If you look down from the raised platform in Taichung County's Tai-an New Station, you are sure to spot four parked train cars across from the station with the words "Sinkansen Train Station Bed and Breakfast" emblazoned in big characters on a sign outside. You might find yourself scratching your head and asking yourself, "When did Taiwan Railways get into the B&B business?"
Make no mistake. This B&B doesn't belong to Taiwan Railways; it is the opus maximum of railroad enthusiast Huang Chi-nien. He has loved trains all his life and after marrying and starting a family of his own, he enjoyed taking the family out on train trips around the island. He has countless model trains in his house. Five years ago, Taiwan Railways was selling a batch of decommissioned train cars in Kaohsiung. As a woodworker, Huang wasn't exactly rolling in money, but he jumped at the chance to buy four of them for NT$1.08 million. When he told his family that he bought "some more trains," they thought nothing of it, because they thought that he had just purchased some more models. They had no clue that they were the "real McCoy" until they were dropped off at their doorstep. "Our jaws dropped to the ground. My mother, sister and I thought Dad had finally lost it," Huang's son Chiao-wei chuckles.
Each of Huang Chi-nien's new "toys" measures 20 meters in length and weighs in at 35.5 metric tons. Your run-of-the-mill truck can't transport monsters like these, so three semi-trailers had to be mobilized to handle the job. The scene of huge trucks rolling down the highway loaded down with train cars was so bizarre that photos were carried in the papers and won Huang the nickname "Derailed."
Ignoring the steady roar of derisive laughter, Huang set the four cars up on family land located adjacent to Tai-an New Station and set about transforming them into a B&B. Insisting that the cars maintain their original appearance, he combed Taiwan for discarded rails and ties. He had to have the railroad spikes and rail fasteners that he couldn't find custom-made by ironsmiths. He went through a whole slew of metal and wood workers before he could find somebody who could meet his quality standards for the task of converting the cars into suites. Renovating the cars set him back between NT$3 and 4 million.
As one can well imagine, changing career tracks at mid-life is not for the faint-hearted. When the B&B first went into business, its doors were closed more than open. Business was so slow that they had "five-day weekends every week." The stockholders fled en masse and Huang was forced to hold the fort alone. Determined, he sold family land and mortgaged the house. His family never really approved of his idea, but neither could they bear to watch him go it alone. They jumped in feet first, willing to sink or swim together.
His wife took charge of the kitchen. She put on her reading glasses and studied like there was no tomorrow to prepare for the chef certification exam. Their daughter Chiao-ling and son Chiao-wei also came home to pitch in. The entire family worked together to come up with a menu with a railway theme. They even copied the round stainless steel lunchboxes formerly used by Taiwan Railways, packing them with such railway staples as salted pork chops with eight side dishes. Other offerings include "Chu-kuang Express Fruit Tea" and their own "Blue Tzu-chiang Express"-a concoction consisting of blue Curacao and coffee. The car suites themselves were christened with names like "Taliwu," "Sanchayi," and "Maoli"-all place names from when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. They reproduced Taiwan Railways' train tickets and designed their own "sleeping car" ticket. These became popular among guests as souvenirs and helped win the B&B some recognition.
Nowadays, almost every one of Sinkansen's 14 rooms is booked every weekend and holiday. Other days, the B&B is filled to between 30% and 40% capacity. Not only do Taiwan's train enthusiasts make pilgrimages here, kindred spirits from Japan have been known to make the journey to experience it themselves. The B&B's uniqueness and its cozy train cars have drawn many a blissful couple here to take wedding pictures and even get hitched. Even a scene in which star Phoenix Huo gets poisoned on a train in Set TV's hit series I Certainly Will Succeed was shot on location here.
Huang Chi-nien recently informed his family that if the opportunity presents itself, he's tossing around the idea of buying a ship or small airplane and converting it into a restaurant. "Everyone thinks he's just talking out of his hat and that the possibility of success would be slight at best, but based on past experience, nobody is going to be surprised if he should come home one day with a boat or a plane in tow," Huang Chiao-wei chuckles.
The Sinkansen Train Station B&B consists of four converted Taiwan Railways train cars. Huang Chiao-wei, son of Sinkansen's owner, cheerfully greets guests decked out in a conductor's uniform.
Every member of the Huang family enlisted his/her creativity to transform the interiors of these four 20-meter long cars into suites and a dining car which have all proved to be very popular with train enthusiasts.
Meals offered in round stainless steel lunch-boxes, copied after those used by Taiwan Railways, include marinated pork chops and shrimp rolls. Priced at NT$200 each.
Every member of the Huang family enlisted his/her creativity to transform the interiors of these four 20-meter long cars into suites and a dining car which have all proved to be very popular with train enthusiasts.
Every member of the Huang family enlisted his/her creativity to transform the interiors of these four 20-meter long cars into suites and a dining car which have all proved to be very popular with train enthusiasts.
Every member of the Huang family enlisted his/her creativity to transform the interiors of these four 20-meter long cars into suites and a dining car which have all proved to be very popular with train enthusiasts.
