B 5112 Restored

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B 5112 at the Ambarawa depot

Prior to 1900 the main passenger trains of the Staatsspoorwegen (SS), the Netherlands Indies State Railway Company, on its flat plain routes were hauled by 2-4-0 locomotives. However, by the turn of the century it was felt that more powerful and faster locomotives were needed. In 1900 Hanomag delivered the first engines of the 600 class to the SS. The design of this 4-4-0 engine was based on the Prussian State Railways class P4 locomotive. Eventually, 44 engines of these series, built by Hanomag, Hartmann and Werkspoor, were operated by the Staatsspoorwegen

Prussian State Railways P4 Locomotive

During the Depression ( 1929-1934) many engines of this class were mothballed. In the late 1930s they returned to active duty, but only on branch lines. Following the Japanese occupation class 600 were renumbered B51. Class B51 continued to be operated by the Indonesian Railway Company till the early 1980s.

The last surviving engine of this series is B5112 which has been put on static display at the Ambarawa Railway Museum since 1976. Soon, however, B5112 will running again thanks to restoration works that are being done at the Ambarawa locomotive depot. Currently the boiler is back in working order and the depot staff are starting work on the cylinders. When ready, the engine will haul tourist train between Ambarawa and Tuntang.

B 5135 (Photo: Tony Ford)
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