Text by / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department, compiled and reported
 
With the arrival of the Alishan Flower Season, the Alishan Forest Railway also operates special services featuring a black locomotive pulling four cypress wood carriages. If you want to capture the moving scenery of a steam train passing beneath cherry blossoms during the flower season, Huang Yuan-ming, a teacher from Xianglin Elementary School who has long shared Alishan landscapes on the internet, also shared several photography tips on his fan page “Alishan on Clouds.” In addition to visiting Alishan when the flowers are in full bloom, you can also take beautiful photos of the Alishan train in motion to create lasting memories.

Teacher Huang Yuan-ming reminds those wishing to photograph the flower-season steam train to note that the train formation is “red diesel locomotive + four cypress wood carriages + black steam locomotive.” Each service makes a round trip. Since the train cannot turn around, it’s important to pay attention to the direction of travel in advance. On the upbound (outbound) journey, the red diesel locomotive is at the front, and the black steam locomotive is at the back. On the downbound (return) journey, this is reversed—the black steam locomotive is at the front, and the red diesel locomotive is at the back. On the upbound (outbound) journey, because the white steam smoke and the direction of the locomotive are opposite—contrary to natural phenomena—you can use this trip as a test shot, saving the return trip for your official photography session.

In addition, the popular S-shaped Yoshino cherry blossom railway in front of the police station is a top photography spot. During the flower season, the train tracks transform into a red starlight pathway. On one side are enthusiastic fans, while on the other, photographers stake out positions along the railing to shoot the steam train and its cypress wood carriages as they pass through the steam smoke and beneath the cherry blossoms. This scene is exactly the kind of picturesque moment that photography enthusiasts flock to capture.

※ The steam train operates three services per week during the flower season, on March 10, 16, 23, 30, and April 6.
 

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