Sawahlunto, Coal and Country Railroad

[caption id="attachment_84949" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sawahlunto (Kompas Citizen Images/Tipank)"][/caption] As one of major tourism destinations in Indonesia, West Sumatera offers various activities and places of interest. Its fascinating landscape is undoubtedly one of the best in the country. Historical remnants are spread all over it. One of important legacy from the past lies in Sawahlunto. It is old coal mining and railways from the Dutch colonial era. Sawahlunto is the regency widely promoted as a new tourism destination in West Sumatera. Surrounded by beautiful hills and mountain, this municipality is sitting on the valley of West Sumatera's interior. Coal was its most important mining product and is the root of the trip of Sawahlunto's histor. Since the colonial era, Sawahlunto's Ombilin and Bukit Asam have been famous for being the only mining towns in West Sumatera. The existence of coal on in its soil were revealed in the last nineteenth century by a Dutchman named Willem Hendrik De Greve. This triggered excessive exploration. They built Sawahlunto as one of the most important city in Sumatera. It was so important that the Dutch government invested a capital of 5.5 million Gulden to build all necessary facilities in town. One footprint of Sawahlunto's large mining scale left on the city of  5,58 km² is railways. At that time, the Dutch built totally 155,5 kilometers long railroad network passing Padangpariaman, Padangpanjang, and Solok, three cities in Anai slope. This railroad was connecting Sawahlunto with Emma Haven Harbor or presently called Teluk Bayur Port. The main objective of the Dutch building Emma Haven itself was to support Sawahlunto's coal production. During its construction, Dutch army forced locals to surrender their lands that lies along the the railroad network to the harbor. They also brought thousands of slave from Java, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan. During its gilded age, Sawahlunto was the most prosperous city on the island. Apart from the railways, the Dutch built excellent road network, hospital, mining office, factories, steam power plant, church, schools, soup kitchen, ration storehouse, dorms, phone office, dance room, and market. Mining industry also brought Chinese and Malays come to the city. [caption id="attachment_84950" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Sawahlunto Railway Museum (Kompas Citizen Images/Tipank)"][/caption] After lasting for more than a century, the coal mining in Sawahlunto were finally closed in 1998. And as predicted before, the railroad serving the route to and from Sawahlunto were no longer operated since 2002. Few years closed, the abandoned atmosphere is still visible here around the mining complex. All things about railways left in the city inhibited by more than 15.000 people, however, are still in good condition. Its local government and activists change the old mining site into a brand new mining tourism place. The theme of historical mining city is adopted as the major theme for the city's tourism program this year. Sawahlunto decides to use all the thing about railways as its major interest from the main theme. Once the town's trainstation, well maintained train yard and its office situated in Kampung Teleng are changed into a train museum. The museum is a 1,500 sq meters area alongside Abdul Rahman Hakim Street. Its main collections are old locomotives and two wooden wagons parked on its yard. The other collections are tools, old factory label, large screw jack for train, communication tools, train signals, and pictures about railways history on the city. Today, visitors can get an exciting experience from a trip with Sawahlunto's legendary locomotive. Locals call it "Mak Itam". The train will depart from the train station, pass Kota Tambang museum. Magnificent view of hills and mountains will be great company during the trip. During the trip, visitors will see exotic villages and hills alongside the 15 km railroad from Sawahlunto to Muaro Kalaban. On the hilly area, the train will enter an old 835 meter-long tunnel called Lobang Kalam. The tunnel was built from 1892-1894 by slaves locally called Orang Rantai (chained people) for wearing chain on their legs. Lobang Kalam has 32 rooms of 2 square meters functions as a room for passers by when the train pass. Over all, Sawahlunto railway trip is one thing hardly found in some places else.