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Cepu Forest Railway

Coordinates: 7°8′16.2″S 111°36′21.32″E / 7.137833°S 111.6059222°E / -7.137833; 111.6059222
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Cepu Forest Railway – Du Croo & Brauns locomotive

The Cepu Forest Railway (officially branded as Loco Tour Cepu) is a 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge light logging railway that runs through teak plantations to the northwest of the town of Cepu, in Cepu district, on the boundary between Central and East Java provinces, on the island of Java in Indonesia. It is owned by Perhutani, a state-owned forestry company of Indonesia. Steam traction is still dominant.

The iconic bridge between Cepu and Gubug Payung on the Cepu Forest Railway: a major attraction for railway enthusiasts
Historic photograph of the bridge between Cepu and Gubug Payung, 1937

Along with Olean Sugar Mill in Situbondo, East Java (a candidate World Heritage Site[1]), Tasik Madu sugar mill and the rack railway at Ambarawa (both also in Central Java), the Cepu Forest Railway is one of the four main centres of steam railway heritage remaining in Java. In fact, with four operable steam locomotives, built by Berliner Maschinenbau and Du Croo & Brauns,[2] the Cepu depot has the largest concentration of active preserved steam locomotives in Indonesia. It is therefore of major heritage importance and due to its globally significant status as an active and complete steam locomotive-powered logging railway it might also be considered a candidate World Heritage Site.

Three Berliner Maschinenbau steam locomotives on the Cepu Forest Railway in Central Java, Indonesia

The railway was originally constructed circa 1915 and was fully operational until the late 1990s, with over 300 kilometres (190 mi) of track in the Perhutani forests. Since 1998 much of the track has been lifted, but occasional logging trains continued to operate until 2002.

Since 2002 only chartered logging trains and a tourist train have been run (Loko Tour). The railway is popular with foreign tourists, especially from Europe, the United States and Japan. The main remaining line is of a distance of around 30 kilometres (19 mi) to an arboretum where there are spectacular 150-year-old teak trees along with a visitor centre where tourist train passengers are often entertained by local cultural shows.

In 2006 a bridge just outside Cepu was damaged by flooding. In late 2007 this was repaired, and tourist trains were restored to the arboretum in December 2007. Since then there have been numerous tours and chartered logging trains. There were also reportedly 'real' logging trains run early in 2010 when otherwise inaccessible trees brought down by storm damage were removed using steam trains.

Tours and charter trains are marketed and run by PT Palawi, a subsidiary of Perhutani, in Jakarta.[3]

Rolling stock

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Steam locomotives

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Reference[4][5]

Class Unit number Image Axles (Whyte) Builder Builder no. Year built Remarks
BMAG locomotives Madjoe (M) 0-10-0T Weimar Republic Berliner Maschinenbau 8834 1926 Preserved at Manggala Wanabakti Museum, Central Jakarta
Augustus (A) 9408 1928 Non-operational as 2018[6]
Bahagia (B) 9409 Non-operational[7]
Tudjubelas (T) 9410 Non-operational as 2018[6]
D&B locomotives n/a 0-6-0T Netherlands Du Croo & Brauns 388, 389, 390 1950 At least 2 units were preserved at the facility[8]
C25 02 0-6-0Tr German Empire Hanomag 6800 1913 Transferred from PJKA, derelict by 1987,[9] presumably scrapped
C26 07 0-6-0T Weimar Republic Henschel 18631 1921 Transferred from PJKA, derelict by 1987,[9] presumably scrapped
C29 02 0-6-0T Weimar Republic Hanomag 9790 1922 Transferred from PJKA, preserved as monument at Taman Seribu Lampu, Cepu[10]

Diesel locomotives

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Class Unit number Image Builder Builder no. Year built Remarks
Ruston LHT n/a United Kingdom Ruston & Hornsby 441931,[11] n/a 1970s 1 unit operational, 1 unit derelict[12]

References

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  1. ^ Dickinson, Rob and Yuehong. "Olean Sugar Mill - a candidate for a World Heritage Site?". The International Steam Pages. Retrieved December 18, 2008.
  2. ^ "A Day Out on the Cepu Forest Railway".
  3. ^ "Palawi · Green Ecotourism". Archived from the original on 2010-08-21. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  4. ^ Prayogo, Yoga Bagus; Prabowo, Yohanes Sapto; Radityo, Diaz (2017). Kereta Api di Indonesia: Sejarah Lokomotif Uap (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Jogja Bangkit Publisher. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-602-0818-55-9.
  5. ^ Krishnamurti, Indra (6 December 2004). "Steam Locomotive Roster, Page 1". Keretapi.
  6. ^ a b Herusansono, Winarto (27 March 2018). "Lokomotif Tua "Dihidupkan" untuk Angkat Wisata Cepu". Kompas.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Mengalami Masa Lalu Membelah Hutan Jati dengan Kereta Uap di Cepu". mojok.co (in Indonesian). 28 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  8. ^ "HERITAGE LOCO TOUR". blorakab.go.id (in Indonesian). Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Java 1987". searail.malayanrailways.com. 22 October 2001. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Lokomotif Tua Untuk Monumen Kereta Api di Taman Seribu Lampu". blorakab.go.id (in Indonesian). 15 November 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  11. ^ "RUSTON & HORNSBY LOCOMOTIVES – FAR EAST". ruston.avlr.org.uk. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Heritage Loco Tour Cepu: Masih beroperasi dengan lokomotif mini dan lokomotif diesel". wisata.wartablora.com (in Indonesian). 16 November 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2024.

Further reading

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Sujayanto, G. (2001). "It's a Nice Day bersama Loko Tua". Intisari. September 2001: 34–35.

7°8′16.2″S 111°36′21.32″E / 7.137833°S 111.6059222°E / -7.137833; 111.6059222

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