Vintage Steam Train "MAK ITAM" E1060 West Sumatera | Trip Report

Finally, after a long wait, the City Government of Sawahlunto together with the Director General of Transportation and PT KAI reactivated the "Mak Itam" Tour Train service which had been on hiatus for a long time since 2012.
Me and my wife were very excited about the existence of this steam train, we immediately looked for information about ticket reservations. Luckily we got the exact schedule, now every Sunday the Mak Itam steam train is operated serving the Sawahlunto - Muaro Kalaban PP route.
The ticket price is IDR 54,000 per person for one way, that includes tickets to visit the Sawahlunto Railway Museum, where we will be presented with the history and development of railroads in Indonesia. As well as several ancient objects that were once used to support railroad operations.
Here's a little history about Mak Itam:
The Dutch East Indies government in 1894 through the Staats Spoorweg ter Sumatra's Westkust (SSS) railroad company completed building a railroad line connecting the ports of Teluk Bayur - Padang - Padang Panjang - Muaro Kalaban - Sawahlunto with a track length of 155.5 km.
However, with the hilly and mountainous topography of West Sumatra, the railroad lines in several locations, such as the Kayu Tanam - Padang Panjang - Batu Taba line, must use jagged rails. which serves to help the locomotive to climb with a steep gradient of 8 percent.
Finally SSS brought in the E10 steam locomotive directly from Europe. This E10 steam locomotive is special because it is equipped with gears that function to hook the serrated rails underneath, helping this locomotive to cross inclines more easily. Initially, 22 of these locomotives were imported starting in 1921, then in 1926 and 1928 from the Esslingen (Germany) and SLM (Switzerland) factories.
The E10 steam locomotive is capable of towing a series of coal freight trains weighing up to 130 tonnes. And from the steam engine this locomotive is capable of generating power of 750 HP (horse power), weighs 55 tons and can go up to an operational speed of 25 km/hour.
But unfortunately out of a total of 39 E10 locomotives that have existed in Indonesia, now only 2 units are left which are in intact condition. The Mak Itam locomotive was brought to Ambarawa, Central Java for preservation and serving tourist trains there, until finally it was sent back to its origins in Ranah Minang, Sawahlunto City.
Apart from the E10 60 "Mak Itam" there is also its older brother, namely E10 16 which is now on display in the TMII Transportation Museum. Anyway, at Sawahlunto Station there is also another antique locomotive, BB 303 78 04 which is one of the locomotives with the Vintage PJKA livery.