A Kingdom of Narrow Gauge Railroads
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Taiwan is an island with many different gauges railways.
The mainlines owned by TRA (Taiwan Railway Administration)
is 1067mm. Many narrow gauge railways are owned by Sugarcane Company,
Forest Administration and Coal Mine Companies......
All the Taiwan Railway is narrow gauge except Subway. The most
common gauge in America is 1435mm. However, the mainline system
belong to Taiwan Railway Administration(TRA) is 1067mm.That's very
interesting for American Rail Fan to visit this country, because
you can see those American style trains in narrow gauge.
In Taiwan Railway, you can see:
(1)Narrow gauge RDC(1067mm) - We call them DR2700,which made by Tokyu in
Japan, but copied from American RDC. It went to service in 1966. Some of
their engines are re-built to new one. It was the fastest train in Taiwan
once. Now, serve in East and South Mainline.
(2)Narrow gauge EMD engine(1067mm) - Some of them look like GP7,
such as R20, R50. Some of them look like SD40 such as R100 and R150.
We don't have wide cab or F-unit locomotives. However, we have
AC power made by EMD(London) called R180 & R190. I quess EMD use almost the
same Carbody for those trains, just change a little and gave them a small
bogie. They can run on all the mainline in Taiwan.
(3)Narrow gauge GE switcher(1067mm) - It look like the switchers made by GE
for Navy or Air Force in America. The Power Plant own it.
(4)Narrow gauge UK style EMU(1067mm) - That's the first generation EMU made
by GEC for TRA. We called them EMU100. Its coach looks like UK's Intercity
trains, but cab is Taiwan style.
(5)GE Eletrical Engine(1067mm) - These engines include E200, E300 & E400.
All of them looks like Amtrak E60. They are running in West
mainline.
(6)Shay Steam locomotive in Alishan (or Mt Ali) - It is 762mm real narrow
gauge forest railway in Taiwan. Because of the mainline owned by TRA is 1067mm,
we think 762mm is "real" narrow gauge.
#26 is the last Shay still alive in Taiwan, but
no regular service.
Some other trains in Taiwan American railfan might be interested in:
(1)ALCO steam DT561(TRA 1067mm) -
This retired steam is the only ALCO made engine for TRA
you still can see today. It is like JNR 9600 or TRA DT580 very much. The reason
of getting it via ALCO not any railshop in Japan is all Japanese railshops are
busy at that time, so Taiwan Railway turn to American industry and ask them to
copy an engine from Japan 9600. Finally, it become DT560 steam locomotive in Taiwan.
DT561 is the first engine.
(2)Plymouth DL "Shung-Feng" (Sugarcane Rail 762mm) -
All of them were retired, but you still can see somewhere in display condition.
It already
changed to new style by a local factory, Sheng-Feng. Don't look like
American Plymouth DL.
You can say Taiwan is a Narrow Gauge Kingdom. The TRA mainline and branch lines
are 1067mm. Alishan (Mt Ali) Railway is 762mm. Sugarcane Railways are 762mm and some
1067mm for connecting to TRA lines. There is 610mm Sugarcane RR in history but
gone now. Otherwise, we have coal mine rail they are 500mm(or 498mm) and 610mm
(gone),and Salt Industry RR(retired) which was 762mm.
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Salt Industry Railway DL (762mm) made by KATO WORKS in Japan
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A Sugarcane Railway memory from Kuo, Tsung-Hua
Many people have good memory with Sugarcane Railways in Taiwan.
One of my friends, Kuo,Tsung-Hua from Ping-Tung, a south Taiwan city said:
"The Taiwan sugar trains are many people's beautiful
childhood memory, especially for many village boys at that time.
My family had have planted sugar plants for
one long time. It was one pleasing season when the sugar
plants were harvested, many sugar farmers, including my family,
harvested their sugar plants, putted them on oxcart and pulled
them to the train cars. In that time, it seemed to be one
harvest festival."
"When I were a little kid, most landuse of my village was
sugar plants, one Taiwan Sugar's railway crossed my village and
just about 100 meters away my home. I remember the village
boys including me invented many games regarding sugar trains.
For example, we putted nails in railway, the pattern of nails
become sword patterns after train passing. I still remember the
train almost across my village on time. So, the village boys
guessed the train car number first and count them when the train
crossed in everyday evening. Besides, my father retired from the
Pingtung Main Plant of Taiwan Sugar Corporation. He have told
me that many Corporation employees and the men who want to
go to Pingtung could take the sugar train go to Pingtung about
20-30 years year ago. Of course, there was no passenger train
station along the sugar train railway. You just shook your hands
when train was coming and the sugar train would stop and pick
you up. It sounds very hospitable."
"Right now I am not still one little boy, I still remember my
childhood's sugar trains. About 7 years ago, the sugar railway
across my village was dismantled and one new road were
constructed over the original railway path ( Pingtung Main Plant
of Taiwan Sugar Plant is shutdown several years ago). For me,
railway is dismantled but memory not!"
If you are interesting in those railways, welcome to
the Narrow Guage Kingdom, TAIWAN!
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Taiwan had many Sugarcane Railways before. There were over 3000 Km of tracks
in its golden age. This is the preserved DC named Sheng-Lee (means Victory) in
Wu-Su-Ling Sugarecane factory.
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