The Steamy South

The area west of Yogyakarta between the central mountains and the sea was never very popular with visiting enthusiasts. I always found it very hot and humid, the hotels were very ordinary and the railway lines were usually so far from the main roads that it was impossible to chase the trains. The fact that there were no sugar mills in the area (save one small mill near Purwokerto) tended to confirm this as that crop requires a lengthy dry spell.

D52s worked local passenger trains and most of the freight trains in this area although few were ever photographed. CC50s were also common but the scenery lacked the splendour of the mountainous areas further west. It was also the best area to see the D51 2-8-2s which were diverted to the Far East after their original destination, the Hedjaz railway, no longer had need for them after the First World War. Purwokerto, arguably had one of the most varied allocations on the island and the nearby junction of Kroja had an allocation of delightful small power. 

However, the overriding impression I have is of an area which people rushed through on their way to the next famous attraction, pausing only to shoot off a few pictures of anything which just happened to be passing at the time. Perhaps the most glaring omission in this whole CD is any coverage of the spectacular and steep branch line which ran along the course of the Serayu river from Purwokerto through Banjarnegara to the hill town of Wonosobo.