PAGOTTAN AND KANIGORO MADIUN REGION
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Both of these mills are located just to the south of Madiun and operate 700mm gauge lines. Both mills continue to see some
steam action although as of 2011 steam at Pagottan was no longer on a daily basis and Kanigoro usually only has one engine
in steam. The pictures below were all taken during a visit in August 2004.
Kanigoro mill is just to the south of Madiun on the road towards Ponorogo. On the day I visited Kanigoro in August 2004,
only one locomotive was in steam and that was not scheduled to start work until late in the afternoon. My visit was
therefore somewhat frustrating - made even more so by the sight of my only moving train of the day (see below)
This mill is about 9km south of Madiun and can be reached by taking a bus from Madiun in the direction of Ponorogo. There
were two engines in steam on the day of my visit including one of their 0-10-0T Orenstein & Koppel Luttermoller-type
locomotives. I received a particularly friendly welcome at Pagottan (although in truth everywhere I visited in Java was
unreservedly friendly) and I quickly found myself invited to partake of limitless amounts of hot sweet tea stored in a large
drum outside the enginemen's bothy! Pagottan engines are used solely between the road delivery yard and the mill yard and
propel loaded trains making boiler-first shots of engines hauling trains impossible. By the 2011 season locomotives No.6, 7
and 8 had been converted to fireless operation, running without their tenders which are no longer needed.
Orenstein & Koppel 0-10-0T No.6
(built 1923) is another example of
the use of Luttermoller articulation
to ensure it can negotiate the tight
curves to be found on the sugar
railways, Unlike the 'Beast Of
Tasik Madu' this engine has inside
frames whereas Tasik Madu No.VI
has outside frames.
Like most industrial locations the
locomotives at Pagottan spend a
great deal of their time simply
standing around waiting for the
next job. At rest the locomotives
make almost no noise and I almost
missed seeing Orenstein & Koppel
0-8-0T No.1 (built 1909). The
obliging crew moved the locomotive
for me in order that I could take my
picture.
Another of the mill's Orenstein &
Koppel 0-8-0T's, No.3 was active
during the 2004 season but on the
day of my visit was out of use with
no tender. By 2011 this locomotive
was stored without its boiler which
has been used on one of the other
mill locomotives, probably No.6.
Orenstein & Koppel 0-10-0T No.7
standing in the shed at Pagottan.
Orenstein & Koppel 0-8-0T No.1
moving round the road delivery yard
As mentioned above, the normal operation involves propelling fully
loaded trains of cane wagons into the mill. This provides an
opportunity to see the semi-articulated Luttermoller system in
action with the outside wheels spinning without apparent cause
whenever the locomotive happens to slip. The outermost of several
sets of driving wheel sets are not connected by coupling rods to
crankshaft journals on the outside of the wheels, but by cogwheels
located in the centre of the axles. The axles are housed in the
locomotive frame such that they are able to move at right angles to
the axis of the rails to a certain degree, likewise the cogwheels are
able to slide relative to one another. The diagram on the left shows
how this system works.
Another shot of Orenstein & Koppel
0-10-0T No.6 shunting in the road
delivery yard
When I first told people that I was
intending to travel to Java a number
of them questioned whether it was
wise to be on one's own in a Muslim
country in the post 9/11 era.
Throughout my time in the country
I was greeted with enthusiasm by
everyone and at no time did I feel at
risk or uneasy - least of all in the
enginemen's 'bothy' in the main mill
yard at Pagottan where tea was
readily and freely available.
Having seen some rather nice shots
taken during 2003 it was somewhat
disappointing to experience so little
action. Orenstein & Koppel 0-8-0T
No.6 (built 1921) stood outside the
shed building up steam pressure in
order to work later in the afternoon.
Since only one locomotive was
being used during the 2004 season,
this rather attractive little Borsig
0-6-0T No.1 (built 1907) was
being left to deteriorate in front of
the main shed. No.6 can just be
seen in the background.
A serious amount of teeth gritting
was required when the only rail
movement of the day came into
view!
There are of course numerous mills in Java which no longer use steam. On my travels through Madiun I came across this
'stuffed and mounted' Orenstein & Koppel believed to be the mill’s Mallet No.23
PAGOTTAN
KANIGORO
REJO AGUNG