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Island Steam, Burma 2009

This is the eighteenth part of our 2009 Burmese Odyssey. To read more about our 2009 bash which includes many non-steam items, please see Rob and Yuehong in the Golden Land 2009. We also returned to Bilu in October 2009.

Mention 'Island Steam' to any enthusiast and most likely his eyes will go misty. We are not talking here about the likes of Australia, New Zealand, even Sri Lanka or Taiwan which are whole countries. Probably not Sumatra, Java, Borneo or Negros which have had real steam recently but which are not sufficiently esoteric. No, I am talking about those out of the way islands which inspired the likes of Small and Ransome-Wallis in their great (steam) railway travel books. For my part, I am old enough to have seen some rather special real steam on the Isle of Wight in the UK just before it finished, but it has taken a long time for me to find another small and obscure island to fit the bill. Such a place is Bilu Island opposite Moulmein in Burma.

Back in 2005, Yuehong, Han and I spent half a day travelling there and back to visit the only known steam rice mill on the island. It was not our best day in the country by any means, the journey on the small ferry afforded no views, the horse cart took forever to reach the mill and when we got there we found it hadn't worked for 6 months and the engine was some kind of gashed together hybrid with Tangye characteristics including a governor. Write it off to experience would be the best way of putting it. 

Now in 2009, we have a positive report that the mill is working regularly and even more interesting, one of the small mills off the road between Moulmein and Mudon has relocated to the island. We succumb to temptation and set off again. The good news after our early excursion to Dakhondaing is that the ferry will leave at an eminently civilised 10.45 which will allow us recovery time and a leisurely breakfast first. Not only that, we can also have a circular tour which will bring us back from the island in the afternoon on a different  ferry. The first leg is on a government boat made redundant by the opening of the Thanlwin bridge between Moulmein and Mottama, a service which is as popular as it was cheap - except for we foreigners who have to pay five times the going rate of Ky 200 (ie Ky 1000 = USD 1).

We escape to the upper deck which we share with a number of rather worldly monks, 'Eleven' is one of the best selling papers in the country as it is totally dedicated to football, particularly the English scene.

An hour later we disembark, the transport on offer Is best described as 'ethnic':

We don't have time for the horse cart and opt for the truck bus. Down below Is too full even for me, so at the risk of turning into what Han described as a 'dried fish' I clamber on top. I have to say the view Is excellent:

However, I become a little apprehensive as the luggage area fills up over the next 20 minutes:

But a space is cleared for me and finally we set off. The island has recently been officially electrified and while I have my doubts about how much power is actually supplied, the road through town has literally dozens of low slung cables which require those of us on top to flatten ourselves to avoid both wire and the spikes which have been added to discourage careless riders. The first serious gradient brings the bus to a standstill but we get up it at the second attempt and head south. We also have to contend with the occasional low arch:

Not to mention aggressive bullock carts who want to overtake us:

When we get to the original mill, alas, it is certainly working, not today but maybe tomorrow. To be honest, the novelty of today's trip will have long worn off and the engine and mill are not really that special to merit a return:

 

It is 13.00, we are in the middle of the island, the next mill is at least 15 miles away, there is no sign of any public transport on offer and even if we find charter motorcycles Yuehong won't speak to me for a week. We take one look at the owner's blue Chinese truck and decide to relieve Han of any problems. 5 minutes later a price which is only vaguely ridiculous has been agreed and a special chair mounted on the back to keep Han comfortable. In fact, it is a very pleasant journey down an open road lined with palms.

 

Although no doubt in a year's time it will be an expressway:

 

When we reach the main town on the island (Chaungsone/Chaungzon) we turn off, it is almost 14.00 and the last ferry to the mainland will most likely leave in less than two hours time. The rice mill is so new that almost no-one seems to know where it actually is, on one memorable occasion when we are actually just 200 metres away, Han asks two people sitting together and they point confidently in opposite directions! The mill is next to the main road but the chimney is almost invisible among the profusion of bamboo and coconut palms. 

 

Our spirits fall when we realise that it too isn't working but when we get in we are more than a little surprised to find that they have not just one but two small engines, neither of which came from Kawkapun as expected (that engine we later found in pieces by the main gate). And, my God, what a pair of engines they are...

 

 

When it comes to the proverbial hens' teeth, it would be difficult to choose between them. Behind and needing just a few adjustments before it can work is a product of a new American builder to me, the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company:

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This 8" engine has apparently come from not so far away at Pa-an. But what about that more familiar outline in front? 

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It's a Tangye, of course, but what a treasure, the first D size we have seen in the country, #6618, with a mere 6" cylinder and size 1½ governor. 

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The owner was a late convert, he had tired of spending USD 5000 a year on diesel and one of the mill owners on the mainland had convinced him that he would soon recoup his investment if he changed to steam. With three engines and two boilers you might fairly comment that he might be a little over-enthusiastic in the same way as religious converts tend to be. And, what's more the mill will be running tomorrow. All plans to leave Moulmein are immediately put on hold and I have to wait patiently for Yuehong to fill the card on her digital camera before I am allowed anywhere near either engine. After my turn, we leap back into the truck and make it to the ferry terminal in what turns out to be in plenty of time, in fact enough to sink a couple of very welcome beers and enjoy a quick snack, but first we have to pay off our taxi:

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We head back up the Thanlwin river to Moulmein, past the fishing boats and sand dredgers in glorious afternoon sunlight:

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It has been yet another great day out and a further reminder, if it was needed, that there are still many amazing steam discoveries to be made in this country.

In Burma, you soon learn to expect the unexpected, but our return to Bilu Island next day goes exactly as planned. We take the 08.30 ferry directly to the Chaungsone jetty, the seagulls give everyone entertainment in return for some corn:

And our bus delivers us right to the front gate of the mill:

 

Han told them we would come at 10.00 and on arrival boiler pressure is steadily rising. Within a few minutes, the engine has been given a test run, the belts go on and before 10.30 the mill is churning out rice, as is often the case trying to get good still shots is almost impossible with all the dust. However, I am sure that the video record of the whole operation will be more than satisfactory.

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This is the mini-mill the Tangye D size powers. It's very modern, the hullers and polishers are not visible in this view which shows:

  • The main shaker (top) which separates rice and unhusked rice and recycles some unresolved mixture.

  • The combined sieve and 'vacuum' system - the central vertical column removes the husks (and some dust) and the whole rice grains are separated from the bits on the left.

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Foolishly, I allow my tripod to have an argument with the main belt which, of course, it loses. In one fell swoop, I overtake Yuehong's record of losing 2 bags, 3 rubber feet and one pan handle from her tripod, I am left with effectively a two and a bit legged version, it is a real 'Humpty Dumpty' of a job:

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Just before midday, the engine comes to a sudden halt and we are summoned ever so politely for lunch, it is, as seems inevitable during our visits, a sumptuous meal. We are not the only one to appreciate it. Afterwards one of the daughters of the house goes to service the 'factory outlet' and a somewhat nervous family pose for a very stiff portrait:

Our return bus is more than an hour ahead. There is nothing more to do except relax and savour the atmosphere while Han gives an impromptu English lesson. Then suddenly, there is a noise outside, it is a monk investiture ceremony, traditional with modern attachments - the young boys are riding the motorcycles and the sound system is carried on a Chinese truck. We could be honoured guests for the rest of the day no doubt once the monks have arrived to accept their gifts, but that will have meant missing the ferry and creating all sorts of problems for the villagers...

The bus is nothing like full and it is heartening to see the driver stop to give a lift to half a dozen young barefoot schoolchildren who certainly can't have afforded the fare.

And so ends our week in Moulmein, we are sorry to go but we have just over a week left in the country and more research scheduled. We leave on the 08.15 northbound train, speeds are higher than on the Shan State trains, consequently our coach can easily double as a mobile testing laboratory for sports bras, but basically it does the job. At Taungzun we bale out to see if the Kokadaw Ruston has burst into life but it has not. So after a very welcome jar of amber liquid, we use a pick-up and then a bus to head for Bago, on the way I manage a better grab shot of the old Sittoung railway bridge.

Plan B is to get out at Waw if the West mill is working which it is - it's 'only' a 14" Tangye but it has so far eluded our video cameras, the 70 year old engineer is only 30 years younger than the engine!

Han finds us a small (and quiet) hotel with a proper generator up a side road on the outskirts of town and we crash out.

The full list of 2009 trip pages is on:

These are the individual (stationary steam) pages from the 2009 trip:

Our earlier explorations are described in pages linked from:

Rob and Yuehong Dickinson

Email: webmaster@internationalsteam.co.uk