RAILWAYS of INDONESIA

B 5112 at the Ambarawa depot Prior to 1900 the main passenger trains of the Staatsspoorwegen (SS) , the Netherlands Indies State Railway Company, on its flat plain routes were hauled by 2-4-0 locomotives. However, by the turn of the century it was felt that more powerful and faster locomotives were needed. In 1900 Hanomag delivered the first engines of the 600 class to the SS. The design of this 4-4-0 engine was based on the Prussian State Railways class P4 locomotive . Eventually, 44 engines of these series, built by Hanomag, Hartmann and Werkspoor, were operated by the Staatsspoorwegen Prussian State Railways P4 Locomotive During the Depression ( 1929-1934) many engines of this class were mothballed. In the late 1930s they returned to active duty, but only on branch lines. Following the Japanese occupation class 600 were renumbered B51. Class B51 continued to be operated by the Indonesian Railway Company till the early 1980s. The last surviving engine of this series is B5112 which...

Today, in this age of mass air travel, flying is an everyday experience. As the tag line of Asia’s leading budget airline proclaims: “Now everyone can fly”. Back in the pre-jet days of  the 1950s, however, when flying was not yet as common as today, it still had a sense of adventure and glamour to it. Boarding an airplane was something special and people would put on their best clothes for the trip.  It was in those days, in October 1956, that I, for the first time ever, flew on an airplane. My mother, younger brother and I were travelling from Indonesia to the USA to join my father who had left earlier to study there. Our airplane, a KLM Royal Duch Airlines Lockheed Constellation , took off early in the morning from Kemayoran Airport, Jakarta. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Lockheed Constellation, Kemayoran Airport, Jakarta, Indonesia Our first stopover was at Paya Lebar Airport, Singapore. Here we were told to stay inside the airplane because at that time Singapor...

 Since about a year ago I started cycling instead of swimming to keep fit. I have found that cycling has certain advantages compared to swimming. I can do it everyday (weather allowing, of course) instead of only two or three times a week. I do not have to pay entrance and I can start right from my door. But most importantly, I can pass along a railway track. This not just any track; it is part of the first railway line in Indonesia , the 25 kilometres Semarang-Tanggung line opened in 1867. But before I get to the tracks I first pass through quite and shady kampung streets. My regular encounters during these morning trips is with the humble economy class Bojonegoro feeder. Once in while I meet some slow freight trains waiting at the passing loop at Alastua Station. One day, however, I was surprised to see the crack Argo Bromo Anggrek ‘Go Green’ which was about three hours behind schedule. During weekends and holidays Alastua station has become a popular p...