Riding Through Time: Explore Taiwan’s Cedar Forests on a Stunning 113-Year-Old Mountain Railway
At 10 am, beams of radiant gold light are slicing through the cloud cover above the wooded summits of the Alishan mountain range in southwest Taiwan. I'm traveling aboard a vintage steam locomotive, and much remains similar to when this iron horse made its inaugural journey through these highland woods back in 1912.
Outside my window, dense groups of hinoki—also called Japanese cypress—are lined up along the path like an honor guard. Their twisted yet rigid trunks compete for room with bamboo, which holds great value for the Indigenous Tsou people and serves purposes ranging from building structures to making handicrafts.
For richer or poorer, this area has been defined by the Japanese Those who came following the conclusion of the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 included forestry specialists sent to the area as the new century began. These experts verified the abundance of coniferous trees in the vicinity.
In 1906, the Japanese company Fujita Group set about building a railway, desperate to nurture a forestry industry built on the vast swathes of cedar and cypress blanketing these mountains.
However, achieving this wasn't simple. The construction was halted in 1908, leading to Taiwanese the government assumed control of the project, and in 1912, the initial batch of steam locomotives began operating on the rails.
Thrumming along freshly refurbished rails
Today, as I rumble through the forests of Alishan National Scenic Area along the recently restored 71-kilometre railway (full operations resumed in 2024), it’s not hard to see why the Japanese admitted defeat. The route includes countless switchbacks, 77 bridges and 50 tunnels - one of which has recently been painted with images of supersized sunflowers.
US-made Shay locomotives were brought in to assist with moving substantial freight—loads of wood bound for Taiwan’s harbors—but several challenges proved more difficult to tackle. The area frequently faced disruptions from typhoons, earthquakes, and landslides, causing significant damage. Building the initial railroad was an impressive engineering accomplishment that demanded extensive labor.
Many of these workers lived in Chiayi, a small city shaped by the timber industry. It’s the starting point for the heritage railway, and today, one of its biggest attractions is Hinoki Village, a cluster of squat wooden cottages built as accommodation for railway and forestry workers. These cottages now house souvenir shops selling cedarwood chopping boards and oolong tea grown nearby.
Unfortunately, the railway came to a standstill in the 1960s with the decline of the logging sector. Though sporadic services continued over time, Typhoon Morakot dealt the decisive blow in 2009, leading to the shutdown of a rail route desperately requiring significant maintenance and care.
The railway serves as a 'living history of Taiwan.'
The workforce responsible for reviving this railway in 2024 may not reside in Hinoki Village, yet their dedication mirrors that of its former inhabitants deeply.
All those engaged in its restoration, be they the station masters stationed at some of the track's loneliest stops or the engineers who manually laid parts of the railway in distant, hard-to-reach areas, share this viewpoint. For them, this project was far more than just changing out a couple of sleepers.
The Alishan Forest Railway is more than just a railway," explains Mr. Shen Yi-Ching, head of the Safety Management Division. "It serves as a testament to Taiwan's past. Established during the Japanese colonial period for logging purposes, this railway facilitated the transportation of wood from these valuable forests. Over time, towns, businesses, and distinct cultural practices developed alongside it.
It’s a culture that the railway celebrates in various manners. Some carriages are lined with aromatic cedar wood, and several stations along the way look like forest shrines.
As we approach, I observe the conductor leaning out of the window handing over a sizable token connected to a length of rope to the stationmaster. train When it departs, another token is handed back to the conductor. This ceremony has been around since the railroad's prime era, serving as proof that the train was authorized to travel over the last stretch of tracks and is permitted to continue towards the upcoming segment.
Tourists have replaced cargo
Train stations such as Jiaoliping, which huddles in the shadow of both cedar-carpeted mountains and a trackside, lantern-adorned temple, are spotlessly clean.
All too often, railways in Europe become dumping grounds for discarded bottles, cans and other detritus. But here, any scraps of litter are quickly removed by members of the local communities, who see the railway as a lifeline, and regularly gather to conduct organised litter-picking sessions.
The trains chugging along this railway didn’t just carry lumber – they carried supplies and post, and connected locals with the outside world. Today, the cargo is tourists – an equally valuable commodity. Many of the stations double as departure points for hikers eager to discover the paths meandering through Alishan's mountains speckled with fireflies.
The train workers and loggers who used to stop at these stops for resting and refueling spots have been taken over by visitors queuing up at food stands to enjoy the bento boxes that were earlier consumed by those working on the railway lines. It’s worth trying some turkey rice (a local delicacy here in this region of Taiwan) along with a steaming cup of oolong mountain tea (gāoshān chá).
Artifacts from the railway’s glory days can be spotted easily. You'll find old, rusty fire-fighting tools—water guns—that were utilized by maintenance crews to put out blazes ignited by locomotive sparks. Ruan Wen-An, residing beside the small Dulishan railway station, eagerly shares with travelers the particular water gun belonging to his grandfather.
At Fenqihu Station, ancient tools are showcased. The station features a grand, cathedral-style wooden locomotive shed that has been converted into an exhibit area, allowing guests to explore the railway's past.
Dawn atop Taiwan's highest summit
Many individuals consider their ultimate stop as Alishan Station, situated 71.4 kilometers away from Chiayi. However, another noteworthy segment is the brief yet delightful Zhushan Line, added in 1984. This addition has also become part of the railway’s history. Notably, this stretch represents the sole portion of the Alishan Forest Railway constructed post-World War II.
After reaching Alishan Station, I head back aboard what they call the sunrise train for the half-hour trip to Zhushan Station. Situated at an altitude of 2,451 meters, this marks Taiwan’s highest railway station. Following extensive refurbishment in 2023, it now boasts a grand curved roof reminiscent of ribbons unfurling and design features evocative of the clouds often shrouding the nearby mountain summits.
Nature has also influenced its design in clear ways; close to the entrance, a massive red cedar sprouts through a specially made opening in the ceiling. This structure offers a Taiwanese interpretation of mid-century modern architecture similar to those found in Palm Springs, where round openings were often created for palm trees. The natural world even impacts departure timings. These vary according to when the sun rises each day, as shown on manual signage at the platforms.
A train worker tells me that despite this particular journey lasting just 30 minutes, it generates a similar revenue to that of the restored Alishan Forest Railway. The reason? Every morning, tourists clamour to board the train in time to watch the sun rise over the distant mountains from an observation point close to Zhushan station. Taiwan’s tallest peak, Jade Mountain, is one of the many natural wonders on show.
The Alishan Forest Railway is a testament to enduring resilience, and it’s appropriate that significant portions of its rejuvenation were completed manually rather than with machines. This project represents a labor of affection, and recently faced an unforeseen challenge, surpassing all expectations in the process.
A short time following its launch in July 2024, Typhoon Gaemi The typhoon swept across Taiwan, causing landslides that led to the closure of the railway for track clearance. However, unlike the storm which marked its end in 2009, the railway suffered minimal damage and reopened just a month later—a testament to this cedar-fragranced triumph standing strong into the future.
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