Java Sugar Steam 2001 - West Java

PG Rajawali II (previously PTP XIV, before that PNP XIV) operates all the mills in West Java. These can be reached easily from Cirebon which has good facilities. Alone among the nationalised sector, these mills do not charge visitors. On the other hand, all the mills are now rather run down and activity of any kind including the steam locomotives is quite limited. Most years I try to spend two or three days in the area in the hope of some interesting action but in recent years I have invariably been disappointed. 2000 saw a better crop than 1999, much to my surprise. The start of the 2001 season was spoiled by an extended rainy season.

1.KADHIPATEN Mill Index

Closed in 2000 and unlikely to reopen. On 17th June I was surprised to find a skeleton staff present and the loco staff pottering around the shed with nothing much to do except cut up a few old cane cars.

2. JATIWANGI Mill Index

As in 1999, I visited on 6th July 2000 found the mill partly dismantled for spare parts and most of the field lines and virtually all of the yard lifted.  The five steam locos were covered in dust in the shed. The mill staff would love to sell the locos for preservation but HQ seem to have no mechanism for this.

3. GEMPOL Mill Index

This mill will not reopen - officially it is now a sub-unit of Sindanglaut and the little cane grown in the area is delivered there. One of the Henschel locomotives (12) from here has now been sent to Taman Mini in Jakarta. When I visited in 1999, staff told me that the other Henschel was now on a tourist railway in Jambi (Central Sumatra), a fact I am unlikely to be in a position to check out!  4, 5 and 8 together with another derelict at least were still in the locked shed.

4. SINDANGLAUT Mill Index

Reported by Steve Noon to have started in mid-May and to have been pretty busy soon after. Compared to 2000, I found the mill quiet when I visited on 30th June. 4 and 12 were stored out of use (the number of loco crews had been cut to save money) and centenarian 1 did not seem to be in use much, if at all. In the event 6 and 7 were pilots but there was little cane to shunt. Three steam locomotives were working to the fields near the mill. 11 was 500m west and came in at 16.30. 13 and 10 were 1km north-east and came in just before the light totally failed at 17.15. Three daylight field trains was a great start to the tour but I would have been happier to see more cane coming in here. On 1st July we again arrived quite late at the mill, and it took a little while to sort out exactly where the locos were. Eventually we found 10 and 13 ready to double head a train in from east of the mill - inevitably it departed just after sunset. On 9th August, things looked little better, 7 was pilot and 8, 10, 11 and 13 were in the fields but all would have come in after dark. Worryingly, the lines to the north-west beyond the toll road did not seem to have been used in 2001 and despite the lack of cane, the traditional areas to the east looked as though they had nearly all been harvested with an expected finish to the season at the end of August.

5. TERSANA BARU Mill Index

Also reported by Steve Noon to have started in mid-May and to have been quite busy soon after. He found 1, 3, 6, 11, 12, 20 in steam with 2 recently used. When I stopped by on 17th June, the same locomotives were in steam (officially four more are serviceable but have not been used for a while now). However, the yard was a sea of mud with a skin of dry earth. The rains had made it almost impossible to harvest the cane, the locomotives had little work to do and were burning wood instead of bagasse, reflecting the shortage of cane. By 1st July, things were no better despite 2 weeks of dry weather. We visited on August 9th, being the morning things were quiet, but the fact that the mill was still burning wood, taken with the earlier visits made the scene very depressing. The mill was due to finish its season on 30th August. The future looks bleak here although there was plenty of new cane being planted for 2002. This is a 2000 picture. 

6. KETANGGUNGAN BARAT Mill Index

Reported by Steve Noon to have started in mid-May and to have looked normal soon after (ie locomotives simmering under trees at midday). On 17th June in the early afternoon, 5 was in steam on shed and 6 and 7B were out. This was my annual quick survey, it was cloudy and I did not have time to track them down.  On 1st July, two overnight cane trains had arrived at Luwunggajah before dawn and by 07.45 we found 6 on empties and 5 light engine east of Mayag by driving down the track from there. With brew-ups and derailments we got some nice shots before the sun got too high. At KB itself 7B was in light steam, but none of the others looked as if they had seen recent use. This is a 2000 picture of Mallet 5 at Luwung Gajah..