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Click here
for the 'Those were the days' index page.
Colomadu closed at the end of the 1997 season
although steam finished here at the end of the 1991 season when the field lines
were abandoned. Head-quarters had been trying to close it for years as its
fields had vanished under housing as Solo expanded, but had been thwarted by the
local Sunan (Sultan) whose ancestors had built the mill in the first place. It
was unusual in having locomotives of two gauges dating from the time its own
system (750mm) was merged with that of Karta Sura mill (700mm).
Click on a thumbnail to see a larger 750x500 (or
similar) image then use the back button or links to return here.
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My first visit to Colomadu was on 23rd May 1979
and Borsig 0-4-2T #3 was yard pilot. Not long after it was taken out of
service and after over 20 years in store (!) it was removed to Tasik Madu
mill where it now works the tourist trains.
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On the afternoon of 21st August
1986, I was on a bus coming out to the mill from Kartasura when I spotted
a loaded train with OK 0-8-0T #2 coming though a cleared cane field. A rapid sprint resulted
in a couple of extremely rare shots of one of the 700mm gauge locomotives
at work in the fields.
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On 27th July 1988, for the
first time I had a car at my disposal, which I left at the mill. I rode
out on OK 0-8-0T #4 which was unusual in that it had inside frames and
hence was not fitted with Klien-Lindner axles.
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With my own transport to return
to town, I could afford to relax and enjoy watching the sun go down with
Gunung Merapi (left) and Gunung Merbabu (right) in full view. Even if the
trains were still running, it would be extremely difficult to repeat the
shot as the air pollution in this part of the island normally restricts
visibility.
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The last time I saw working
steam here was on 19th August 1991, when Henschel 0-8-0T #7 worked a train
of empties out to the west and then north. The flags are out, not for my
visit but for Independence Day a couple of days earlier.
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Click here
for the 'Those were the days' index page.
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