PNKA Wallahs Part 1

This page is the first of a series of pages by Tony Ford describing the Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api ca 1970 and serves as an introduction to the country and its railways.

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During 3 years I spent in Indonesia between 1968 and 1971, I developed an interest in the country’s railways, in particular the steam locomotives of the State National Railways (Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api) – PNKA for short. This interest was first awakened during a trip to Bali when I stumbled across the rack railway at Ambarawa. Interest intensified during a month's tour of Sumatra and as a result of meeting steam enthusiasts eager to acquire photographs of one of the most fascinating collections of steam locomotives to be found. I realized I was in a most fortunate position to be able, with a little effort, to put on film a comprehensive record of these working locomotives before they disappeared as a result of increased dieselisation.

Before going into details of the various locomotives to be found, perhaps I should give a brief outline of the country and a history of its railways. A note on photography, the numbering system and statistics are also included.

Indonesia lies across the equator between the mainland of Asia and Australia, comprising 3,000 islands – of which about 2,000 are inhabited. Sumatra, Java and the Sundas owe their origins to the volcanic belt which forms the backbone of these islands and it is on Sumatra and Java where the railways of Indonesia are to be found. Just less than half of the population of 126 million live on Java, about 90% of the population are Muslims, Christians are to be found in the towns. Construction of railways in what was the Netherlands East Indies began in the second half of the 19th century. Plans began as far back as 1840 but opinion on whether control was to be State or private delayed any positive move until 1862 when a concession was granted to the Nederland Indische Spoorweg (NIS) for 162 miles of standard gauge line to be laid initially from Semarang to Tangung with a main line to Surakarta and Jogjakarta via Gundih following, a further branch from Kedungjati to Ambarawa completing the standard gauge system. Work began in 1864 and in the same year a second concession was granted to NIS for a 3ft 6in gauge line from Djakarta to Bogor. Both systems were completed in 1873. The first state budgeted line was authorized in a Bill in 1875 for a 3ft 6in line from Surabaja to Malang with a branch line to Pasuruan, this gauge later being adopted as 'standard' in the country.

State and private involvement proceeded apace – the State concentrating on opening up new areas for development and for defence purposes, whilst private enterprise, in the main, concentrated on subsidiary lines and light railways. The first steam tram company was formed in 1881 with the building of a 54 mile line from Semarang to Djuana. A further 'tramway' was built from Semarang to Tjirebon in 1895, although this was, in effect, a railway..

The first long distance through route was opened in 1894 from Bogor to Surabaja via Bandung, Jogjakarta and Surakarta.

1851 miles of track had been laid in Java by 1900 and a further 310 miles built before the First World War. There was no development during the war except that 1917 saw the completion of the line from Tjirebon to Kroja, linking the north and south coast east-wesr routes.

From 1920 effort was concentrated in rebuilding and reconstruction of existing lines, and the establishment of long distance through routes. This consolidation included the electrification of lines in and around Djakarta. Today there are 3,152 miles of 3ft 6in track in Java.

The first impulse to build a railway in Sumatra was the construction of a military light railway in Atjeh, the first section of which, I believe, was opened in 1876. This line 300 miles long was not completed to its southern junction with the Deli Railway at Besitang until 1917. The first solely commercial railway was that of the Deli Tobacco Company with the building of a line between Belawan port and Medan as a result of a concession granted in 1883. This line was subsequently lengthened to over 300 miles and included two narrow gauge branches of 70cm and 60cm gauge to tap the forests for fuel and a quarry for ballast.

The State’s involvement in railway building in Sumatra began in 1887 with the building of a railway, completed in 1891, from the State-owned coal mines at Sawahlunto to the port outlet at Padang. This system has 120 miles of track. In South Sumatra, two State lines were built – one from Palembang to the coal and oilfields of Lahat and in 1912 the commencement of the building of the second line from the port of Pandjang, near Telukbetung across virgin country, eventually joining the Palembang system at Baturadja in 1927 to complete 400 miles of track length. On the island of Sulawesi (Celebes) a 29 mile line was built by the State from Makassar to Takalar. This line proved uneconomic and was closed in 1930, 8 years after opening.

In 1942, the Japanese invaded and occupied the country, looted the standard gauge rolling stock which was shipped to its war in Manchuria. The Japanese then set out to convert the standard gauge throughout Java except for the 60cm branches around Krawang and Ambulu. It is rare that an occupying power does good by looting but this was a shining example.

The Japanese, during their occupation built 2 lines using prisoner labour: one from Saketi to the South Banteng coast of West Java to transport coal from the Bajah coalfield; the other to connect the West and East coasts of Sumatra, was built between near Sawahlunto, the terminal of the West Sumatran system and Pekanbaru. Both lines have subsequently been abandoned.

Confusion followed the end of the Second World War when the Dutch attempted to resume control of their former colony. After UN intervention and subsequent independence the Indonesian railways became known as Djawatan Kereta Api, and sometime after the acquisition of the Deli Railway (DSM) in 1958, as a result of taking over all the remaining Dutch assets in the country, came to be known as Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api (PNKA).

Statistics, we are old, prove nothing. This is not quite true – they prove in Indonesia that statistics tell lies. Whichever way you care to do your calculations when dealing with PNKA steam locomotives you will never come up with the same answer twice. Nevertheless, a number of facts do emerge.

Fact one is that of the original 87 plus classes of locomotive once found in Indonesia at least 11 no longer exist. Of the remaining 70 odd classes, at least 24 have 3 or less locomotives in service. Amongst data produced by PNKA are details of locomotives such as these which are still included in their books.

Fact two is that over 60% of the remaining locomotives are over 50 years old.

It is to the credit of the Traction Department of PNKA that such a high proportion of these locomotives are still capable of raising a head of steam.

Fact three is that with the passage of time and plans formulated in 1971 to bring in more diesel locomotives, paid for from foreign aid, the demise of the remaining steam locomotives is not far off. The remaining steam locomotives are expected to be phased out by 1990.

Photography is extremely difficult so near the equator and I apologise for the quality of some of the shots. It is better to concentrate photography to the early morning and late afternoon but, because of distances to be covered, schedules to be kept etc, this is not always possible. Enough of my problems – it’s the slides you wish to see, but a quick word on the way this show is being presented. The slides are arranged in class order, based on the present numbering system with a letter, or letters to indicate class, starting with 20 for tank engines and 50 for tender engines. Finally comes the locomotive number starting with 01 in each class except for the D52 of which there are 100 – hence numbering starts at 001. This system, I believe was adapted during the Japanese occupation and reflects that country’s method of numbering.