A Ride on the Ambarawa Rack Railway
Click here for the main unofficial Ambarawa Railway Museum Home Page. Photographs on this page are courtesy of Rob Dickinson and were taken between 1998 and 2001.
The only serviceable steam locomotives from the main line railway in Indonesia are three rack tanks plus C1218 at Ambarawa which are available for charter trains. The line runs from Ambarawa to Jambu along the flat, through attractive countryside before making a spectacular climb to Bedono. Run-pasts are not available on the climb owing to insufficient water capacity but they are allowed on the flat section and during the descent. Until 2006 I ran special trains here every year and although they were intended (of course) for my tour participants, casual visitors were welcome to join.
The 2 B25 0-4-2T (B2502/3) are from the original fleet of 5 supplied to the line about 100 years ago. A third locomotive (B2501) is preserved in a park in the town nearby. The E10 0-10-0T E1060 was originally delivered to West Sumatra in the 1960s for working the coal railway there but was brought to Java a few years ago. It cannot (yet) go up the rack section.
There are plans to restore the railway north along the lake (Rawa Pening) as far as Tuntang (Part I - Ambarawa and Part II - out in the country). The trackbed is more or less unobstructed and in July 2001, the provincial Government of Central Java allocated funds for this purpose.
All pictures show a B25 unless otherwise indicated:
E1060 leaving Ambarawa with Merbabu behind:
E1060 at work between Ambarawa and Jambu :
Jambu E10 arrival
:Leaving Jambu to join the rack section:
The same view from the opposite side with E1060:
Climbing from Jambu - the second locomotive was a personal indulgence!
Climbing from Jambu:
Taking water at Bedono after the ascent:
Descending in the late afternoon
Duck run past for the E10 on the way back into Ambarawa:
Click here for the main unofficial Ambarawa Railway Museum Home Page
Click for pictures and further information about the museum:
| Preserved Steam Locomotives | |
| Locomotive Shed | Ambarawa Station |
| Southern Stations in the Ambarawa Area (Jambu and Bedono) |
Northern Stations in the Ambarawa Area (Tuntang, Bringin and Kedungjati) |
| Restoring the North Line (Part 1 - Ambarawa) |
Restoring the North Line (Part 2 - Out in the country) |
| A Glimpse of 'Real' Steam | Non steam power |
| Carriage and Wagon | Potential Carriage and Wagon |
| Ancillary Equipment | |
| A Train in the Ambarawa Military Museum | About the Museum |
Click here for a full list of preserved Indonesian main line steam locomotives.
Incredible Indonesia - These Iron Dinosaurs in action on a Windows CD-ROM
Click here for the International Steam Page.
Rob Dickinson
Email: webmaster@internationalsteam.co.uk