates, as well as our occasional magazine, 'Along Da Riles'.
 Our interest base has grown over the years with our main Facebook railway group expanding to include groups interested in other Philippine Transport, modelling of Philippine transport and even a group for Philippine railfans interested in overseas railways.
 If it sounds interesting, come join in the fun of the oldest, and most diverse, group dedicated to Philippine railways and other transport.
 We look forward to meeting you.

If you have a question Philippine railway related, just drop us a line, maybe we can help.
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Tuesday, May 12, 2026

HONDAGUA 2026 - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

ATTN Whingers: The person appearing in the title is an AI fake.
Not an actual real individual at Hondagua last month. 

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Hondagua Station, located in the province of Quezon, Philippines, was inaugurated on May 10, 1916, marking a significant expansion of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) Main Line South. This extension connected Padre Burgos to Calauag, threading through the scenic landscape of southern Quezon and establishing Hondagua as a key stop on the route.

As part of the Main Line South, Hondagua Station served both passenger and freight traffic, supporting the growing economic activities of the region, especially during the early 20th century. The station’s establishment not only improved connectivity for towns along the route but also played a vital role in facilitating trade and transport between Quezon Province and Manila.

Today, while train services are not currently operating, the sad remains of Hondagua Station, and crew dormitory, stand as a historical reminder of the PNR's expansion era, echoing stories of journeys taken across the archipelago by rail and underscoring the enduring importance of rail travel in the Philippines.

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Hondagua - Beauty & The Beast

Unusual attitudes indeed.
  Long-term readers of this blog will already know of my fascination with Hondagua, particularly its once-massive railway yard. Over the years, I have made many stops here during Bicol trips, partly out of personal interest, and partly to document what remains of this remarkable location before time and neglect eventually finish the job.
  Until my more recent discoveries in Negros, Hondagua was comfortably my favourite part of the Philippines. While Visayas may now hold that title overall, Hondagua remains my favourite part of Luzon.

  Situated beside Lopez Bay, the views from the now largely derelict station and sprawling former yard are genuinely spectacular. It is one of those rare places where abandoned railway infrastructure and coastal scenery somehow combine into an oddly relaxing atmosphere for railway heritage recording.


Yet the place also has a strange side.


  The yard today functions as a public pathway, with locals walking, riding motorbikes, accessing nearby homes, beach areas, cottages, and a so-called “resort.”
 Illegal skates continue to operate along the line as well which, while providing more transport usefulness than the railway itself currently does, is still illegal and just overlooked by guards who find historians more of a grave threat to the social fabric.

  Photography, videography, and that dreadful modern term “vlogging” seem to occur there constantly without issue when it comes to the locals.

  Which makes it rather curious why I appear to become the main attraction for issues every time I visit.

  Perhaps it is simply the obvious difference in nationality.

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Putting these sites together does take an immense amount of time and effort.
If you even find some moderate amount of enjoyment would you consider giving us even a little bit of a 
donation here?
Pretty please :-)

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Anyway, lets look at 2026.
To be the last visit, with heritage efforts far more appreciated elsewhere.


Above and four below.
One of the few highlights in two days of miserable PNR experiences on this history recording visit was finally getting to see some of the ten new container wagons recently delivered from China.
While not likely to be used for such, the twist locks on each suggest they were actually meant for container usage. With the port lines all gone, and the railways in Manila totally destroyed, I can't see any intermodal traffic starting anytime soon. 
Numbers: 004, 005, and 007 
Hondagua Yard, Quezon Province 
Relevant links in the 'Further Reading' section below.
Photos: Brad Peadon






Above and below.
 Northern leg of the former large triangle that ran out to the point seen below. The southern leg ran close to the large blue building which is a local flour mill.
Photos: Brad Peadon



Above and below.
Hondagua yard looking north towards Manila. Well, once you could get to Manila, today you can't even reach Calamba proper, even if there were timetable services in this section at this time.
It was once a much bigger yard, even had a shed in the scrub to the left.
Photos: Brad Peadon



Looking south from the south end of the yard.
Photo: Brad Peadon


The last surviving observation car RDO-204 which I have long pushed for heritage preservation.
Photo: Brad Peadon


GC-63 was formerly a FL (original coding still on side) but was one of a number converted as such.
Photo: Brad Peadon


Above and below
Former Bicol Express carriage, ex-Japanese 14 63, is currently stored in this picturesque.
Photos: Brad Peadon



Twist locks on the new Chinese built container wagons.
Photos: Brad Peadon



Above and three below.
A heritage disaster up there with that of the original Lucena station building that lays in ruins despite earlier demands it be rebuild.
Hondagua was a beautiful station building when I first visited this location. Locals tell me that what is there now was a result of a rebuild that ended up being discontinued.
Where a restoration of the original structure, along with a nearby high level platform, could have been an amazing heritage addition to the town ....... we have got this.
Maybe it is the reason I am singled out for attention by security guards in an effort to not let it be seen.
Photos: Brad Peadon




A Facebook post showing photos of the yard when the station was a little more intact, and taken by someone that wasn't harassed for taking photos.


Above and six below.
The poor old Hondagua PNR staff dormitory was a magnificent old structure, but it shall almost certainly go the way of the heritage station building.
Of interest are the regular reports about the building being haunted. Despite the stories, I've not found much about it online.
While no official investigations have been done, there have been many local reports of footsteps in empty buildings, shadow figures near the dormitory,
lights appearing where there is supposedly no power,
and the feeling of being watched around the old crew quarters.
Given it is all now at the brink of collapse, the ghosts may have caught one the rare trains to another town :-)
Photos: Brad Peadon








For our final shot (below) we see the dormitory building on one of my heritage surveys just seven years back.
I guess the ever present typhoons do not help maintain such amazing structures.
Photo: Brad Peadon

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Nhing and our driver.
wikipedia.org


PNR Security Staff.





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