Indonesia Video Clips

If you would like to contribute to this section of the international steam website please email

(this is not a link you have to retype the address) - we need approx 320 x 240 video clips (normally 'wmv' format, 1 to 3Mb file size).

Our own clips on this site are normally taken from present and future ISV DVDs. These are properly researched quality documentary films with a story to tell.
'National Geographic Stuff' said one purchaser.

We also offer industrial archaeology compilation DVDs from our travels to steam powered mills in Asia.

While nearly all the oil palm railways of North Sumatra were of 700mm gauge, Dolok Ilir had a 'toy' 600mm system for road deliveries direct to the mill. The Maffei 0-6-0T were a real delight. During the shooting of the raw clip, a well known secondhand bookseller from Leeds was parked in the middle of the oval loop and kept marching up to the loco.... This is the third (and last) of this series (2nd October 2007).

Back in 1991, I purchased a 'cheap' video 8 camcorder, it cost me about 5% of my annual income before tax.... Almost the first train I shot was this Orenstein and Koppel Luttermöller in the Dolok Ilir estate. I remember it extremely well as I had picked up my first ever tour group (before I had only been a tour leader) about 4 hours previously at Medan Airport and we headed into the estate blind knowing only that there was a train out there somewhere. We arrived 5 minutes before departure (4th September 2007):

I have 3 clips from North Sumatra, Indonesia from the oil palm estates there which will appear over the next few weeks. First, Ameling Algra's shot of a Ducroo and Brauns' mallet on a train of semi-refined palm oil (3rd August 2007):

John Raby has produced a DVD covering the end of steam in Java - PNKA Power Parade's last fling and has has uploaded 3 sample clips (25th July 2007):

Important - these files are in "mov" format and you will need the 'QuickTime' player to view it. If you don't have it installed already, then free downloads are available:

This year for various reasons, we shall not be in Java for the 2007 sugar season. Instead, I have had to make do with digitising my ancient Video 8 archive from the 1990s. The picture quality is, quite frankly, crap compared to DV-AVI let alone HD-AVI. But in those days we had to make do with what was available and what our pocket could afford which in my case was an 'entry level' camcorder. The way they were made and the way I treated them, they barely lasted one bash, but now and again everything came together as on the wonderful evening in the village of Bumiayu on the outskirts of Malang in East Java when two trains came in for Kebonagung mill within a few minutes of each other in the early evening in August 1997. Who says lightning never strikes twice? I recommend turning up the sound to maximum and if you never went to Java to see sugar steam in the 20th century then eat your heart out when you see and hear this. My tour groups had gone home and I could relax and enjoy the splendour all on my own.... (this clip added 16th July 2007)