This is taken from eleven year old tapes, so I apologise in advance for any quality issues.
I had almost forgotten what an amazing place was the island of Java. It had all the diversity of India mixed with seemingly never ending Cuban style sugar cane fields ... almost all steam rail served.
At least it was like that still in 2007. Sadly, most of the steam power has since disappeared. However, I have an extensive record of the steam served mills from my visits there in 2006 and 2007.
Everyone at the Assembagus mill was exceptionally friendly and accommodating. They offered our group a loco ride out to the fields with a train of empties, where we saw some interesting track "pointwork" for the ox powered trip into a siding and then, later, hands on repairs to a section of damaged track, as it was replaced with new concrete sleepered track.
