- Batu Arang
. Apart from coal, Batu Arang was also known for its bricks manufacturing. Today it no longer supplies coal and holds no significant role.
There used to be a railway line connecting the mainline of
Malayan Railways atKuang to Batu Arang, which was opened in 1915, and westwards toBatang Berjuntai which was opened in 1918. In 1971Malayan Railways shut down the line and dismantled the tracks with introduction of more diesel locomotives into its fleet; up to that point Batu Arang was the only source of coal for its steam locomotives.In 1948 the
Malayan Communist Party seized the town's police station, killing one, as well as holding people at the local railway station hostage. Batu Arang was a hotbed of communism and the authorities had problems eradicating the menace due to the hilly terrain which gave the communist guerillas advantage in launching ambushes and hiding away after such attacks.Batu Arang suffers from serious soil erosion problem due to the deep-earth coal mining activities, and consequently much of its original area had been evacuated.
External links
* [http://gallery2.mymalaya.com/categories.php?cat_id=123 Modern Day Batu Arang in pictures]
* [http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/683082/sleepy_hollow_with_a_rich_mining_legacy/index.html Sleepy Hollow With a Rich Mining Legacy]
* [http://www.ktmrailwayfan.com/pics/details.php?image_id=6354 Batu Arang railway station, c1915]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
