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For the love of trains
Cheese, please: A train fan takes a picture of the train driver at the Kota Baru Station in Malang, East Java
Cheese, please: A train fan takes a picture of the train driver at the Kota Baru Station in Malang, East Java.
A group of train lovers in Malang, East Java, show and share their fascination toward this means of transportation with others.
Travelers were lining up in front of the ticket counter, before entering the railway station platform through a ticket checkpoint.
Wearing black uniforms, a group of people from different walks of life were distributing balloons to arriving passengers and the travelers who were going to depart from Malang.
The sound of a train horn was heard from a distance, prompting members of the group to move toward the railroad fence and clap their hands amid the roaring sound of train wheels entering the station.
Loco, the Logo: The state railway company’s train mascot, Loco.
Like watching celebrities on the red carpet, these people were taking pictures of the train with their cell phones, pocket cameras and professional gadgets. Some were noting the serial numbers of the locomotives coming in.
“Gajayana CC 20613!” shouted one of them.
The hustle and bustle at Malang’s Kota Baru Station is a glimpse of the activities of Railfans +444, a community of train fans from the city.
Railfans +444 was set up by train lovers in Malang in 2010 and 444 is the altitude of Kota Baru, which is 444 meters above sea level.
“This community has about 50 members of different ages and professions, from 11-year-olds to senior citizens,” said Rahmad, the Railfans +444 chairman
The sixth anniversary of Railfans +444 on April 30 coincided with the inauguration of Malabar Train, a new line serving the Malang –Bandung route. The anniversary took place at Kota Baru Station and witnessed the first Malabar Train departing from the station.
When a new route is introduced at the Malang station, state-owned train operator PT KAI always invites Railfans +444 to join in the program.
The gathering is normally preceded by the washing of the locomotive to be launched, which is done on Sunday, or at a time when members are free from work or school. They also decorate the engine with ribbons and flowers.
“At the opening ceremony this time, the decoration of the locomotive had to be cancelled because there wasn’t enough time between preparations and the train’s departure schedule. We may be able to decorate another one next time,” said Ibnu, a member.
Railfans +444 members on such occasions also distribute stickers, key rings and other articles to passengers while supplying railway information in the form of booklets.
At the official opening of a new route, PT KAI’s train logo, Loco, also showed up, greeting travelers at the station and passengers onboard the trains.
Apart from that, the community members will also take photographs with the train’s new-route crew, including the railroad engineer, conductors and stewardesses. After that, the fans will go closer to the locomotive to take pictures with PT KAI executives as another train horn is sounded to remind the people that the train is about to depart.
We love trains: Railwayfans +444, a group of train lovers in Malang, East Java, celebrates its sixth anniversary with the inauguration of the Malabar Train, a new line serving the Malang-Bandung route.
On that day, as a whistle was blown and a railroad signal bell rang, Malabar Train was ready to leave for Bandung on its maiden trip. The engineer was waving, the horn sounded twice and the train left Kota Baru Station, followed by the members of Railfans +444.
The recent Railfans +444 program was meant to celebrate its anniversary and the opening of the new line and railroad bridge and also to share its love of trains and railways with commuters and travelers.
The Railfans +444 community has frequently engaged in social activities such as fund raising for natural disaster victims and train personnel facing misfortune, visiting social institutions, sharing free snacks during Ramadan, campaigning for greater care at railway crossings and disseminating train schedules on their website.
Railfans +444 will always be present as long as locomotives and train cars keep rumbling, offering some happiness that can be shared and enjoyed by other members of the public.
