Sweet Steam

Real steam in Indonesia

11. - 27.8.2008 

Deutschlandtreffen in Rejosari

Almost a century old and a few even older, German, Dutch and Belgian steam locomotives are still in extremely hard daily use in the sugar mills of Indonesia. They need to earn their daily bagasse, water and oil with hard work in front of overloaded cane trains. But, this living museum of steam is not the only reason to make Indonesia worth a visit. Feel the even stampede of lots of ancient stationary steam engines inside the mills, some of them which have been working for more than 120 years. Experience their vibration, their warm breath while driving giant flywheels and moving the cane crushers and, sometimes via transmission, other ancient machinery in the mills.

In addition to the regular steam hauled trains we’ll also substitute a steam locomotive on other service trains which are normally diesel hauled. We can travel on these trains and arrange some additional stops and runpasts to get the maximum of good pictures. We won’t add passenger coaches to these scheduled trains, only authentic wagons are suitable. This is not so comfortable but it’s the only way to get serious lineside shots on lines which do not usually see regular steam hauled trains.

Our visit to Mount Bromo will give us the chance to enjoy a fantastic view over two active volcanoes, including the highest one on Java: Mount Semeru. The latter spits ash clouds high into the sky at frequent intervals. If we’re lucky we can see Mount Semeru from a sugar railway line too, forming a spectacular backdrop for one of our steam trains.

Ambarawa Zahnradbahn

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Itinerary

Day

Itinerary

11.08.

Departure Europe/America to Indonesia

12.08.

In the afternoon meeting in Jakarta, by airport shuttle bus transfer to the railway station, express train (air-conditioned) to Cirebon where we’ll arrive in the evening, hotel in Cirebon

13.07.

After the long flight we’ll get up late. You can visit the plinthed loco next to our hotel or just get used to the tropical climate. After lunch we’ll go to Tersana Baru, our first sugar mill. It’s not certain that we’ll get access to this mill because there have been objections against foreign visitors since a foreign company try to purchase the state owned sugar mill. If we get access to the mill we’ll experience a rather non-economic shunting operation with up to seven steam locomotives and three diesels in use although the situation rarely requires work for more than two steam locos at the same time. In the evening we’ll continue to our hotel in Tegal.

14.08.

In the morning we’ll start the day in Jatibarang, where a nice roundhouse with a turntable dominates the loco shed. In 2008 two steam locos, including a rare Belgian Couillet 0-6-0, should be in service in the large yard. If possible, we’ll make a visit to the ancient machinery in the sugar mill as well. There are stationary boilers which are some 100 years old. Stationary steam engines power nearly the whole mill.

In the afternoon we’ll continue to Pangka. Beautiful 0-6-2 locomotives from Jung serve the mill alongside tiny diesels which are responsible for the line service. In the early evening we have planned some night shots as well. Hotel in Tegal

15.08.

Today we’ll visit the sugar mill in Sumberharjo. Sumberharjo is among the last mills which uses steam locos for line service. Unfortunately most of the loaded trains run shortly before or after sunset. Of course, line work is predominated by diesels, but the steam locos still have a share of the field work too. In the morning all steam locos will be prepared for the daily duties. They are fired in or in front of the shed, usually causing really photogenic sunray games when smoke is rising from the chimney and spreading under the roof of the loco shed. In the late morning trains of empties leave the factory, usually three of the trains are steam hauled (tender first).

In the afternoon we’ll visit the lines around Sumberharjo in search of steam hauled cane trains.

Hotel in Pekalongan

16.08.

In the morning we’ll visit the mill in Sragi. Beside up to six steam locos Sragi uses a few diesels as well. The morning light offers the best conditions for photography in the depot. Heavy trains are pushed from the large loading area in the mill’s yard. Often two locomotives are necessary to do this hard job! Such a spectacle can bring together locomotives from Hartmann, Schwartzkopff (0-10-0s) and Henschel. We expect to find five or six steam locos in service.

In the afternoon we’ll enjoy the rack railway of Ambarawa, where we hired a train with the small class B25 rack loco. After dawn we’ll continue to Solo to our hotel.

17.08.

We’ll spend the day in the sugar mill Tasik Madu. Beside several other steam locos in use we’ll probably meet the largest Luttermöller engine on Java. The impressive 0-10-0, 150 horse power engine has a six axle tender! For the evening we have planned some night pictures. Hotel in Solo

18.08.

Before sunrise we’ll go to Purwodadi where all trains have to pass over a photogenic girder bridge between the loading point and the yard. Steam and diesel locomotives share the work. Almost all trains are banked by a second engine and offer good photographic potential.

In the afternoon we’ll continue to Rejosari. They use one loco in shunting service in the yard. If the unique geared locomotive “SALAK” no. 10 is still serviceable it’ll be steamed up for our group. Rejosari has several interesting stationary steam engines inside the mill as well. Some of the machinery in the mill is still driven by steam powered transmissions.

Hotel in Madiun

19.08.

In the morning we’ll make a brief visit to Kanigoro, where in 2007 only one locomotive was left in service. The blue locomotive is used in the yard with beautiful, large trees and, sometimes to bring trains over the weighbridge. Just around the corner is the sugar mill Pagottan where we’ll probably see the last active inside framed Luttermöller locomotives in the world. Of special interest is the level crossing where it might be possible to get a locomotive and a horse cart together in the same picture.

In the late afternoon we’ll reach Merican. Here we’ll meet the last 0-4-2 locomotives of Indonesia, used for heavy shunting operation. They have over 100 years of service! Merican is especially known for the sparks the little locomotives produce while fired with bagasse. After dusk this is particularly impressive, when the “little volcanoes“ make the air glow. To experience this spectacle we’ll stay there until it’s totally dark (around 6.20pm). Hotel in Kediri

20.08.

In the morning we’ll make another brief visit to Merican before we continue to the spectacular mount Bromo, one of the active volcanoes of Java. The most recent eruption of Bromo was in 2004. We’ll arrive there in the late afternoon, just in time for a walk to the crater before sunset. Our hotel is situated directly at the edge of the crater.

21.08.

If you’re going to Java you should not miss the spectacular view of Mount Bromo at sunrise. To experience this we have to get up very early. We will climb to the view point at the top of the volcano for the best view. You can also hire a seat in a 4WD Jeep for some 9 Pounds to avoid a walk some 500 yards upwards and two miles in length.

Around 10am we’ll continue to Olean. Here we’ll have the best chance of getting loaded steam trains from the fields in front of our lenses. Hotel in Situbondo

22.08.

The full day is reserved for Asembagus with their interesting field work which is one of the last two mills left with frequent daylight steam into the fields. The lines are often framed by palm trees, and volcanoes forming interesting backdrops. Together with some little bridges there are plenty of photographic opportunities. Hotel in Situbondo

23.08.

Another day where we will visit Olean and spend some more time here than on the hectic first day. The machinery inside the mill is just amazing and worth a visit alone! If you like you can also visit the sugar mill in Situbondo (Panji, 600 mm) which uses some diesels for field workings. Hotel in Situbondo

24.08.

We’ll spend another day in and around Olean to enjoy the steam trains in the fields. Usually a diesel is disturbing the steam action, but they had at least one steam hauled loaded train in the afternoon in 2007. Late afternoon we’ll continue to our hotel in Jember.

25.08.

For today we have planned two steam trains at Semboro. Semboro has two serviceable steam locos, one Mallet 0-4-4-0 and one Jung 0-6-0 built in 1961. Provided both of them are still serviceable we’ll hire them both, the Jung loco for a morning train and the Mallet for an afternoon train. We won’t use the tourist coaches, we’ll haul real trains which we’ll take over from the diesel locos. Semboro still has a large active network and uses tiny German diesels or water buffaloes for pulling cane wagons out of the fields, while much stronger, but boxy, Japanese diesels haul the trains on the partly double track main lines. The huge system offers plenty of good opportunities for typical field operations. With some luck we can see the volcano Semeru and it would form an extraordinary background for one of our charter trains. As a special we’ll see the last known fireless locos of Java, at least one of them in use in a part of the yard. Hotel in Jember

26.08.

In the morning we’ll make a brief visit to the fireless locomotives of Semboro again. Around 8.30 am we’ll leave the sugar mills of Java for this time and continue to the airport of Surabaya. Noon flight Surabaya – Jakarta and from there flight back home

27.08.

Morning arrival at your destination.

Semboro mit Mt. Semeru

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Small Print

Indonesia has changed rapidly over the last decade. Quite a lot of the sugar mills - in former times well protected from the international market – have had to give up or try to be more cost efficient. This is the reason why some of the sugar mills have closed and why others have converted from railway to road transport. Although the present government introduced new taxes to protect the domestic sugar industry and save labour for the workers in the mills, many mills have changed their system of bringing in the cane. Given that the farmers around the mills are free to decide which kind of crop to grow, the system of field lines to the sugar cane fields has had to be abandoned. At many places it’s more profitable to plant other crops than cane. So it was necessary for the factories to switch to road transport anyway, to reach sugar cane fields far away from the mill. Because new lines to other fields will not be constructed anymore the truck was and is the only way for a mill to survive.

Despite all the losses over the recent years you can still experience the largest variety of steam locomotives in the world in daily use during the harvest season. Three mills still use steam to bring cane trains into the mills while others offer interesting and, sometimes, very extensive shunting in the large yards.

Tasik Madu

On the tour we will probably experience Mallett locomotives as well as Luttermöllers or Klein-Lindner axle locos. A special highlight is the geared locomotive built by Orenstein & Koppel. If still serviceable, we will hire it for an afternoon of shunting operations. While Orenstein & Koppel seem to be omnipresent on the island, other producers, mostly non-existent any more, are still part of the greatest narrow gauge steam show in the world: Decauville, Schwartzkopff, Maffei, Jung, Ducroo und Brauns, Hartmann and others.

Our route may differ from the above itinerary in order to get as many good pictures of steam trains as possible. On the way, side trips to historical or other places of interest are possible. If agreed, the group may separate and meet together later. We will travel either by up to four hired jeeps which will give us a maximum of flexibility for special requests of some group members or by bus which has the advantage of a cool box to keep beverages chilly. A combination is possible too. Just let us know your preference when booking the trip.

We will choose our hotels by their distance from the next steam mill, not according to the offered standard. All our hotels offer air conditioning (exception: Mount Bromo, where temperatures can drop below plus 5 °C (40 °F) in  the morning) and a private bath room, some offer a pool as well. European style toilets are not common in Indonesia. The chosen hotels will have a European style toilet, but in small restaurants on the way or at railway stations for example you should expect Asian style lavatories.

Asembagus

On many days we’ll get up early (around 6.00 am) and may even leave without breakfast sometimes. The best time for photography is the early morning between half past six and nine and the late afternoon between three and sunset around 17.45 hrs. The time in between is, because of the high sun, not rewarding for photography, even the dedicated video film maker wouldn’t be happy with the results during the noon time. You can enjoy a bath in the sea when we’re close to a beach. Because of the active volcanoes on the island the beaches offer black instead of white sand. The sea itself is polluted near the cities.

Please understand that in a country like Indonesia not everything will work as planned and/or paid for. The Indonesian (better to say the Asian) way to repair things with the help of primitive tools is amazing and will help us to fix some of the technical problems which may occur. Whatsoever, you never can be sure that the most important switch of the yard isn’t blocked by a derailed train, the mill has run out of fuel a day before our arrival, and so on. The whole traffic could be stopped by such a problem. In such a case we’ll try to head for another mill. Sometimes it might be impossible to get pictures and the only thing you can do is to relax and drink a cup of tea or a beer.

For the few mills with the best chances for line steam we have planned sufficient time. We haven’t planned to go to sugar mills with dumped steam locos only. However, if time allows and we’re just passing by, we can make a stop at such mills as well.

Olean

The climate is tropical with high humidity and temperatures around 30 degrees Centigrade (90 Fahrenheit). Our jeeps/buses are fitted with air conditioning but you’ll do better if you acclimatise and accept the need to sweat a bit if you have to move quickly to get a photo.

The tour is planned with the dedicated photographer and video filmmaker in mind. The itinerary is designed for those who think it more important to get the perfect shot in the morning sun than a substantial breakfast. Meals are not included in the tour price. In addition, meals are a matter of time. Sometimes it might be necessary to postpone a meal or even cancel it. In such cases we’ll have to make do with some cookies or bananas. Meals are cheap with the exception of beer and other alcoholic drinks. You should calculate with some two to ten pounds Sterling a day for food. Please remember that we are guests in a mainly Islamic country where alcoholic drinks (including beer) are not available everywhere. Chilled beer is another matter …Charter vehicles and trains represent the standard of our host countries, which may deviate form European expectations. While we will try to avoid long walks, some photo positions may require a bit of an extra effort. Travelling on trains and driving cars is at your own risk. The charter trains will look like real trains did some years ago. So we will not attach coaches to the trains. Please remember that the exhaust of the steam locos contains sparks which may harm your clothes or skin.

Please opt for travelling in the group bus (driven by a local driver) or in a self driven jeep while booking the tour.

If you choose the option of travelling in a Jeep and would like to drive it, in Indonesia you should be over 25 years old and the holder of an international driving licence. In addition you should be willing to accept the Asian way of driving which is quite different from that you learnt at the driving school. On the main trunk roads the traffic may be horribly fast and dangerous while on minor roads you may be the only motorised car amongst ox carts (without any kind of illumination during the night, of course). However, most visitors will learn very quick how Asian traffic works and will have additional fun driving a car without the restrictions you have to care about in central Europe or north America. There is no insurance for the cars available. So we have to pay for dents ourselves, please consider this while driving. The one and only rule of the traffic seems to be not to touch any other traffic.

Merican

Please bear in mind that accommodation and transportation in Indonesia fall short of EU/US safety standards. Always use common sense when crossing roads and railway tracks. FarRail Tours cannot be held responsible and will not accept any liability whatsoever in the case of any accident or damage. We suggest you take out a comprehensive overseas accident and health insurance policy.

Registration period expires: 28.3.2008

Later bookings will be accepted but subject to possible higher flight prices.

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Price:

Sweet Steam from 5 participants £1.990
11. to 27.08.2008 Single room supplement £175

Minimum number of participants: 5
Maximum number of participants: 16

Without international flight: please deduct £505 from the tour price.

The price includes:

Not included are:

Above prices are based on specific bookings with the respective airlines, which have to be confirmed well in advance. Your early booking is hence appreciated.

Semboro - beim Losbrechen des Zuckerrohrzuges kommt die Mallet ins Schleudern

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