The Last Working Steam Locomotives in Java - Pangka Sugar Mill

The Last Working Steam Locomotives in Java - Pangka Sugar Mill

Pangka No. 2, Jung 0-6-2T (2388/1915) celebrates 100 years active service at Pangka Sugar Mill on what is left of the 600mm gauge system 9Km east of Tegal, Java, Indonesia on 5th August 2015. Once it steamed out into the fields bringing lori loads of cane back to the mill. In recent years, this has cut back to a stretch of track from a loading point just outside the mill, where cane is delivered by truck. But brand new tractors (John Deere) have now replaced the four remaining serviceable locomotives, as they have done at most of the other mills in 2015. I had to charter the Jung for £150 for the day to take this video. The track had not been maintained and the engine could not reverse back over the points with loaded cane into mill without derailing all of its load. Hence, the abrupt ending of the video.

Pangka, Sumberharjo, Sragi, Tasik Madu and Olean all stopped using steam locomotives in 2015. Only Kanigoro, Purwodadi and the fireless locomotives of Patgottan and Semboro are the only possible genuine remaining steam locations left in Java for 2016. The mills are still using big stationary steam engines, fuelled by the bagasse, which are interesting enough themselves. One of the reasons given for no longer using the steam locos is that they wanted to use all of the bagasse for the mill engine.