Atjeh Tram

Last updated March 12, 2019

The Atjeh Tram was a railroad line in Aceh, on the island of Sumatra. It was built from 1874 by the Military engineering section of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (abbreviated KNIL in Dutch). Originally a loop for the port of Oleh Leh, it was rebuilt as a route for the transport of military goods stretching from Ule Lheu to the port of Pangkalan Susu in the Sultanate of Langkat. The line was 511 kilometers long, with 120 stops and stations along the way. It was finished in 1917. During the Aceh War the railroad proved of great importance for the quick transportation of troops and material.

Aceh is a province of Indonesia, located at the northern end of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Banda Aceh. It is close to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and separated from them by the Andaman Sea. Granted a special autonomous status, Aceh is a religiously conservative territory and the only Indonesian province practicing Sharia law officially. There are ten indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 80% to 90% of the region's population.

Sumatra is a large island in western Indonesia that is part of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island that is located entirely in Indonesia and the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km².

Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics behind military tactics. Modern military engineering differs from civil engineering. In the 20th and 21st centuries, military engineering also includes other engineering disciplines such as mechanical and electrical engineering techniques.

Parts of it were used even after World War II, but due also to the Acehnese rebellion the line as a whole became derelict. A study done in 2005 by the SNCF ^[2] suggested that the line could be repaired, but the narrow-gauge railway (750 mm/2 ft 5 ¹⁄₂ in) would have to be widened to standard gauge (1,435 mm/4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in).

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

The Société nationale des chemins de fer français is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffic along with Monaco, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network. Its functions include operation of railway services for passengers and freight, and maintenance and signalling of rail infrastructure. The railway network consists of about 32,000 km (20,000 mi) of route, of which 1,800 km (1,100 mi) are high-speed lines and 14,500 km (9,000 mi) electrified. About 14,000 trains are operated daily.

A narrow-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard 1,435 mm. Most narrow-gauge railways are between 600 mm and 1,067 mm.

Construction

The Acehnese capital, Koeta-Radja, was separated from the coast by swamps and mudflats. Dutch troops during the First and Second Aceh Expeditions lost artillery pieces crossing this strip of land on the way to besiege the capital. Governor General Loudon announced a plan on 26 June 1874 to build a narrow-gauge railroad between Koeta Radja and Oleh Leh on the coast. A jetty was to be constructed at Oleh Leh. This line had a total length of 5 km and was known as the Atjeh Military Tramway.

The First Aceh Expedition was a punitive expedition of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army against Aceh.

The Dutch dispatched a second expedition in Aceh in late 1873 during the Aceh War following the failed First Aceh Expedition of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army to Aceh.

Jonkheer James Loudon was a Dutch politician. He was Minister of Colonial Affairs in the Van Zuylen van Nijevelt-Van Heemstra cabinet (1861–1862), King's Commissioner in South Holland (1862–1871), and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1872–1875). He was the father of politician John Loudon.

The gauge chosen for the track was 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in). Iron scaffolding was imported from Singapore and wood for the sleepers from Malacca. The locomotives and rolling stock were ordered from Britain through the Dutch Consul-General in Singapore. These arrived on 5 May 1875; however shortage of labor meant that the line was not completed until September 1876.

In 1884 the Military authorities decided to change the gauge from 1067mm to 750mm, which was the gauge selected to be used for the "public" Atjeh Tramway from Koeta Radja to Pangkalan Susu. The 3 locomotives, 2 from Fox Walker and one from Hohenzollern, were no longer suitable and were transferred to Java Staatspoorwegen in 1884.

Locomotives

Three 0-6-0T locomotives were ordered in 1874 via the Dutch consulate in Singapore, 2 from Fox Walker and one from Hohenzollern. They were delivered, along with the rest of the materials for the railway, in May 1875.

A class of twelve 2-4-0T locomotives were constructed for the line by Hanomag from 1887 to 1899. A further two were built in 1904 by the Kutaraja and the Sigli engineering shops of the tramway.^[3]

Hanomag was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles in Hanover. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering a large number of steam locomotives to Finland, Romania and Bulgaria before World War I and making of first tractor Hanomag R26 in 1924 in Germany. In 1925, they added automobiles to their line, additionally moving in 1931 into the production of construction machinery. Since 1989, the company has been part of the Komatsu company.

A class of forty-two 0-6-0T locomotives were built by Hanomag and Werkspoor between 1898 and 1904.^[3] Two 4-6-0 tender locomotives were supplied by Werkspoor in 1922.^[3] Six 2-8-0 tender locomotives were supplied by Hanomag in 1930 and a further six by Du Croo & Brauns in 1931.^[3] Mallet locomotives of 0-4-4-2T configuration operated over the steep gradients; six were supplied by Maschinenfabrik Esslingen in 1904, and a further four by Nippon Sharyo in 1962. The latter firm also supplied six 2-6-0 tender locomotives in the same year.^[3]

Mallet locomotive articulated steam locomotive

The Mallet locomotive is a type of articulated steam railway locomotive, invented by the Swiss engineer Anatole Mallet (1837–1919).

The grade of a physical feature, landform or constructed line refers to the tangent of the angle of that surface to the horizontal. It is a special case of the slope, where zero indicates horizontality. A larger number indicates higher or steeper degree of "tilt". Often slope is calculated as a ratio of "rise" to "run", or as a fraction in which run is the horizontal distance and rise is the vertical distance.

Maschinenfabrik Esslingen heavy engineering company (1846–1965); real estate leasing company (?–date)

Maschinenfabrik Esslingen (ME), was a German engineering firm that manufactured locomotives, tramways, railway wagons, roll-blocks, technical equipment for the railways,, bridges, steel structures, pumps and boilers.

From 1882 to 1896

On the 1 January 1882 a civil administration was introduced in Aceh. The operation of the line was transferred to the Burgerlijke Openbare Werken (BOW), part of the government's civil service.

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References

↑ Kreemer, J. (1878). Atjeh (in Dutch). 2. Brill Archive. p. 71ff – via Google Books.
↑ "Une voie ferrée pourrait renaître après le tsunami". La Croix . 30 October 2006.
1 2 3 4 5 Cholisi, Aditya Budidarma. "The Steam Locomotive Roosters of Atjehtramweg Maatschappij". Tracing the Lost Railway Lines of Indonesia (blog). Retrieved 14 November 2015.

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[1] Kreemer, J. (1878). Atjeh (in Dutch). 2. Brill Archive. p. 71ff – via Google Books.

[2] "Une voie ferrée pourrait renaître après le tsunami". La Croix . 30 October 2006.

[cholisi-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Cholisi, Aditya Budidarma. "The Steam Locomotive Roosters of Atjehtramweg Maatschappij". Tracing the Lost Railway Lines of Indonesia (blog). Retrieved 14 November 2015.