The International Steam Pages


Java Sugar Steam 1998 - Far Eastern Mills

These mills are run by PTP Nusantara XI, formed in 1996 by the amalgamation of PTP XX and PTP XXIV/XXV. These mills were previously PNP XXIV/XXV and before that PNP XXIV and PNP XXV. The Situbondo area is definitely 'unspoiled Java', with facilities at the beach 'resort' of Pasir Puteh to match - in other words, gricers' heaven. For Semboro, stay in Jember which has hotels for all pockets, unfortunately there is nowhere to stay in Tanggul. Of course, Olean and Wringinanom have long been firmly in my top ten mills.

33. KEDAWUNG Mill Index

I called in on 5th August to arrange my annual special event.  Nothing seemed to have changed, the tourist train looked very unused.  On 25th August, the mill had prepared Breda 16 with some mud skips which we then shunted and emptied in perfect morning light. OK 0-8-0T 14 had also been steamed and this was used to 'take some empties to the fields'. After that we took a short ride on their tourist train, the first time it has been used this year although parties of Japanese and Germans were due later in the month.

34. WONOLANGAN Mill Index

We visited on 29th August.  The mill was obviously having a poor season. There was very little cane in the yard and one large diesel was sitting idle in the shed.  Not surprisingly, although 3 and 6 were said to be serviceable, they had seen little, if any use this year.

35. GENDING Mill Index

All 4 steam locos spent most of the last 10 years in store although in the early 90s a couple were used occasionally as some kind of job creation scheme. The cost of annual boiler inspections has put a stop to this.  4 is now at the Frankfurter Feldbahnmuseum.

36. PAJARAKAN Mill Index

There is no possibility of the remaining steam locos being put back into action.

37. JATIROTO Mill Index

This mill has had the biggest collection of disused and dismantled locos in Java for many years. A brief visit on July 12th 1997 showed no change from my previous visit 2 years earlier. 10J is preserved on the road into the mill.

38. SEMBORO Mill Index

I dropped in briefly on 3rd August to arrange a special train for my group visit.   I passed 29 on empties in the fields and another Mallet returning light engine.   This year the working fleet comprises the fireless locos (2 and 3), OK 0-4-4-0T 15, 18, 19, 21 and 22 and Jung 0-6-0T 29. 17 is under repair.

On 26th August the mill turned out 21 for us on the field tour and, as usual, we spent more than 3 hours touring the sysem during the monrning.  For me the highlight was 29 storming past on a set of empties while we doing a runpast.  2 Mallets were also out but all locos were on shed by midday.  The visiting German group now arrived so we left our special train and the the mill to them.

39. DE MAAS Mill Index

I called in on 5th August to arrange my annual visit.  Nothing seemed to have changed, 4 was in steam shunting empties. We visited again on August 28th, 4 shuffled the empties but the good news was that the OK 0-6-0T 2 (or 3 as takes the mill's fancy) had been put back into service and was temporarily sidelined.  Hopefully, we should see it out on the line again in 1999.

40. WRINGINANOM Mill Index

On 4th August, staff said that 6 and 7 were working as before.   Certainly 7 was at Kom in the late afternoon and arrived at the mill just after sunset, the atmosphere somewhat Cubanesque as it has been converted to burn bunker oil and the crew seemed rather unfamiliar with the kit.

We arrived at around 16.30 on August 26th, delayed by a double puncture.   Both locos were out on the north line and we had no choice but to wait for them.   6 duly arrived at 17.25 for the traditional silhouette shot on the bridge outside the mill.  7 was still out when we left shortly after.

We arrived at 16.00 on August 27th, to find 6 on shed and 7 stopped on the west line just north of the mill. It waited for a diesel hauled train from the north line and then went in at 16.30.

41. OLEAN Mill Index

The afternoon of 3rd August provided the usual high level of entertainment.  At 14.15, 2 had just worked in.  4, 5 and 7 worked trains in from the north-west corner of the system at 14.30, 15.15 and 16.00 and 4 went out again to the north-east and would have worked back just after dark. Locos were unusually burning wood which was being assisted with small quantities of oil. This produced the most smoke than I have ever seen from a sugar loco since they abandoned oil burning more than 10 years ago.

4th August was a significant birthday for me so I decided to spend the afternoon mainly riding the trains. 2 was just outside the mill at 14.00 with a loaded train from the north line, with 5 and 7 waiting to go out to the north-west.  4 worked in from the north-east line with a short train at 14.30. 7 worked in at 15.00 and then was then a break before 4 came out to assist 5 bring in a long train at 16.00.  Meanwhile a trainload of fulls had been cleared from the west line, presumably by 2.

On 25th August we found 4 west of the mill waiting to work in at 13.30.  We went on to the mill where 2 was just arriving with a train from the north.  We found 5 far out on the north east line ready to work in and as always the crew gave an enthusiastic performance.  By the time we got back to the mill, 2 was again ready to work in another train closely followed by 5. 7 then went to the far north-west, followed by 4. 7 went back at 16.30 but 4 was still assembling what appeared to be two trains when the light failed by 17.00.  A classic and typical Olean afternoon.

On August 27th, at 13.00, we found 4 waiting to clear the main lne outside the mill and 7 waiting to go out to the north-east. 2 was in the far north-west and left there at 14.45. By this time, 7 was still en route and 4 was going out again.  Finally we found 5 leaving the west line at 15.30 on our way to Wringinanom. Not one of Olean's better days, but the German group had already vanished by 14.00 anyway so they can't have seen much.

August 28th was my last day here this year.  The cloud pattern dictated that we should head for the far north-east.  5 was ready to leave in the sun just before 14.00, but it derailed a wagon in the final assembly and by 15.15 when it was ready, the clouds had gathered.  I decided to entertain my group by driving the loco back to the mill and this ensured that the clouds parted at most of the photo spots.   Unfortunately, my two unsuccessful attempts at restarting the train from a second derailment were recorded on video, but I succeeded the third time and I did get the 'oil bomb' just right for the final photo spot.  We finished the afternoon with ginger coffee at the regular driver's home.  It was the eight year in succession that I have been to Olean and it was as good a year as any before it.

42. PANJI Mill Index

All the locos (except the Jung which is dumped) are stored in good condition. Unfortunately the management seems keen on keeping things that way.

43. PRAJEKAN Mill Index

The serviceable smaller locos were reallocated to De Maas and Asembagus some years ago. The other locos remain in store, a tragic end for the magnificent Luttermöllers.

44. ASEMBAGUS Mill Index

A midday visit on August 4th to arrange the annual special train to Jangkar on August 27th found ex-Prajekan 5 in light steam. Ex-Prajekan 3 and ex-Pajarakan 15 were also said to be serviceable.  All other steam locomotives were dumped around the mill area.

On 27th August at 07.00, all 3 locos were in steam.  There was an administrative hiccup owing to a German party being expected as well as mine which delayed our departure to Jangkar with 5 and 2 vans until 08.00.  Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, we were followed over an hour later by the other party with 3 and a single van as they had obviously decided late on that our special train was a good idea.  Since they were visiting 4 mills in one day and going on to Mount Bromo they got only half way before abandoning their train and rejoining their totally unsuitable monster air conditioned bus.

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Rob and Yuehong Dickinson

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