Today was the first thoroughly wet day I have experienced in Java. We called in at Krebet Baru mill to get permissions and tghen headed straight for the depot at Gondanglegi.
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| Ready to begin the morning's work |
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| Cat among the chickens |
A loaded train was due to leave for the mill and so we chased it back on the 13km run which included some long gradients. Various members of the group scored cab rides, myself included. The loco was worked at full throttle and being a 4-wheeler it bucked around a bit. The non-driving side where I was also got a generous supply of exhaust fumes and particulates. The two sand men generally rode on the front. At several locations, rakes of full loris had to be pushed forward on the main line and then shunted out of the way.
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| Charging through a village |
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| Hand cane cutting |
The cane train was soon followed by an empty ash train returning to the mill, which was in turn followed by another cane train.
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| Ash train |
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| Shunting cane off the main line alongside our vehicles |
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| All road crossings are manned |
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| Approaching the mill |
There are actually two sugar mills which are co-located. As at Rejoagung under common ownership, the locos are in traditional green and red.
After the trains arrived at the mill, we checked out the loco shed and yard. There are more than 30 diesel locos with about half of them in service. The shed included three out of use Simplex 102T type locomotives.
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| Mill yard with new mill in the background |
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| Disused Simplex loco |
In the afternoon, as it became wetter and darker, we returned to Gondanglegi to see the regular afternoon procession of trains to the mill. Five loaded trains followed in quick succession with one of them banked in the rear.
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| First of the afternoon trains crossing an irrigation channel |
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| Part of the afternoon procession. The loco on the left is a banker waiting for the next train to pass. |
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| Dark and wet |
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