AMBARAWA RAILWAY MUSEUM
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Ambarawa Railway Museum is a railway station which is now converted into a museum in Ambarawa, Central Java that has a complete train which had triumphed in his day. One of the steam train with a locomotive number B 2502 and B 2503 made Maschinenfabriek Esslingen is still able to run the activity as a tourist railway. Serrated steam train is unique and is one of three remaining in the world. Two of them were in Switzerland and India. In addition to its collection was unique, it can still be witnessed various types of steam locomotives of series B, C, D to the largest type of CC (CC 5029, Schweizerische Lokomotiv und Maschinenfabrik) in our museum.
Ambarawa railway museum and incorporated on October 6, 1976 at Station Ambarawa to preserve steam locomotives which later came to the end of the recovery when the 3ft 6in (1067 mm) railway line from the State Railway Company was closed. This is an open museum located next to the original station.
The following is (broadly) a translation of what appears on a leaflet issue by the Museum:
"Ambarawa in the old Dutch Colonial Government era was a military city, so that King Willem I wanted to build a railway station to enable the government to transport its troops to Semarang. In May 21, 1873 the Ambarawa railway station was built on a 127,500 sqm land.
The glory days of Ambarawa Station which was well known as Willem I station ended with the termination of the Ambarawa-Kedungjati(-Semarang) railway service. In 1976 the railway services for Ambarawa-Secang-Magelang was also terminated.. (This latter is wrong, the southern service finished before 1975. RD)
With the closure of Ambarawa Railway Station, the Governor of Central Java, Mr. Soepardjo Roestam, and the Head of Railway Company in Central Java region, Mr Soeharso, decided to establish Ambarawa Station as a Railway Museum, collecting 21 locomotives which served in the fight for Indonesia's independence, particularly in transporting the national army.
The collection in the Ambarawa Museum comprises:
· Mountain Rail for Tourism
· Old telephone
· Old Morse telegraph equipments
· Old tables, chairs and cupboards
· Old bells and signal equipments
· 21 locomotives.
Visitors can charter the 9 kilometers Ambarawa-Bedono rack-track tourism train with mostly 6% gradient. The return trip for the train with the capacity of 90 passengers costs Rp 1,300,000 (2001 price).
Motor Lorry for the 5 kilometers Ambarawa-Jambu track is also available for a relatively cheaper fare.
More information can be obtained from:
Kantor Daerah Operasi IV PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Indonesian Railway Company, Region IV Office)
Jalan Thamrin no. 3, Semarang. Phone 024 - 354 5382
Museum Kereta Api Ambarawa (Ambarawa Railway Museum)
Jalan Setasiun no. 1, Ambarawa. Phone 0298 - 91035
(If you do not speak Indonesian, write in English to the Semarang address. RD)
Visitors can see the historic locomotives and coaches, the glorious transportation mode in the old days. The objectives of the establishment of the Railway Museum is to preserve and to utilize the historic asset and the environment to help to strengthen the development of arts, science, and technology to understand the culture. Knowing the history, we will understand the role of railway as a land transportation mode and its service to the people and the country from time to time.
With the establishment of the Railway Museum, it is expected that the younger generation can inherit and understand the role of railway as one of the reliable transport mode.
Original photos taken by author
Source :
http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_Kereta_Api_Ambarawa
http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/ambarawa/about.htm
