Steam in Taiwan

Please see the Taiwan section on my Asia (East) page for possible updates.

This page contains a summary of the Taiwan reports for the latest update (15th April 2010) see Restored Steam Locomotives in Taiwan.

Wayne Weiss sent me this snippet (18th October 1998) which concerns the Alishan railway::
"A Chinese co-worker of my brother showed him a copy of the Chinese CENTRAL DAILY NEWS of about a week ago (can't find a date I recognize) with a picture of a crane lowering a restored #26 cab onto a Shay inside a large machine shop. She told him it said that it was restored for special operations and was the only operating Shay." Click here for a report of the revival of CK101 in 1998/9 and (29th October 1999) Lee Chung Jen's further picture and Shay (26) Lives! - (more pictures added 6th March 2000). John Raby has added an update of the current scene from Chung Jen to his site (28th May 2000). CK101 and CK124 venture out from time to time, Continental Railway Journal  150 notes that specials were run from 22nd to 24th December 2006 and again on 3rd/4th February 2007 with CK 124 with CK 101 sidelined needing retyring (23rd July 2007). Apparently CK 124 did a round Taiwan special in June 2007 - brief information from Hsieh Ming Hsiu (27th July 2007) - further information would be appreciated.

John Raby has put up a page of known workable and preserved steam engines in Taiwan.  I also have a list on my own pages here from Su I-Jaw (Ali Shan Shays added 27th November 2000, updated 30th March 2015).

I get little information on steam in Taiwan (few steam enthusiasts there speak much English) so I was pleased to hear from Hsieh Ming Hsiu that Hsin-Ying Sugar Factory had repaired 762mm gauge Tubize 370 to run tourist trains on the Wu-Shu-Lin Sugar Factory system (15th February 2005). It is on the list of known preserved locomotives. The first picture dates from 2005, the second from June 2007 (added 23rd July 2007).

Hsieh Ming Hsiu has sent me pictures of a second Tubize locomotive being restored - 346 at Hsi-Hu sugar mill where it was previously a static exhibit (added 27th July 2007).