The nationally treasured steam locomotive "The Duchess" has been restored and will make a glamorous comeback at the June Railway Festival

 

Taiwan Railways' last retired nationally treasured CT273 steam locomotive "The Duchess," which has been out of service for over 30 years, was recently successfully re-fired under the hard work of Director Hong Jinxing’s team at the Taipei Railway Workshop, along with retired veteran technician Mr. Liu Shugen. It is expected to make a splendid return on Railway Day, June 9.

 

The CT273 steam locomotive was manufactured in 1943 (Republic of China Year 32) by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan and was classified as part of Taiwan Railways' CT270 series, sharing the same design as Japan's C57 model. A total of 201 units of this type were produced in Japan, with 14 delivered to Taiwan at the time. Due to its more streamlined body compared to other models, it earned the honorable nickname "The Duchess" and was also honored with the title "Queen of Locomotives."

 

Taiwan currently retains four units: CT271, CT273, CT278, and CT284, located respectively in Keelung, the fan-shaped roundhouse in Changhua, Ershui, and Yilan. The CT270 series not only boasts elegant lines but also exceptional speed, making it one of the finest passenger locomotives on Taiwan Railways' western main line. With superior performance, its top designed speed reached 100 km/h, while the fastest passenger trains of the time only managed 85 km/h.

 

After the electrification of railways, the CT273 steam locomotive was taken out of service in 1979 (Republic of China Year 68) and was officially deregistered in February 1984 (Republic of China Year 73), becoming the last steam locomotive to be retired by Taiwan Railways.

 

 

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