Preserved Industrial Locomotives in Medan, North Sumatra

This updates the 2008 reports which covered the whole of the plantations in the Province.

There are a number of reports on the web that confirm that PT Socfindo's Aek Loba Estate is still using its railway with small diesels.

We had been on a visa run holiday up in Berastagi and Yuehong had asked for time to look at Medan despite my advice that it was hot, dirty and had appalling traffic. It didn't take long for her to regret it but along the way, I was able to see a few 'stuffed and mounted' locomotives, including DSM 38 outside Medan station as before.

Former Gunung Bayu 2 has been moved (well it's unlikely to be 1 which vanished long ago) to outside the PTPN IV HQ in Jalan (Letjen) Suprapto south west of the city centre. There are no access problems, indeed you can simply lean over the fence. The picture below shows it in August 1975.

Museum Perkebunan Indonesia (Indonesian Plantation Museum) opened in late 2016. The address given on the web and some of the museum's notices is Jalan Katamso 53 and Google Maps also thinks it is there. Actually '53' doesn't exist as the number jump from the 40s to 2xxx. The museum is actually a long way south on this road way beyond Istana Mamoon, don't do as we did and try to walk, take a yellow minibus from where the road starts some way south of Medan Station. Another address given is Jalan Pemuda 2, but this is simply the northern extension of Jalan Katamso. On Google maps look for the AVROS Guest House which is in the same compound.

The best thing to be said about the museum is that it has 'potential', at the moment the internal exhibits are limited although there are some nice old photographs. Locals are charged Rp 8000 and foreigners Rp 25000 although when I made a face we were charged for just one person. Strictly you are supposed to buy a ticket before photographing the external exhibits.

Du Croo and Brains 0-4-4-0T has been moved here from Bah Jambi and is more readily photographed than it was previously. It's finishing date is given as 1996.  The picture below shows it in August 1975.

Next door to it is a 4wD Schoema which formerly worked at Socfin's Aek Loba estate. The plate in the cab is for 5584/1998 and it is stated it finished in 2015 so it had a short working life.