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Only three islands in the Philippines had public common carrier railways; Luzon, Panay and
Cebu.
MANILA RAILWAY/PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RAILWAYS
The 3 foot 6 inch gauge Luzon system was the first and ultimately the largest railway in the Philippines. It started as the Manila Railway, a British company, in 1889 during the Spanish colonial era. It was sold to the Philippine government in 1917 with extensions continued into the 1940s, and became the Philippine National Railways in 1967. Since the 1970s the system has declined markedly with spasmodic attempts to revive it subsequently.
Early motive power reflected British interests with tank engines from Dubs, Hunslet, Kerr Stuart and Neilson, with 4-6-0s, 4-6-4Ts, Atlantics and four 2-6-6-2T Kitson Meyers for heavier work. Larger mainly eight and ten-coupled American locomotives followed from Alco, Baldwin, Porter and Vulcan Iron Works. Final steam power was a batch of wartime US Army "MacArthur" Mikados, a small group of very impressive Vulcan Iron Works 4-8-2s in 1949 and a few Japanese 2-8-2s from Nippon Sharyo in 1951. Major dieselisation started in 1956 and seasonal steam operation survived into the 1960s.
PHILIPPINE RAILWAY
The islands of Panay and Cebu were served by the lines of the American-owned Philippine Railway, also of 3 foot 6 inch gauge. Starting from 1907 lines were built from Iloilo on Panay, and north and south from Cebu City. After the Second World War, local political influence eased out American ownership. Closures started in the 1950s and operations ceased in the 1970s. Motive power was largely Baldwin Moguls, plus a few 0-4-0ST, with dieselisation immediately after the war in the 1940s.
Dave Sherron was at Clark Air Base, north of Manila in 1959/60. These slides had deteriorated significantly, but have been included as we believe they are a unique record of the final years of steam on Luzon.
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