|
Click here
for the 'Those were the days' index page.
Gempol was the nearest mill to Cirebon - too
close as its cane fields disappeared under housing in the early 1990s. It closed
after the 1994 season and some of its locomotives were lucky enough to pass to
other mills in the area. The rest were scrapped when the mill was demolished...:
Click on a thumbnail to see a larger 750x500 (or
similar) image then use the back button or links to return here.
|
|
My first visit to Gempol was on 26th April
1977 when the season was just about to start. Henschel 0-6-0T #10 looked
immaculate (as did all the locomotives) with its well polished
brassware. .
|
|
|
On 15th June 1978, a large part of the fleet
was lined up outside the shed in the early morning before starting work.
|
|
|
That day was the only one on
which I ever saw small OK 0-8-0T #4 at work, taking out small pieces of
cane which would be planted for the following year's crop. The mountain is
again Gunung Cireme which dominates the landscape round Cirebon.
|
|
|
The most interesting locomotive
at Gempol was this petrol/oil engine which probably dated from around
World War 1. When it was turned over to start, there was generally a huge
explosion. It was working what I suspect were the mill's molasses tankers on 3rd August 1988,
it was an act of total vandalism to scrap such an historic item.
|
|
|
OK 0-8-0T #8 heads out with the
mill's ash train on 3rd August 1988. I was leading a small group for
Railway Travel and Photography - with just four customers it must have
been hopelessly uneconomic and not so long afterwards RTP went bust much like
Globe Steam some 15 years later.
|
Click here
for the 'Those were the days' index page.
|