I came to Semboro in June 1978 but the season started late that year and nothing was moving. I had a further visit on 29th May 1979 when the whole family was treated to a ride round the fields. I doubt the two youngest members can remember the occasion!

I had to be careful in my choice of image to represent the fireless locomotives at Semboro as they are still active. However, I haven't seen them on a bagasse train for many years as there is no longer any need to deliver it to the shed. OK 0-6-0F #3 does the business on 1st August 1984. 

Riding out with my tour group on the double track we met OK 0-4-4-0T #15 coming in at speed with a loaded train. 

By 'riding out' I meant that we were using one of the mill's passenger coaches to tour the system, a trip which is still possible today although it won't have a DB 0-4-4-0T Mallet like #28 on the front.

The 1986 visit produced nothing much photographically but by 23rd August 1988 it was high time to get a record of the mill's cape gauge locomotive, OK 0-6-0T #1. This is seen getting ready to take a set of molasses tankers to the main line connection at Tanggul. By this time it was the last such steam working in the Javan sugar mills.

I was back on Independence Day, 17th August 1990. OK 0-4-4-0T #17 was photographed returning with the empties from a mud train.

As it turned out, 19th August 1992 was a quiet day at the mill. We tracked down 'modern' Jung 0-6-0T #29 and followed it back to the mill in the late afternoon. This is the mill's steam locomotive of choice for charter trains today.

The numerous OK 0-4-2Ts had precious little work to do in later years. #11 brings in a train load of temporary track on 23rd August 1992, it and the others were taken out of service at the end of this season.