A last chance to see Sugar Mill Steam at work in Java

The Steam Loco Tour bus is full but we are working on how to make more places available. Perhaps a second bus...?

We have 14 committed participants. That's enough to fill the Loco Tour bus and to run the special trains (subject to successful negotiations with the organisations concerned). Rob & I are discussing how we could take more people but we will take no action on this unless we know that more people would like to join us. It's up to you. See the tour itinerary and contact Rob Dickinson while I am in Japan if you are interested in joining us.

In November I booked my flights on Emirates to/from Jakarta out 14 July and back on 9 August. The price was good at £559.20 but had already risen slightly since we first discovered these cheap fares. My flight dates mean that I will be in Jakarta a couple of days before the tour starts and that I will be available to lead a post-tour group back to Jakarta as planned at the end of the tour. Those just planning to be there just for the tour can arrive as late as 17 July and leave 2 August (from Surabaya, 3 August is safer from Jakarta).

Click here to see the Java Post-Tour Proposal

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COVER
(Click on cover image to see the full-size cover.)

£18

China
1994-6

Classic Chinese Steam Locations Parts 1 & 2 (2 DVDs)

Buy Parts 1 & 2 at a discount

Anshan 1
Anshan 2
Shenyang 1
Shenyang 2
Changchun 1
Changchun 2
High-deflector JS

Cuba
1996-9

Where in the World 2009?
Video Quiz

The second "Where in the World?" video quiz is now over and the answers and winners are listed below. Should you still wish to do this quiz just for fun, please look at the 10 clips labelled '2009 Quiz Clip' or 'Where in the World Quiz' on the following two video sites before looking at the answers!

http://www.youtube.com/user/trundlebahn#p/u
or
http://johnrabydvd.blip.tv/posts?view=archive&nsfw=dc

This year I received 4 all correct answers and 3 good attempts so I’ve decided to be magnanimous and will award prizes of a single DVD of their choice from my collection to all 7. The 7 winners are:

All correct answers – well done
Llewelyn Thomas, George Hart*, Reinhart Fichtl, Andreas Illert

More than 50% correct – should buy more of my DVDs
Rod Smith*, Fred Pugh, Peter Crem

*George and Rod are winners for the second year in a row

Andreas Illert sent me some interesting comments along with his all correct answers which he doesn’t mind me sharing them with you. I’ve added a bit of clarification and the name of the DVD the clip is from. You can find these DVD at http://www.users.waitrose.com/~jraby/DVDlistnew.html

1 China. There are not many other options in the world to capture steam on scheduled sg passenger with a modern widescreen video tool. (Nanpiao – looking back to Xiamiaoxi Junction with the morning train to Sanjiazi seen from my hotel room – the last working steam loco may no longer be serviceable here.) “Nanpiao, Pingzhuang, Yuanbaoshan - Industrial Steam in China, Summer 2009”
2 UK (strange country where they drive on the left side of the road and still construct express steam locomotives). Tornado on its first visit to the North York Moors Railway see at Grosmont) “NYMR Spring Gala starring Tornado”
3 Eritrea (double-headed 442 class mallets on a demonstration freight just after leaving Arbaroba) “Eritrea – Mallets in the Mountains”
4 UK - never been to that line, but dual gauge and 'SB' on the coaches indicate Statfold (former Sragi Mill, Java loco No. 1 Max in action at the September 2008 open day) “Statfold Year 2008”
5 China. nice diesel! (Some people thought this was a sugar cane line but it’s a narrow gauge reed railway near Jinzhou, Liaoning, China. I was the first enthusiast to film this line – I think.) “Narrow Gauge Sand, Salt, Reed and Coal Railways”
6 Cuba, approaching the mill on the hill. I still wonder why the palm trees have not turned black during the BLSC sugar season. (Boris Louis Santa Coloma Mill if I remember the spelling correctly) “Steam Locomotives in Cuba Part 1: Western Cuba”
7 Java, Semboro (Both fireless locos Semboro Mill Nos. 2 & 3 appear in this clip. They are the only regular steam left at this mill) “Steamy Java 2008 double DVD”
8 Romania VdS (Visue de Sus seen before the floods in 2008) “Viseu de Sus - Romania's Last Logging Line”
9 Myanmar. Isn't it the scene that features on the cover of your DVD? (Indeed it is – Madauk on the branch from Nyaunglebin) “Steam in Burma”
10 France BdS. loco built in Germany for Portugal, worked on the Porto system then Tua line, now based at a tourist railway in Switzerland, visited Baie de Somme for their previous steam fest. (That sums it up nicely. The final clip of a German loco, ex-Portugal, now based in Switzerland but seen in France in 2006 was designed to sort out the men from the boys!) “Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme Fêtes de la Vapeur 2003 & 2006”

John Raby

ps: There will be another quiz at the end of 2010