At least 25 IRPS members gathered under Lempuyangan flyover, Yogyakarta, to visit the Yogyakarta Balai Yasa (Workshop) and BPTT (a school for locomotive engineers) Yogyakarta on February 16, 2009. They came from Jakarta, Bandung, Purwokerto, Surabaya and, of course, Yogyakarta. Head of Production Unit Bambang Trisilo and some staff members of BY Pengok greeted the team.

 

 

Yogyakarta workshop, then Centraal Werkplaats, was built in 1914 by Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij. Its main duty was to overhaul locomotives, coaches and wagons. In 1942, Japanese administration took over railway companies and the workshop. Then Indonesian government took them over on September 28, 1945 and established a railway company named Djawatan Kereta Api Republik Indonesia. The date was commemorated as Railway Day. The workshop then changed its name to Balai Karya, but its main duty was still the same. In 1959 Balai Karya was changed to Balai Yasa Traksi and it only overhauled locomotives.

 

In general, the main duties of the workshop were as follows:1. To plan and execute locomotives maintenance and repairment.2. To guarantee the quality of its products.3. To repair broken locomotives and maintain ready-to-operate locomotives.4. To maintain work tools.5. To plan, execute, report and evaluate maintenance and repairment budget.6. To execute final locomotive technique design.7. To make efficient use of human and general resources.

 

 

The locomotives were repaired and maintained regularly. Diesel-electric locomotives underwent daily, monthly, bimonthly, trimonthly, six monthly and yearly maintenance check in locomotive depots. After travelling 325000 kilometers or every 2 years, the locomotives underwent semifinal check. After travelling 650000 kms or every 4 years, the locomotives underwent final check in the workshop. Diesel-hydraulic locomotives underwent daily, 500 hourly, 1000 hourly, 2000 hourly, 4000 hourly and 8000 hourly maintenance. After 12000 hours, the locomotives underwent semifinal check in the workshop. After 24000 hours, the locomotive underwent final check in the workshop.

 

 

Bambang said that in 2010 all diesel-hydraulic locomotives would be removed and replaced by diesel-electric locomotives of CC204 class. However, the workshop still maintained and repaired diesel multiple units. He also said that in 2009 the workshop would repair and maintain generator coaches and would assemble CC204 class locomotives.After the discussion, the team handed over souvenirs (IRPS t-shirts) to Bambang and Chief of Public Relations of Operation Region VI Eko Budiyanto and appointed them as honourable members of IRPS. The team then were granted permission to visit the workshop and the disused-locomotive yard.At 3 PM, the team visited BPTT. The team had a discussion with some staff members of BPTT, mostly about locomotive engineers, train conductors, requirements to be a locomotive engineer, etc.

 

 

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