Steam Locomotives or Iron Dinosaurs as we call them, are a reminder of another life and another era. These metal beasts were once extensively used in the heyday of the sugar industry to haul sugarcane from the fields to the sugar mills. They were also used by the Insular Lumber Co. to transport the logs from the mountains to the lumber mills.
However, due to the advent of the diesel-run trains, the steam locomotives became obsolete. Only a few of these Iron Dinosaurs are still used today in sugar mills in Negros Island. Most have been donated or sold for display for the public while others were sold as scrap or just left to rot.
One of the few Iron Dinosaurs still in operation is that of Hawaiian-Philippine Company or Central Hawaiian I had a chance to experience riding it during the Lagaw Silay tour sponsored by the City Government of Silay. For someone who was not born in Negros, it was a unique experience.
Hawaiian’s Baldwin No. 7 is now used for tours and can be rented for P15,000 for one day. Those who rent it are mostly foreign tourists who are steam locomotive enthusiasts.
The Iron Dinosaur runs on a steam engine which is fueled by bagasse, a waste from the sugar mill. They say the Iron Dinosaur will have to be primed an hour before the actual run in order to gather enough steam to run the engine.
If it’s your first time to ride an Iron Dinosaur, hearing the train’s choo-choo gives you an excitement like a kid expecting to ride the bicycle for the first time. Letting the wind blow on your face as you admire the scenic Silay countryside can be quite enjoyable. Just be prepared to also have some bagasse blown your way as the operators feed them to the engine. Our ride was perhaps 30 minutes but it’s enough to satisfy the curiosity of a first-timer of how it felt to ride the Iron Dinosaur.
Riding the Iron Dinosaurs used to be a common activity in the hacienda. Today it’s quite a novelty since Hawaiian’s Iron Dinosaur is perhaps the last in Negros Occidental that is still in operation. We were lucky to have this ride since we’re not sure how long Hawaiian’s Baldwin No. 7 will continue to run.
