Dhaka, Nov. 21 -- On a sunny July morning, with white clouds scattered across the light blue sky, I take an autorickshaw from the busy Tiger Pass Circle in the heart of Chattogram. My destination is the Pahartali Carriage and Wagon Repair Workshop of Bangladesh Railway (BR). It is a short and pleasant ride down the beautiful Ambagan Road, which is flanked by big trees and shops.

Red and orange brick pillars rise high at the workshop's grand entrance, supporting a horizontal beam at the top. The workshop's name is inscribed in dark brown on the beam against a deep red background, and the large metallic gate beneath it is closed. From there, the area inside looks like a tree-covered park, with a sloped path from the gate leading to a white...