THE WORLD'S OLDEST LOCOMOTIVES
IN SERVICE IN SCENIC
SOUTH EAST ASIA

Wheels of Fire
The islands of Java and Sumatra form the exotic backdrop for this outstanding assortment of rare locomotives featuring lumbering eight-coupled Mallet articulateds in the mountains, tiny steam trams in the streets of Surabaya, the last of their kind in the world, rack-and-pinion (cog) railways in the jungle, and a special treat for the British enthusiast, a former 2-4-0 express tender engine built by Sharp Stewart in Manchester in 1880. With the exception of 'Slamet' in the sugar plantations and the B25 rack engine at Ambarawa Museum, all these engines have succumbed to the scrapper's torch, even the few modern ones. This detailed study was made on professional 16mm film with natural sound, the only such record in existence.