By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department
With the arrival of Alishan’s 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 bloom, Huang Yuan-ming, a teacher at Xianglin Elementary School who has long shared Alishan scenery on the internet, also shared several train photography tips on his fan page “Alishan Strolling Amidst the Clouds.” In addition to visiting Alishan during peak bloom, you can also take beautiful photos of the Alishan train in motion to create lasting memories.
The sight of the train passing beneath cherry blossom trees attracts many photography enthusiasts. (Photo provided by Huang Yuan-ming of Alishan Strolling Amidst the Clouds)
Teacher Huang Yuan-ming reminds those wishing to photograph the flower-season steam trains to note that the train formation consists of a “red diesel locomotive + four cypress wood carriages + black steam locomotive.” Each service runs round-trip once. As the train cannot turn around, passengers should pay attention to the direction of travel in advance. On the upbound (outbound) journey, the red diesel locomotive leads, with the black steam locomotive behind. On the downbound (return) trip, this is reversed—the black steam locomotive is in front, followed by the red diesel locomotive. On the upbound (outbound) run, because the steam smoke and the direction of the locomotive are opposite—contrary to natural physics—you can use the upbound trip as a test shoot, saving the return trip for your official photography session.
Teacher Huang Yuan-ming reminds photographers to pay special attention to the upbound and downbound directions of the train. (Photo provided by Huang Yuan-ming of Alishan Strolling Amidst the Clouds)
The steam train, paired with cherry blossoms and mist, forms a classic view of Alishan. (Photo provided by Huang Yuan-ming of Alishan Strolling Amidst the Clouds)
In addition, the popular S-shaped Yoshino cherry blossom railway in front of the police station is another top photo spot. During the bloom, the train tracks transform into a red carpet of starlight, with excited fans on one side and photographers lining up by the railing on the other to capture the steam train and its cypress wood carriages as they glide through steam and blossoms. This is the scene that photography lovers eagerly chase.
Seize the moment the steam train passes by. (Image source / Taiwan Tourism Bureau)
※ The steam train runs three services per week during the flower season, specifically on March 10, 16, 23, 30, and April 6.