The International Steam Pages


Gula Java DVDs

Java's historic steam
powered sugar mills
Click here to download sample clips

In 2004, I released a CD-ROM Gula Java covering the workings of the historic sugar mills of Java. It is essential to the full enjoyment of the DVDs. (Click here for more information.) Between 2004 and 2006, we (Rob and Yuehong Dickinson) made several extended journeys to Java to film these mills at work, particularly their stationary steam engines. One mill (Olean) is so special that we have dedicated a single general interest DVD to it - click here for information about "Sweet Spot"

We have now prepared a 10 DVD set containing over 8 hours of viewing which are intended for the specialist enthusiast and to make them affordable we will burn them on our own computers and mail them in a 'no frills' package, but that doesn't mean that the quality of the video represented is any lower than our normal high standards. Covering nearly 30 sugar mills and hundreds of stationary engines together with associated equipment it is a unique record of operations which would have been almost totally familiar to cane sugar technologists 70 years ago. Necessarily some mills have a higher proportion of traditional equipment and this is reflected in the varying length of record for each mill varying from a couple of minutes to almost a full hour for Gondang Baru (above). A preview version was described as 'stunning' by the Chairman of the International  Stationary Steam Engine Society.

The full cost of this set of DVD is just GBP 40 - or the current equivalent in USD or EUR etc, with ever changing rates I no longer quote exact values. For full ordering information please send an email to , indicating where you would like the DVDs sent and we will advise available methods which will avoid excessive bank charges. Alternatively you can use this Paypal account but please make the payment in GBP (British Pounds) if possible, we would prefer UK residents to send a cheque or make online payment, we can advise an address/account.

(IMPORTANT: the addresses with "@" above are NOT LINKS which can be clicked, they are images, you will have to retype them for an email or Paypal transaction. Sorry but that has to be done to try to prevent the address being spammed.)


We have prepared 6 sample clips (reduced size 320 x 240, wmv format) which you can download:

Gula Java 1

(Mill engine and its mill)

also available

YouTube Version

Gula Java 2

(Variety of mill engines)

also available

YouTube Version

Gula Java 3

(One sugar mill)

also available

YouTube Version

Gula Java 4

(Vacuum Pumps)

also available

YouTube Version

Gula Java 5

(Other Pumps)

also available

YouTube Version

Gula Java 6

(Belt Engines)

also available

YouTube Version


See also:

  • Logging Off - the last year of the Weihe Forestry Railway

  • Sweet Spot - the story of Olean Sugar Mill in Java

  • Shibanxi Heaven - the last real steam narrow gauge passenger train in the world (2004 - 2007)

  • Shibanxi Gold - the last real steam narrow gauge passenger train in the world (2008 - 2011)

  • Battlefield Heroes - Henan's 21st century narrow gauge steam survivors

  • Black Diamond Express - Tipong Colliery, India's last real steam narrow gauge railway

  • Funiculi Funicula - the historic Penang Hill Railway in the last few weeks before closure for rebuilding

  • Temples of Steam DVDs - steam powered rice mills in Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand


Rob Dickinson

Email: webmaster@internationalsteam.co.uk