Through Tunnels of Time: The Old Mountain Line Railway

The 23-kilometer-long old Mountain Line was built in 1908, early in the Japanese colonial era. Trains on this line began by winding through the precipices of Sanyi Rural Township, and from there cut through mountains and crossed rivers. This was the last north-south line in western Taiwan to be completed, and the most difficult stretch of track from an engineering point of view, with nine tunnels and three bridges. When you add to this the undulating mountain scenery, it is no wonder that it has long been said that the old Mountain Line had the best views of any north-south line.

Right at the start, the Mountain Line faced a very steep climb, at a rate of 20-25 per thousand. In particular, the turn at Shihliufen, which winds 180 degrees in only 300 meters, was the stretch of TRA track that had both the steepest slope and sharpest curve.

In the past, when trains had to climb the Shihliufen slope to reach an elevation of 400 meters and the highest train station in all of Taiwan, before that point there was extra track for reversing so that trains which couldn't make it up the slope could back up and get a better head of steam. Because the train moved up the slope so slowly, many local people had the unique experience of being able to jump on and off as it inched along, or of handing goods back and forth from the moving cars.

Next on the line was Tunnel No. 1, followed by Shenghsing Station, Taiwan's highest. Below the eaves of this wooden train stop, built in 1912 and still open to visitors, there is a Japanese style bagua amulet for warding off evil and bringing good luck, and on the platform there is a commemorative marker of the highest point.

After wheezing past the Shihliufen climb, the old trains came to a sharp descent. Shortly after threading through Tunnel No. 2, which is marked by a plaque inscribed with the words "Opening to Heaven," trains reached the Yutengping iron bridge, once the highest elevation railroad bridge in Taiwan. Known as "a prime example of the Taiwan railroad bridge," it combined brick arch design with widely spaced steel beams. The bridge was badly damaged in an earthquake in 1935, and a new bypass was built, so that the remains of the fractured span, now known as the Lungteng broken bridge, still stand unrepaired.

On the downward slope to the Yutengping Station, trains passed through four more tunnels in less than one kilometer of track. The sudden changes from dark to light and back again defined what is special about a mountain railway. Even more remarkable is that between Tunnels 6 and 7 there is a 34-meter tall bridge, the Neishih River Bridge. Thus, immediately after emerging from the darkness of Tunnel No. 6, passengers were struck by the beautiful water of Lake Liyu, and just as they were catching their breath in awe, they immediately plunged into Tunnel No. 7. On the other side of No. 7, moreover, there was another long dragon-like bridge, the Ta-an River Bridge, so that the thrills came one after another with dizzying speed.

But not everyone thinks that the track, stations, bridges and tunnels-remarkable as they are-are the most valuable part of the Mountain Line. Chen Yuh-jean, executive director of the NTU Building and Planning Research Foundation, who has spent more than a year surveying and researching the line, argues that its value lies even more in the dialogue between the construction and the topography, and in what it tells us about human history and the interaction of man and nature in the area. For example, choices made for this line reflected the construction and locomotive technologies of that era, while various towns grew up around local products like camphor, xiangmao (an herb for making a natural mosquito repellent), and charcoal. "The old Mountain Line documents the political and economic development, as well as the changing face of community life, in Taiwan during the late Qing dynasty, the Japanese colonial era, and the early postwar period," says Chen.

Service on the old Mountain Line was discontinued in 1998. But for those who experienced its slow crawl up the slopes, or the thrill of its bridges and tunnels, the old Mountain Line will live on in their memories, an ineradicable part of their lives.

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The Lungteng broken bridge, damaged by an earthquake in 1935, has been called the most beautiful historic site on any rail line in Taiwan. (photo by Pu Hua-chih)