This report is based on my Steam in the Philippines report from 2007. There is not much to say except: it’s over, at least almost. The participants of our recent two trips were definitely the lucky ones who were able to witness the last sugar cane trains in the Philippines.
Pictures about steam in the fields of Central Hawaiian-Philippine you'll find here.
Contents:
We found no.5 in black and no 7 in blue livery. No 7, the lucky one, was in good shape, while no.5, which had new pipes and a boiler overhaul last year was unable to haul a train. The loco had been in use last time before our trip in November 2007. Obviously they have never cleaned the boiler, neither a washout nor cleaning the pipes. As they fired the locomotive it was found that almost all the smoke from the fire left the firebox through the fire door instead of the chimney. It was clear that the pipes must have been blocked. I asked them to open the smokebox door to have a look inside. They refused because the boiler was warm and they can’t open the smokebox then. What have they been taught? I told them I had been a fireman during my time as a machine engineering student and that we used to clean the pipes when we had the time. This was done under full boiler pressure, while no.5 had just 20 psi boiler pressure. It didn’t help, they refused. So I went to a manager and told him that the boiler pipes must be blocked as the smoke was not going the right way. The engineer said, well have a look, open the smoke box door. So we went back with him and let the crew open the smokebox door. It hadn’t been cleaned since the last use, but this could be done within minutes. Then we took a look inside the pipes. Nothing – absolutely nothing could be seen. Even with an open fire door no light was visible through the pipes. All visible pipes have been totally blocked! So I asked them to clean the pipes. A worker took a water hose, switched on the water (cold of course) and wanted to put the cold water in the hot pipes. We screamed at him just seconds before he would have ruined the boiler! We explained how to do it. Ok, they went away to find a steel rod, a bar which is used in reinforced concrete. Then they took it and put it in the first pipe. But it was too thin. I asked them to add at least a brush but they didn’t have any pipe cleaning equipment at all …
After they started cleaning the pipes we left the depot and went out into the fields with no.7. We returned in the evening and of course we had a look to our no.5. They had just finished cleaning the pipes and started to fire it again. Everything looked promising, so we might hope to have the loco the following day.
At 2 am we got a text message saying that they reached 90 psi boiler pressure! This was the ticket for a ride into the fields!
Next morning we arrived at the depot. There was a bit of smoke coming out of the chimney of no.5. I jumped in the cab and was choked to see the pressure gauge - 15 psi only! What had they done? The staff appeared and told us they had let the fire go down during the night, but will have steam again in a few moments. Ha, a few Philippine moments can be ages! Fortunately no.7 was under steam as well. We chose no.7 again. Before we set off into the fields (it was always a long shot where to go to get sufficient empty wagons – or where are loaded ones which can be picked up from the field), I returned to no.5 and found the disaster. After they sent us the text message in the night they had put as much Bagasse in the firebox as possible. They didn’t wanted to let the fire go down again, so they decided to fire once and then sleep until the sun comes over the horizon. They put so much Bagasse in the firebox, that they pressed parts of it in the pipes – where it could not burn, but it blocked the pipes again. We tried to start a new fire with wood and oil, but all attempts failed, the smoke came out of the fire box door again instead off the chimney. Yes, just a few pipes seemed not to be blocked because only a fraction of the smoke left the boiler via the chimney, maybe less than 20%. At a pressure of 20 psi the blower started to work but didn’t improve the situation. We left the crew with some 20 psi and had no.7 to go into the fields again.
We returned before the sun was at its zenith. We went straight to no.5. Nothing had been done. The loco crew had been out in the fields with us, and the depot workers had other things to do. After lunch break we tried it again. As it became clear there wouldn’t be a chance we took no.7, coupled to no.5 (which was able to whistle by this time) and pushed it out into the fields to be attached to a loaded train. On the way we tried everything to raise the steam pressure without success. At 25 psi we opened the throttle while it was pushed through the fields by no.7. We wanted to try to clean the boiler pipes using the exhaust, but this was impossible with just 25 psi. The pressure needle went left as soon as the throttle was opened. The smoke coming from the firebox door was biting at the eyes. So all we could do was attach the loco to the loaded train and push it to a proper position with no.7. We got some pleasant shots, but no.5 didn’t move a single yard under its own steam. I think they should have driven the loco when they managed to get 90 psi in the night. While driving hard they could have put some sand in the firebox and this would have cleaned the pipes. But they didn’t have either boiler cleaning equipment or any experience how to handle the problem. We are just a few years (less than a decade) away from the age of steam, but the knowledge has been gone already.
The problem with no.5 was just a part of the overall experience. And this experience has led me to the conclusion: it’s over! You can’t run proper charter trains any more. Time has passed over the island and taken away the experience and left broken tracks and blocked boilers. The broken tracks are the other side of the medal …
We had wanted to go on the southern network. Ok, we had empties which were needing to be delivered to southern loading points. Off we went, photo stops and runpasts here and there until we came to the large bridge south of loading point 68, Imbang. The loco driver stopped the train in front of the bridge and said we can’t go any further. The bridge wouldn’t stand the weight of the loco. I pulled out a picture showing no.7 exactly on this bridge a year before. He said, yes, he knew, but now it’s not allowed any more. Hmmm. We had radio contact with the control office in the sugar mill. So we enquired whether we could go further or not. The man in charge said he’d find the man who did the bridge inspection and had said it wasn’t allowed for steam any more. It took us some 20 minutes, but they found the man in charge. He said, oh no, please don’t go any further, the pillars are washed out and can only just stand the weight of a diesel. They had already requested repairs three years ago, but nothing had been done so far. The farmers just don’t have the money, the community is not interested and the sugar mill had given away all responsibility to the co-operative that runs the railway now. But the axle load of the steam and the diesels is almost exactly the same I said. Yes, it is, but the steam loco carries a tender full of water, so the total weight is almost double that of a diesel. We had a close look at the bridge pillars and, yes, the water crawled all around … The framework of the bridge wasn’t in a good state either. In Europe it would have been closed already, but here they run at least some diesel trains over it. There was nothing we could do other than to return to base. This was the end of steam trains on the southern network …
However, most of the tracks are north of the mill. So we wanted to go there. We managed to get an empty train outbound and a loaded inbound. Off we went. At the northern end of the yard, just beside the depot, the track was under water. Not even the rails were visible. Slowly, slowly we went through the water but we heard severe crunching noises – a crack. We stopped. Obviously all the wheels were still on the invisible rail. So we continued step by step. As we left the yard the track became visible again and we could continue without problems. We made photo stops and runpasts and enjoyed the afternoon. As we went back we found the track gang fixing the underwater track. They were trying to get the water off the railway, requiring a lot of shovelling and earthwork. It could take some hours they said. So we left the steam locomotive in front of the yard entrance and walked back to the mill where our bus was waiting for us.
Next morning the loco crew told us they had had to wait until after 10pm before they were able to go back to the depot. The repair had taken a long time but was finally done. The problem now was, because of the delay caused for the regular diesel trains there were no empty wagons for us. We had messed up the whole schedule of the cane railway … Fortunately there were some loaded wagons at the western end of the system in Luguay. So we went out to pick them up.
In the afternoon we went to the eastern end of the line, Malisbog 4 (loading point 80). The next day we had another ride first to the west and then to the north. The repaired part of the track at the northern exit of the sugar mill was again under water. For more than 100 yards there was nothing to see except water. Slowly, slowly again, the noises and then we stopped at the end of the pond. One of the empty wagons behind us was derailed. It took us only five minutes and then we could continue. We made some nice photo stops end then the diesel which had followed behind needed to overtake our wagons. We couldn’t go further than Buenbano (loading point 42) because the track condition further north was said to be so bad that it would be too dangerous. So we went back to the mill. We found the track gang in the middle of the puddle again. Again there was a crack in the rails. Of course, we were made responsible for this, not the “superb” track condition. Again we walked back the last few yards leaving the loco in front of the mill.
After this event the railway manager didn’t allow any further runs over the northern system. Now the steam loco was trapped between loading points 68 in the south, 80 in the east and 2 in the west. All together some 6 miles of track only. As the photographic opportunities are limited now, the locos are not maintained properly and the general condition of the track is poor, I am led to the conclusion that it will be only worse next year and I have called this tour the end of steam charters in the Philippines. It’s not worth any more making such a long journey for so little steam. It’s a pity that the beautiful blue Baldwin will have no chance any more to steam through cane fields, over bridges and along palm trees. But who would go that far to just find that the bridge by Colsap junction has needed to be closed for steam trains leaving only about 2 miles of line to Luguay open for charters. More than half of this line is spoiled by a parallel concrete road. If the co-operative doesn’t start to invest in track repairs very soon, it will be impossible to keep any of the railway alive. With the current state it’s more likely that the whole railway will be closed as with almost all the others around.
Rail vehicles of Hawaiian Philippine:
The railway has been abandoned, all tracks have been lifted and although there is no other use for the bridges at either end of the sugar mill they haven’t kept the tracks over them for running even a short charter train.
Almost all cane cars have been piled up in the yard and the locomotives are offered for sale, leaving one lonely survivor no.106 which can be steamed in the yard for a payment. Last year we were really lucky to be able to capture some of the best positions with steam trains.
No.106 made some movements in the yard for our group. The manager of the mill came along and said he wants to keep this loco. Beside the three plinthed locos there are some more which shouldn’t be scrapped. Those locos have been put into storage. The others are awaiting their fate.
Locos which should be saved:
Pictures of the survivors:
no. 100:
no. 102:
no. 104:
No: 106:
no. 107:
Locos which should be scrapped:
Pictures of the locos awaiting their fate:
no: 5
no. 110:
no. 103:
no. 109:
no. 110:
In the mill no.4 is plinthed, but not maintained, in the city you’ll find no.?? and in Bacolod no.108 is preserved.
The mill will expand its production and open up a new processing line. Construction work has just been started. The new processing line will replace the small line which is operated by stationary steam engines. This time we were allowed to take pictures and videos of the stationary steam engines. We were told that this season will be their last active season. Once the new installation is ready they will cut up the three steam engines. They were having the scheduled maintenance day for their steam engines and mills during our visit. However, steam was available and so they started one steam engine to let us experience this magnificent machinery at work. It’s sad to know that this will be the last time anyone will have the chance to do this.
Pictures of the stationary steam engines:
Hawaiian Philippine is over, La Carlota is over, so what about ...
We experienced the same warm welcome at this mill as last year. People are so amazingly friendly. The good news was that they made the diesel trains in the fields wait until we arrived at a level crossing. The bad news was that this will be the last season for this railway as well. After the 2007/2008 milling season the track will be lifted and all railway equipment is due to be sold or scrapped. Some locos are already sold on paper to a mine on Cebu island. These diesel locos were still in use but will be shipped to Cebu after the season has finished.
The operation of the line was unchanged from the year before. We tried to find out the number of all available locomotives around, but some numbers couldn’t be deciphered.
Freedom for steam ...
The manager of the mill told us they want to keep the 2-6-2 as a plinthed eye-catcher at the entrance to the mill. It was totally overgrown, even though we removed most of the greenery last year. On our request with the help of a front loader and two workers they dug out the loco to make a photograph possible. The little saddle tank loco is still in the same place, totally forgotten and overgrown. The number of this loco is still in dispute. I would say it’s no.2, and not no.28. The “8” comes from the two cock wheels which form the company logo. However, it’s difficult to tell after years under the sky and tropical conditions.
I made a picture (with my mobile) of all locos which could be photographed to capture the final state of the railway before everything goes to the scrap yard.
BISCOM locomotives which are likeley to be srapped soon:
Hawaiian almost dead, La Carlota history, BISCOM will follow soon, so what about…..
This is the only good news I could bring home from the island. Bais has no plans to reduce its railway network. Although there are some bridges which need an urgent repair, the network made a good impression. Trains are long and running frequently and the system seemed to be efficient. We even found a track to the north which hadn’t been there before or had been totally overgrown last year. It was not clear whether this line is used by Bais or by the formerly railway-free mill URSUMCO north of Bais.
However, there are some losses as well. The line to the wharf (harbour) sees only a very few trains now. The track condition was doubtful, a light engine derailed even though the speed was about pedestrian walking speed.
The management in Bais has no intention of closing the railway. It’s likely that Bais will become the last railway operation on Negros.
There is only one competitor:
Inside the mill yard they still use the Japanese diesel for shunting. The situation is unchanged from 2007. There are no plans to close the railway operation.
They told us that the authorities had forced them to replace all wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers. As they figured out the costs of this project they have made the decision to close the line and just keep the little shunting operation in the factory alive.
This mill has been totally demolished. There is almost nothing left, the whole area is completely flat now! Last year everything was in place, the mill, the buildings, the locomotives. Nothing remained! There is one plinthed loco opposite the former entrance and the control office is left as well. The rest is clean and will be green in a year or so.
Two steam locomotives were shipped to Cebu island, but no details are known. The others have been scrapped. Lopez didn’t take a loco for their still planned sugar industry museum.
We made it just in time to the sugar cane lines on the Philippines. A year later, and we wouldn’t be able to capture half of what we could in 2007 and 2008. The chapter of sugar cane lines in the Philippines has almost come to an end.