Gem at Gemas

Working in Singapore in January 1974, where there was no steam, I decided to venture into Malaysia one Sunday. I caught the train to Gemas, which was the furthest I could go and return the same day. So it was pleasing to find on arrival one of the very fine Malayan Railways three cylinder Pacifics, 564.36. Granted, it was rather woebegone, but appeared to be intact. 564.36 was built by the North British Loco Co. in 1946,works no. 25791, one of a batch of forty, and named 'Temerloh'. A report from two years earlier said there was quite a lot of steam activity here, so I was unfortunately too late.

See http://searail.mymalaya.com/Classes/O.htm for more details of these locos.

564.36 was subsequently officially preserved and overhauled - by August 1975 pictures show it was immaculate! As well as specials, it worked in normal line service, being used as shunting loco at Port Klang where it was photographed at work in 1978.

In the 1980s and 1990s, it was used infrequently on special trains.

In 1996 an altogether more ambitious project was launched with the loco being fettled by an Australian engineering firm. Sadly the venture was short-lived, though the loco survives at Johore Bahru.