Repairing 300 meters of railway track — Yilan’s “Taipingshan Forest Railway” to resume service in 2017

▲ The early Taipingshan Forest Railway was used for timber extraction and log transportation. (Photo / from Wikipedia)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The Yilan Taipingshan Forest Railway, which has been out of service for 35 years, is now set to make a comeback by the Luodong Forest District Office. Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the logging history of Taipingshan in Yilan this year (2014), the Forestry Bureau has decided to restore a 300-meter-long section of railway within the Luodong Forestry Culture Park after collecting extensive historical and cultural materials. It is expected that by 2017, the public will be able to take a ride on a steam train through the park.

The Taipingshan Forest Railway, with a total length of about 36 kilometers, had played a crucial role in local timber extraction and log transportation since its inauguration in 1924. It also provided passenger services, running from the Zhulin Station in Luodong to the Tuchang Station, passing through 10 stations, 7 tunnels, and 138 bridges. In its early days, it was the second-largest forest railway in Taiwan, only second to the Alishan Forest Railway.

According to a report by the Liberty Times, although local figures have called for the reconstruction of the railway in recent years for development purposes, the old tracks have been dismantled, and the restoration costs are substantial. Therefore, the Luodong Forest District Office currently plans to first renovate a roughly 300-meter-long section of the five-foot-gauge railway within the Luodong Forest Park. They will also choose the best-preserved Steam Locomotive No. 11 from several preserved steam engines in the park, attach carriages to it, and fulfill the long-held wish of many railway enthusiasts to ride the Taipingshan Forest Railway.

Lin [last name obscured], Director of the Luodong Forest District Office, stated that the current restoration is limited to the park area. However, if there is no opposition, they do not rule out expanding the operational distance. But first, they must plan for funding, manpower, and environmental factors. Currently, they are looking into eco-friendly power sources to avoid air pollution in the future. In the next phase, they also plan to restore the locomotives, aiming to provide visitors with a more complete forest railway experience. They hope to further enhance the region’s cultural appeal.