Tiger Steam - Philippines

I spent nearly two weeks in Negros in January 1998. With steam at a low ebb and only La Carlota otherwise able to produce a locomotive in steam, naturally the Hawaiian Philippine Company was the centre of my attention. The mill was probably operating uneconomically owing to low sugar prices and the railway was under threat. Already a new transhipment system at the mill had closed the road/rail yard which reduced the number of locomotives in use and that meant steam rather than diesel. Only some of the standard large 0-6-0s were in use and the names had been removed. (RD)