Take a trip yourself and you'll find out!
Pick a fine, clear day and hop on a diesel on a secondary line--a window seat's best.
As the train slowly pulls out of the station, leaving behind the noise and clamor of the city for the rhythmic clickety-clack of the track, scenes from an animated panorama unfold before you through the window. . . .
See those rice paddies you've been away from so long glistening green in the sunlight? That mountain stream? Doesn't it look a bit like the place you used to grab for fish and shrimp when you were little? Does that red brick farmhouse nestled among bamboo look familiar?
When the train passes through a pitch-black tunnel, does a favorite railroad song you used to sing as a child still echo in your mind?
Look! That little Japanese-style wooden station that the train has stopped at has made you involuntarily hum the words:
Seeing you off at the station,
hearts unwilling to part;
clinging together and longing,
eyes brimming over with tears;
take care of yourself in the army:
remember I'll always be yours.
Those were the days!. . .
Headed off to roam: There probably will never be another means of transportation that leaves such a deep impression in our lives as the train.
Those pairs of rusty brown rails and strings of cars chugging over hill and dale were for children an extension of their dreams, for youngsters an icon of wanderlust and for adults living away from home the direction of their constant thoughts and longing. And old-timers hoped it would still accompany them with its sedate and measured pace.
Here's why China Times columnist Hung Chihwen became so enthralled with them that he writes "Taiwan's Train Stories": "When I was small, I used to ride the train almost every week with my father and uncle back to our old homestead in Tamsui."
"The Chichi line has lived with us here for more than 70 years," says Chang Hsueh-lang, general director of the Chichi Line Preservation Committee in Shuili Rural Township, Nantou County.
Chen I-hao, who was born and raised in Shuili, is a good illustration of the warm affection residents feel for the line. When he came back to Taiwan with his wife and two young sons last month after living in the United States for six years, instead of riding a bus or renting a car, he preferred lugging their heavy bags on and off platforms so they could take the train. "I wanted the kids to ride the train their father used to take back and forth to school every day," he says, "Unfortunately, the steam engine that used to whistle 'woo-woo' every time it went through the tunnel isn't around anymore!"
Wang Chin-fa, 78, who lives near Lingchiao on the Pinghsi line, rides the train one stop every day to the Pinghsi station to eat at an old friend's noodle stand and sing an old Taiwanese folk song with his friends: "The train passes over the river. Me and my girl don't match. . . ."
Phantom black stallion: In fact, besides the personal nostalgia they afford, these old railway lines provide a showcase on the place of our birth, helping us trace back the path of Taiwan's development.
The railroad has no doubt been the most important piece of physical equipment in the history of Taiwan's modernization.
In a memorial to the Ching court entitled "On the Proposed Construction of a Railway," submitted in 1887, Taiwan's first governor, Liu Ming-chuan, set forth three main reasons for constructing a railroad:
1. For maritime defense. Taiwan is an island stronghold and the key to security of the nation's southeast provinces. To secure and develop Taiwan requires the construction of a railway.
2. For provincial development. The development of towns and cities around the province must be closely coordinated with the construction of a railway, which will promote prosperous trade and commerce.
3. For heavy infrastructure. Taiwan stretches more than 800 li from north to south, a journey of 13 or 14 days by foot, hampered by numerous rivers, streams, harbors and bays. To build up Taiwan, transport efficiency must be improved by developing overland transportation. The construction of railroads and bridges is an investment in the future.
Two years later, a railway was completed in Taipei running from Tataocheng to Sungshan. It was China's first publicly operated passenger railroad. When the German-made Tengyun No. 1 locomotive first bellowed smoke, whistled and lumbered out of the station, this "phantom black stallion" that terrified onlookers opened Taiwan's doors to the introduction of Western industrial civilization.
During the next hundred years, wherever the railroads reached, local agriculture and industry grew and commerce, towns and cities prospered. Railroads carved themselves into the landscape. The North-South Line in the west, the Northern Link, the East Coast Trunk Line and the Southern Link joined up to form a complete circle embracing the island along the coast.
A showcase on the interior: Secondary lines, running perpendicular to the main trunk lines, provided a transportation link with the interior. Today they offer a cross-section view of Taiwan's geography and a shortcut to understanding more about the landscapes that rise from the seacoast to the interior.
The Pinghsi line, which runs from Santiaoling to Chingtung in Taipei County; the Neiwan line, which runs from Hsinchu to Neiwan; and the Chichi line, which runs from Erhshui, Changhua County, to Checheng, Nantou County, are located in the north, north-central and central regions of the island, providing a panorama of the industries, scenery and customs of these three areas.
The Pinghsi line, built in 1919, was originally used to transport coal. The mining industry has fallen on hard times, but the line still passes by the Juisan and Shihfen coalmines and the "mining district" atmosphere lingers on. Near the Shihfen station you can still see how they used to ship coal. Juifang and Chiufen, nearby, were famous in the early part in the century for their gold mines, when prospectors swarmed in and the towns boomed for a time. They were used as background by director Hou Hsiao-hsien in the film City of Sadness.
In addition to coal, a major freight item on the Neiwan line was limestone. Even now, an average of 130 cars of limestone a day is shipped from Hohsing station to concrete plants in Chutung. The streets in towns along the way are often covered with limestone dust.
The view along the Chichi line, which was originally built to transport lumber and produce, is entirely different: Green is everywhere. Heading in from Erhshui, the line passes alongside fields of rice, betel nuts, fresh flowers, bananas and other crops. The section from Lungchuan to Chichi is flanked by tall, shady camphor trees that form a green tunnel. . . .
Accompanied by rivers and ravines: These secondary lines follow the same direction as the island's rivers and streams, each of them winding through a valley. The Pinghsi line runs by the Keelung River. The Neiwan line tracks the Touchien and the upper reaches of the Yulo. And the Chichi line runs alongside Taiwan's longest river, the Choshui and its alluvial plain.
With rivers and ravines as companions, the lines are rich in scenic variety. The narrow gorges and steep cliffs along the Keelung River create numerous waterfalls, among which Shihfen Falls, between Shihfen and Tahua, is known as Taiwan's Niagara.
The Touchien and Yulo are classic wadis, or arroyos, that are dry in winter but swollen with water in summer. With their glens and rapids, they are favorite camping and barbecue spots with students.
The Choshui River, beside the Chichi line, and the tributaries along its upper reaches form Minghu Reservoir. Below Choshui station, the river gradually slows down and levels out, leaving behind alluvial deposits and a fertile plain that accounts for the rich local produce. Choshui rice is noted for its fine flavor and fragrance.
What charms people most is that, in contrast to the main trunk lines, which have been steadily developed and renovated in recent years with the growth in passenger traffic, these secondary lines preserve the look of an earlier day. At some stops, such as Hohsing on the Neiwan line and Chichi on the Chichi line, the equipment and station houses haven't changed since the Japanese occupation. Their quaint little wooden stations have often been used as a backdrop for television programs or commercials that seek to evoke a nostalgic, old-fashioned atmosphere.
On a diesel express, with open windows (no air conditioning, please!) and an average speed of 60 km per hour, you'll find lovely scenes like these all around, providing a veritable "picture window journey." Yang Wen-ching, a conductor on the Chichi line for more than 30 years, often points out scenery for curious passengers along the way.
A trip to the past: Slowness has a charm of its own, and so does what's old. But once they disappear, some things can never be brought back.
When we were children we used to sing: "Fly, train, fly,/through the mountains/and over the streams,/miles and miles and miles to home,/Mom-my's waiting for me."
Maybe the words should be rewritten: "Creep, train, creep,/through the mountains/and over the streams,/miles and miles and miles of green,/my childhood's waiting for me."
In the days before highways and air transportation were developed, the train, with its speed and convenience, was our chief means of transportation. Today, no matter how fast they may run, they can't compare with airplanes for speed or with cars for convenience and mobility. The only thing they will never be excelled in, perhaps, is the charm and fascination they provide us when traveling "through the mountains and over the streams" of being carried along once-familiar scenes, as though through a time tunnel, back to our past.
Timetable for Day Trips on Secondary Railroads[Picture]
Notes: 1. Each trip is limited to 40 persons, reserved seats, round-trip tickets only.
2. Fifteen percent discount available Monday to Friday. Full fare Saturdays and Sundays.
3. Tickets must be purchased one, two or three days in advance. No same day purchase.
4. Taipei Station: tickets sold at the service center. Tel: (081)231919.
5. Taichung Station: tickets sold at window NO. 11. Tel: (081) 435222.
Source: Taiwan Railway Administration
[Picture Caption]
(Left) Trains bring people who long for hustle and bustle into the city. They tan also help urbanites get away from the noise and the crowds for a scenic excursion. (photos by Cheng Yuan-ching)
(Right) Trains in Taiwan have a century of history. (photo courtesy of Tsai Chia-chen)
Secondary lines generally run through the mountainous areas of the interior, where quiet, secluded spots are common.
(Right) "Through the mountains and over the streams," the train brings us to a little waterfall formed in the Keelung River valley by a drop in the fault line.
Juifang: The Juisan coal mine.
Tahua to Shihfen: A profusion of blossoms on a tung tree.
Tahua: Shihfen Falls is a 15 minute walk away.
(Above) The familiar, intimate rural scenes passing by outside the windows make for a happy trip, even if it's just to watch the scenery.
Shihfen: The "Heavenly Lantern" festival is held in commemoration of deceased relatives and ancestors.
A box for discarded ticket stubs at Shihfen station.
Chingtung: Abandoned housing for the coal miners of days past.
Chutung village is renowned for its Hakka delicacies.
A scene of the concrete plants near Chutung station.
(Left) Thanks to the railroad and the mines, the little mountain village of Neiwan has managed to prosper.
(Below right) A train ride to Neiwan and a barbecue--fun!
(Above right) Train coming in! The red, green and blue signal switches add color and quaintness to stations along the secondary lines. Shown here is Hohsing Station on the Neiwan line.
The station house at Hohsing.
Hohsing: A rail control switchlock.
A "masterwork" created by limestone dust.
A suspension bridge near the terminal stop.
(Above) Chen I-hao, who has lived in the United States for many years, preferred to lug heavy bags on and off the platform just so his children could take a train ride back to his old home.
(Below) Shown here are Hsu Tung-tun (center), the "chief" of the Chichi line, and his co-workers.
Erhshui station: A steam engine retired from service.
Choshui to Chichi: A "green tunnel" formed by overarching camphor trees.
Chichi: Taste these "mountain plantains," even tastier than bananas.
Chichi: The wooden, Japanese style station house.
Chichi: The Ming Hsin shu-yuan (private academy of classical learning)is a Class C historic site.
Shuili: "Snake" kiln is famous for its water jugs.
The little diesel engine that plies the Chichi line winds its way through betel nut groves.
Many small stations on the secondary lines have been changed to unmanned stops, where passengers buy a ticket from the conductor after boarding.
Whether it's "childhood lost" or "childhood regained" depends on how determined we are to preserve the tracks of history.
Slowness has a charm all its own, and so does what's old. Why not let the old and the new live together, and the fast and slow each have their place!
（Right） Trains in Taiwan have a century of history. （photo courtesy of Tsai Chia-chen）
Secondary lines generally run through the mountainous areas of the interior, where quiet, secluded spots are common.
（Right） "Through the mountains and over the streams," the train brings us to a little waterfall formed in the Keelung River valley by a drop in the fault line.
Juifang: The Juisan coal mine.
Tahua to Shihfen: A profusion of blossoms on a tung tree.
Tahua: Shihfen Falls is a 15 minute walk away.
（Above） The familiar, intimate rural scenes passing by outside the windows make for a happy trip, even if it's just to watch the scenery.
Shihfen: The "Heavenly Lantern" festival is held in commemoration of deceased relatives and ancestors.
A box for discarded ticket stubs at Shihfen station.
Chingtung: Abandoned housing for the coal miners of days past.
（Left） Thanks to the railroad and the mines, the little mountain village of Neiwan has managed to prosper.
Chutung village is renowned for its Hakka delicacies.
A scene of the concrete plants near Chutung station.
The station house at Hohsing.
（Above right） Train coming in! The red, green and blue signal switches add color and quaintness to stations along the secondary lines. Shown here is Hohsing Station on the Neiwan line.
（Below right） A train ride to Neiwan and a barbecue--fun!
Hohsing: A rail control switchlock.
A "masterwork" created by limestone dust.
A suspension bridge near the terminal stop.
（Above） Chen I-hao, who has lived in the United States for many years, preferred to lug heavy bags on and off the platform just so his children could take a train ride back to his old home.
（Below） Shown here are Hsu Tung-tun （center）, the "chief" of the Chichi line, and his co-workers.
The little diesel engine that plies the Chichi line winds its way through betel nut groves.
Erhshui station: A steam engine retired from service.
Choshui to Chichi: A "green tunnel" formed by overarching camphor trees.
Chichi: Taste these "mountain plantains," even tastier than bananas.
Chichi: The wooden, Japanese style station house.
Chichi: The Ming Hsin shu-yuan （private academy of classical learning）is a Class C historic site.
Shuili: "Snake" kiln is famous for its water jugs.
Many small stations on the secondary lines have been changed to unmanned stops, where passengers buy a ticket from the conductor after boarding.
Whether it's "childhood lost" or "childhood regained" depends on how determined we are to preserve the tracks of history.
Slowness has a charm all its own, and so does what's old. Why not let the old and the new live together, and the fast and slow each have their place!
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