Restoring Ambarawa's North Line (Part 2)

Click here for the main unofficial Ambarawa Railway Museum Home Page. Photographs on this page are courtesy of Nick Bryant (2001), except Rob Dickinson's 1975 image.

Click here for Restoring the North Line (Part 1 - Ambarawa)

The railway north from Ambarawa along the lake (Rawa Pening) as far as Tuntang has been restored. This was originally laid to standard gauge (4ft 8½in) as opposed to the current cape gauge (3ft 6in, 1067mm).  The trackbed was more or less unobstructed and in July 2001, the provincial Government of Central Java allocated funds for this purpose. In November 2001, a private contractor started work on the contract. Firstly, the trackbed had to be secured because it had been partly built over in the 25 years since the last trains ran here. Some earthworks needed replacing and only lightweight trolleys provided a service after the official re-opening in March 2002, but as from late 2010, full weight trains are able to run on it. D300.23 provides the basic service although one of the B25 may be chartered instead on the same basis as for the line south.

But first, what is the attraction of this work. Well, I guess this picture of B2503 and train taken on 11th August 1975 says it all:

The following pictures show that the work required for restoration while not insignificant is quite achievable.

The vast majority of this section is in open countryside and apart from one place where an embankment has slipped away is more or less complete and unobstructed. Here is the same bridge in November 2001:

This gives an idea of the general state of the trackbed running through open countryside south of the bridge on the Ambarawa side:

Just on the Ambarawa side, there is a thriving business recovering the mud:

Now we transfer to the main road bridge:

The station area itself is in great shape:

And although a similar picture appears on the 'stations page' I cannot resist including this last shot, the station itself is second only in size to Ambarawa on the (potentially) operational section. The company that has rented it for many years are to be congratulated on keeping it ready for the preservationists!

Well, when the first steam train rolls in I hope someone tells me in time for me to be on it....

Click here for the main unofficial Ambarawa Railway Museum Home Page

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