Ambarawa Railway Museum
Encyclopedia
The Ambarawa Railway Museum, is a museum
located in Ambarawa
in Central Java
, Indonesia
. The museum focuses on the collection of steam locomotives, the remains of the closing of the 3 ft 6in (1067mm) railway line.
ordered the construction of a new railway station to enable the government to transport its troops to Semarang
. On May 21, 1873 the Ambarawa railway station was built on a 127,500 m² land. This was known back then as Willem I Station.
The Willem I Railway Station was originally a transhipment point between the 4 ft 8½in (1435 mm) gauge branch from Kedungjati to the northeast and the 3 ft 6in (1067 mm) gauge line onward towards Yogyakarta via Magelang to the south. It is still possible to see that the two sides of the station were built to accommodate different size trains.
The Ambarawa railway museum was established much later on October 6, 1976 in the Ambarawa Station to preserve the steam locomotives, which were then coming to the end of their useful lives when the 3 ft 6in (1067 mm) gauge railways of the Indonesian State Railway (the Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api, PNKA) was closed. These are parked in the open air next to the original station.
and Secang, the only such operation in Java. This line beyond Bedono closed in the early 1970s after it was damaged in an earthquake, but had already lost most of its passenger traffic to buses on the parallel road. The line from Kedungjati (runs east initially from Ambarawa) survived into the middle 1970s but saw very little traffic near the end, not least because it was far quicker to travel more directly by road to Semarang
. The presence of the rack line meant that there was probably never much through traffic from Semarang to Yogyakarta.
Currently, there is operating heritage railway between Ambarawa-Bedono, operated by steam locomotive
. In addition, there is also tourist railway between Ambarawa-Tuntang.
Some of the steam locomotives are the 2 B25 0-4-2T B2502/3 which is from the original fleet of 5 supplied to the line about 100 years ago (A third locomotive (B2501) is preserved in a park in the town nearby.) The E10 0-10-0T E1060 which was originally delivered to West Sumatra
in the 1960s for working the coal railway, but later was brought to Java
, and a conventional locomotive 2-6-0T C1218 which was restored to working order in 2006.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
located in Ambarawa
Ambarawa
Ambarawa is a market town located between Semarang and Salatiga in Central Java, Indonesia.Ambarawa was an important connecting rail link providing a cog railway connecting through Central Java as far as Yogyakarta via Magelang. The Semarang-Ambarawa-Magelang line was fully operational until 1977...
in Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The museum focuses on the collection of steam locomotives, the remains of the closing of the 3 ft 6in (1067mm) railway line.
Museum building and location
Ambarawa was a military city during the Dutch Colonial Government. King Willem IWilliam I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
ordered the construction of a new railway station to enable the government to transport its troops to Semarang
Semarang
- Economy :The western part of the city is home to many industrial parks and factories. The port of Semarang is located on the north coast and it is the main shipping port for the province of Central Java. Many small manufacturers are located in Semarang, producing goods such as textiles,...
. On May 21, 1873 the Ambarawa railway station was built on a 127,500 m² land. This was known back then as Willem I Station.
The Willem I Railway Station was originally a transhipment point between the 4 ft 8½in (1435 mm) gauge branch from Kedungjati to the northeast and the 3 ft 6in (1067 mm) gauge line onward towards Yogyakarta via Magelang to the south. It is still possible to see that the two sides of the station were built to accommodate different size trains.
The Ambarawa railway museum was established much later on October 6, 1976 in the Ambarawa Station to preserve the steam locomotives, which were then coming to the end of their useful lives when the 3 ft 6in (1067 mm) gauge railways of the Indonesian State Railway (the Perusahaan Negara Kereta Api, PNKA) was closed. These are parked in the open air next to the original station.
Railway line
The 3 ft 6in (1067 mm) gauge line towards Yogyakarta (runs roughly south-west from Ambarawa) was of particular interest because it contained sections of rack railway between JambuJambu
Jambu or jumbu could refer to :* Jambu, jambu air or jambu bol, a local term for Syzygium fruit* Jambu or jambu batu, a local term for guavas* Jambul or Jambu tree* Jambu Fruit-dove, a species of Fruit Dove ....
and Secang, the only such operation in Java. This line beyond Bedono closed in the early 1970s after it was damaged in an earthquake, but had already lost most of its passenger traffic to buses on the parallel road. The line from Kedungjati (runs east initially from Ambarawa) survived into the middle 1970s but saw very little traffic near the end, not least because it was far quicker to travel more directly by road to Semarang
Semarang
- Economy :The western part of the city is home to many industrial parks and factories. The port of Semarang is located on the north coast and it is the main shipping port for the province of Central Java. Many small manufacturers are located in Semarang, producing goods such as textiles,...
. The presence of the rack line meant that there was probably never much through traffic from Semarang to Yogyakarta.
Currently, there is operating heritage railway between Ambarawa-Bedono, operated by steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. In addition, there is also tourist railway between Ambarawa-Tuntang.
Collection
The museum collected 21 steam locomotives. Currently four locomotives are operational. Other collections of the museum include old telephones, morse telegraph equipments, old bells and signals equipments, and some antique furnitures.West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
in the 1960s for working the coal railway, but later was brought to Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, and a conventional locomotive 2-6-0T C1218 which was restored to working order in 2006.