Restoration of national treasure steam locomotive 'The Duchess' – Railway Festival to showcase its glory in June

By the MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team

 

Taiwan Railways' last retired national treasure steam locomotive 'The Duchess' (CT273), which has been out of service for over 30 years, was recently successfully re-fired under the hard work of Director Hong Jin-xing’s team at Taipei Railway Workshop, along with retired veteran technician Mr. Liu Shu-gen. It is expected to make a glorious return on Railway Day, June 9.

 

The CT273 steam locomotive was manufactured in 1943 (Republic of China Year 32) by Japan's Kawasaki Vehicle Manufacturing and belonged to the Taiwan Railways' CT270 class, sharing the same design as Japan’s C57 type. A total of 201 such locomotives were produced in Japan, with 14 delivered to Taiwan at the time. Due to its more streamlined body shape compared to other models, it earned the honorable title of 'The Duchess' and was crowned the 'Queen of Locomotives.'

 

Taiwan currently retains four of these locomotives—CT271, CT273, CT278, and CT284—which are respectively stationed in Keelung, the Fan-Shaped Roundhouse in Changhua, Ershui, and Yilan. The CT270 series not only features elegant lines but also boasts remarkable speed, making it one of the finest passenger locomotives on Taiwan Railways’ western trunk line. With superior performance, its top designed speed reached 100 km/h, while the highest speed of Taiwan Railways passenger cars at the time was only 85 km/h.

 

After the electrification of railways, the CT273 steam locomotive was decommissioned in 1979 (Republic of China Year 68) and officially removed from the roster in February 1984 (Republic of China Year 73), becoming Taiwan Railways' last retired steam locomotive.

 

 

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