North Sumatra (The Deli Railway)

The privately owned Deli Railway served the fertile coastal plains around Medan. The railway has always carried large amounts of freight traffic from rubber and oil palm plantations, mainly for export through the port at Belawan. The railway was rather run down when I first visited in 1974 but since then has blossomed and must be one of the busiest in the country. Steam power was always marginal, but shunted and did operate a number of local services and the branch from Tebing Tinggi to Pematang Siantar. The countryside is less than spectacular and the weather usually overcast, ideal for the plantations but not for the railway enthusiast. Hence, the selection in this section is rather modest in quality. Steam was reported on pilot duty in the Tebing Tinggi area until the late 1980s.