On this day, 5 members from MTREC embarked on a journey to visit preserved locomotives across the East Coast Region travelling from Pahang to Terengganu. This trip was somehow unusual as it relied entirely on road transport because the preserved locomotives are no longer connected to active railway lines and can only be accessed by road. The objective of this journey was to deepen our understanding of the history of these preserved locomotives and explore their roles and uses beyond rail service.

Our journey began in Kuala Lumpur at 12:00 PM, with Rompin as our first destination. The preserved locomotive at Rompin is a GE UM10B locomotive manufactured by General Electric in 1963 for Rompin Mining Company (RompinCo). It once operated on an 80 km metre-gauge railway connecting Bukit Ibam and Lanjut to transport iron ore for export to Japan via Tanjung Tengku. The railway opened in 1962 and was operated by RompinCo, a subsidiary of the Eastern Mining & Metal Company (EMMCO) which also managed the mining railway in Bukit Besi, Terengganu. Operations ceased in 1969 following the closure of mining activities and the locomotives were abandoned at Lanjut before being relocated to the Rompin District Council Office in 1998.

After visiting the mining locomotive at Rompin, we continued to Pekan and stopped at Kafe Belibis. The café operates within former KTM passenger coaches and features a preserved KTM Class 22 locomotive. Manufactured by English Electric in 1971, the Class 22 served Peninsular Malaysia on both passenger and freight duties before being used as shunters and eventually decommissioned. Several units remain preserved nationwide. The unit on display 22135 Geliga, together with 3 AEC-converted ASC coaches has been repurposed into the café.

On the second day, we travelled to Muzium Bukit Besi in Terengganu to visit a preserved KTM Class 19 shunter. Manufactured by Hitachi in 1983, it was designed for shunting duties at stations, yards, and depots, with a maximum speed of 70 km/h. Several units remain in active service today particularly at depots such as KL Sentral, Batu Gajah, and Bukit Tengah. The preserved unit on display 19103 forms part of the museum’s exhibition on the history of the mining railway that once linked Bukit Besi to Dungun Port.

Following that, we proceeded to Tasik Bukit Besi, where we found a KTM Class 24 locomotive displayed together with an ex-JR blue train coach previously operated by KTM as the Malayan Tiger Train. The KTM Class 24 Toshiba–Kawasaki locomotive was manufactured in 1987 and served widely across the KTM network with many units still in active service today. The preserved locomotive 24109 Hang Kasturi along with a Malayan Tiger Train second-class coach BSC 2003 (ex-JR Blue Train OHAFU 15-23) is currently being transformed into a café, and we hope both vehicles can be restored as closely as possible to their original appearance.

Finally, our road trip concluded with a dinner at Kuantan before heading back to Kuala Lumpur. This journey to visit all decommissioned rolling stock and preserved across the East Coast Region shows a success in our group to study the history and legacy of these locomotives. We look forward to organising more similar trips in the future to continue researching and learning about Malaysia’s railway heritage.

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Last Updated: 25/01/2026