Steam Train to Yesteryear

The Forest Railway provides Chiayi with scenes not found in any other city.

A train chugs out according to schedule from the Ali­shan Forest Railway Garage Park. On the street grid, the gate arms at railway crossings fall in anticipation of the slow-moving train.

Here the rails are so connected to people’s lives that it almost seems as if there is no separation between them. “This is something you can’t see in urban districts where the tracks run on elevated viaducts or underground,” says Ku Tingwei, editor-in-chief of Rail News magazine.

The recently renovated Zhuqi Station has been painted an eye-catching Tiffany blue.

Front-yard railway

This sense of connection grows stronger at the stations along the line. Wu Ming-han, administrator at the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office, wrote about the lives of the people along the railway in Echoes Along the 2421 m Ascent: Travelogue of the Alishan Forest Railway.

He enthusiastically guides us to visit Zhuqi Station, a wooden building renovated in recent years and painted Tiffany blue. Because Zhuqi is the last lowland station on the way toward the mountains, it features a triangular “wye track” to turn locomotives around, along with a wooden coal loading platform and a weigh station. These historical elements explain why the station has been designated as a county-level historic site.

Here we encounter Lai Guohua, a local resident and train photographer, who publishes under the pseudonym “Deep Sea Fish.” Lai recalls that it was the news that a section of the forest railway was going to be abandoned that prompted him to pick up a camera and make a record for posterity. Now, 20 years later, he has amassed almost a million precious photographs.

He Fengmen, who used to be the Zhuqi station­master and lives in a house beside the tracks, tells us, “The work of a lot of people here is connected to the railway.” He has a background similar to Lai’s, with a father and a grandfather who worked as track repairmen. He lived in housing provided by the railway for 50 years. “Fengmen” means “serving the gate,” and this old stationmaster is indeed still “guarding the gate,” resolutely welcoming interested visitors.

The trains that run back and forth along the Forest Railway have become a part of daily life in the area. To locals, they are like members of the family.

Zhuqi Station features a coal loading platform for steam engines.

Service interrupted for 15 years

Maintaining a railway that rises in altitude from 30 to 2,451 meters with gradients as steep as 6.25% is far from easy.

Lian Xiangyi, a maintenance technician with the Ali­shan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office, explains that the Japanese built the railway largely to serve the needs of the timber industry. They threw down tracks in geologically unstable areas, and now climate change has only added to the challenges of maintaining them.

In 2009 Typhoon Morakot damaged the railway in 421 places. It took six years of repair work before the first trial runs could be conducted on the repaired tracks in September of 2015. But at the end of that very month, ­Typhoon Dujuan struck, and Tunnel No. 42 was damaged by landslides of 100,000 cubic meters of earth and rock. Once again the railway was closed above this point.

But it was imperative to restore the railway. For locals, it holds a prominent place in their memories. And in 2019 the Ministry of Culture designated the Alishan Forest Railway as an “important cultural landscape.” Moreover, in its present role of transporting tourists the railway has become one of Taiwan’s leading attractions.

Consequently, being put in charge of the tunnel restoration project was a point of great pride for Lian Xiangyi. And in July of 2024, after 15 years, it was announced that the railway finally had resumed full operations.

Ku Tingwei observes that restored antique steam engines are a display of national soft power and have become tourist attractions.

Construction of the new Tunnel No. 42 involved tunneling into one side of Tunnel No. 43 to join the two tunnels. This approach posed challenges but also minimized environmental disturbance while enhancing durability and safety. (courtesy of Wu Ming-han)

Plying the slopes of Mt. Ali, the forest railway is one of the five wonders of Alishan and an important tourist attraction for Taiwan.

Tunnel work: Small but not simple

“It’s a small project, but not a simple one,” is how Lian recalls one of the participating contractors describing it.

The approach that was eventually taken, among various proposed options, was to cut a new tunnel deeper inside the mountain, bypassing the landslide area. Lian says that although the tunnel route sacrifices more than 200 meters of scenic views that would have been available if they had chosen to build a bridge instead, it provides superior longevity, durability and safety. And the areas of slope damaged by landslides will naturally recover over time.

The construction took four years, and there were two years of environmental assessments before they could even start. Once construction began there were various unexpected difficulties, such as manpower shortages caused by the pandemic and having to use less effective water gel explosives in place of emulsion explosives, as a result of the war in Ukraine.

What’s more, difficulty was greatly increased by choices to lessen the environmental impact. For instance, rather than building a new tunnel mouth at the uphill end, they adopted the innovative approach of tunneling into the side of the existing Tunnel No. 43.

At Lien’s insistence, the damaged old section of the railway was preserved. It was his vision that travelers could board specially themed trains and even get off at the landslide site to survey evidence of how the railway was reborn. In the grand scheme of things, it may have been a small design choice, but it was a decision richly informed by humanistic thought, and one that Lien made with the utmost confidence.

When a steam engine is in operation, the stokers must constantly monitor conditions and add coal to the firebox when necessary.

The Shay-type locomotive No. 21 features visible upright cylinders. The mechanism’s movements while in operation leave a deep impression on people.

The 100-year-history of this steam engine is a precious part of the legacy of the timber town of Chiayi.

Out of commission for 43 years

The trains that shuttle back and forth along these tracks are without a doubt the stars of the show. In particular the steam engines with their plumes of vapor, relics from the first industrial revolution, grab visitors’ attention. Much simpler than modern locomotives, whose operations depend upon large amounts of electronics, they are powered by coal.

Yet so long as these old engines are properly maintained, they can continue to operate. The romantic sight of these century-old machines magnificently chugging down the track engenders a sense of wonder and nostalgia.

At the Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park, we found the Shay-type locomotive No. 21, which returned to duty this year, quietly parked in a garage.

Built in the United States in 1912 to be an excellent slope climber, it was in service on the forest railway for 60 years before being brought in 1976 to Chiayi Park, where it remained for 43 years. Then in 2019 the Forestry Bureau invested NT$22 million in its restoration. After 18 months of repairs and nine months of trial runs, the old engine had completed a magnificent transformation.

In the modern era of highly developed transportation, restoring an old locomotive so that it can return to service is “a mark of national soft power,” says Ku Tingwei. A train pulled by a steam engine carries with it the history of Chiayi as a timber town. Its value in terms of cultural heritage and as a representation of the local people’s history can’t be overstated.

Furthermore, Alishan is one of Taiwan’s most famous scenic spots, and these charming steam trains inspire nostalgia with their retro appearance and cozy, intimate carriage spaces. The trains both capture the hearts of visitors and add a lot of charm to the journey.

The path to restoration, however, was not easy. Exposed to the elements for many years, the metal exterior and mechanical parts of Engine No. 21 had become severely rusted. Further complications were created by frequent changes of administrative control. It was not until 2018 that the railway returned to the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, coming under the dedicated management of the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office, which was established that same year.

Because responsibility for the trains had been transferred among various government agencies, there were severe losses in documentation, skills, and expertise. In 1993, a fire broke out at the Beimen Repair Workshop, destroying many important cultural assets.

Chiu Tsung-te, a junior technician with the Forest Railway Office and part of the restoration team, recalls that when the team initially took on the project, they had to disassemble the entire engine down to its individual parts and then rebuild it from scratch. Understanding the functions of various structures and the path of steam flow was particularly challenging. Apart from cross-­referencing various sources, they also sought guidance from retired railway engineers. With the help of those elderly experts, they translated the Japanese technical terms used by the older generation into Chinese.

Chiu Tsung-te, a member of the restoration team, explains that years of disuse had left the exterior of Shay No. 21 and many of its parts rusted. Some 60% of needed replacement parts were made in Taiwan.

The reopening of the damaged sections of the Alishan Forest Railway and the restoration of its steam engines and train carriages were only possible due to the concerted efforts of many individuals. The photo shows technicians responsible for train maintenance.

This engine has returned to Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park for scheduled maintenance.

For Taiwan and the world

Many of the parts had to be remade, and the team is particularly proud that 60% of them were manufactured in Taiwan.

The engine’s iconic black chimney and boiler, along with its sand dome and steam dome, exude a heavy, solid charm. At the front right is an external steam-driven “motor” that particularly captivates railway buffs. It features a design no longer seen in modern trains, with three exposed, upright cylinders that allow for power to be transferred efficiently to the wheels via pairs of large and small bevel gears, generating immense torque. Though not built for speed, the design enables the engine to excel at tackling steep inclines, and the articulated structure is ideal for maneuvering mountain curves.

Though elephant-like in appearance—sturdy and solid—the engine is surprisingly agile.

Do the tourists at the Forest Railway Garage Park who exclaim, “The train is moving!” and eagerly climb into the cozy carriages, filled with excitement for the journey to Alishan, realize that their joyride has only been made possible by countless people working toward a common purpose, like the myriad moving parts within the steam engine itself? Each dedicated to their role, those railway artisans have striven toward the same goal: to honor the trust placed in them and bring back to life a scene from yesteryear for all the world to see.

The scenery along the tracks changes as the altitude rises. The photo shows the forest behind Fenqihu Station.

After 15 years of partially suspended operations because of damage from typhoons, the full length of the Alishan Forest Railway has once again reopened to the public.