Madiun Magic

Just east of Gunung Lawu lies Madiun, the site of the major steam locomotive repair works for East Java, although by the 1970s it was responsible for repairs covering the whole island. Certainly in the early days, many steam overhauls were also carried out at Manggarai in Jakarta and I have always assumed that the current diesel works at Lempujangan in Yogya were responsible for the overhaul of standard gauge steam locomotives.

Madiun Works ('Balai Yasar') was a treasure trove for the enthusiast. While there were still all sorts of wonderful machines to be found out on the line, there was always a huge backlog of work here caused by a chronic shortage of cash and spare parts and representative of just about every class on the island could usually be found behind its walls. Few locomotives were ever actually scrapped, they simply rusted away or were stripped of reusable parts, so it was the last place to see such beasts as a C10 or a D13.

Every now and again the works would burst into activity and locomotives would again be churned out, often with complete disregard to actual need. Locomotive allocation was traditional with small locomotives especially found only in their original delivery areas and as the branch lines closed some sheds would find themselves with a surplus of locomotives and no services to run while others would be in the opposite situation, a position compounded by unreliable supplies of fuel.

I last visited the works in 1978 and as usual we had to report to the local police station to present our passports and get our permit stamped. Within a year, repairs ceased, visits were stopped and the works was converted into a humble carriage and wagon shop. The most bizarre feature apparent today is the short length of electrified track, needed to test stock from the Jakarta area.