I rode through Taiwan's cedar forests on this scenic 113-year-old mountain railway

It’s 10am, and spears of aureate sunlight are piercing nan clouds draped complete nan forested peaks of nan Alishan scope successful southwestern Taiwan. My mode of carrier is simply a steam train, and successful galore ways, small has changed since it first rumbled done these alpine forests successful 1912.

Beyond my window, heavy clusters of hinoki – different known arsenic Japanese cypress – statement nan way for illustration a defender of honour, their gnarled, ramrod-straight trunks vying for abstraction pinch bamboo, prized by nan Indigenous Tsou people and utilized for everything from building to crafts.

For amended aliases worse, this is simply a region shaped by nan Japanese who arrived present aft nan first Sino-Japanese War successful 1895. Forestry experts dispatched to nan region astir nan move of nan period confirmed nan beingness of a immense number of conifers.

In 1906, nan Japanese institution Fujita Group group astir building a railway, hopeless to nurture a forestry manufacture built connected nan immense swathes of cedar and cypress blanketing these mountains.

But doing truthful wasn’t easy. Construction was abandoned successful 1908, prompting nan Taiwanese authorities to return complete nan project, and successful 1912, nan first steam locomotives took to nan tracks.

Rumbling on precocious restored tracks

Today, arsenic I rumble done nan forests of Alishan National Scenic Area on nan precocious restored 71-kilometre railway (full operations resumed successful 2024), it’s not difficult to spot why nan Japanese admitted defeat. The way includes countless switchbacks, 77 bridges and 50 tunnels - 1 of which has precocious been painted pinch images of supersized sunflowers.

US-built Shay locomotives were imported to thief displacement nan dense loads – tonnes of timber destined for Taiwan’s ports – but different obstacles were harder to overcome. Typhoons, earthquakes and landslides regularly wreaked havoc connected this peculiar region, and nan process of constructing nan original railway was a feat of engineering which required a immense magnitude of manpower.

Many of these workers lived successful Chiayi, a mini metropolis shaped by nan timber industry. It’s nan starting constituent for nan practice railway, and today, 1 of its biggest attractions is Hinoki Village, a cluster of squat woody cottages built arsenic accommodation for railway and forestry workers. These cottages now location souvenir shops trading cedarwood chopping boards and oolong beverage grown nearby.

Sadly, nan railway crushed to a halt successful nan 1960s arsenic nan forestry manufacture declined. Occasional services still ran, but successful 2009, Typhoon Morakot hammered nan last nail successful nan coffin, prompting nan closure of a railway statement already successful hopeless request of immoderate superior TLC.

The railway is simply a ‘living history of Taiwan’

The workers who brought this railway backmost to life successful 2024 mightiness not unrecorded successful Hinoki Village, but their passion runs conscionable arsenic heavy arsenic its erstwhile tenants.

Everyone progressive pinch its restoration, whether it’s nan stationmasters based astatine immoderate of nan route’s astir isolated stations aliases engineers who laid definite sections of obstruction by manus successful remote, inaccessible locations, has nan aforesaid perspective. This wasn’t simply astir replacing a fewer sleepers.

“The Alishan Forest Railway isn’t conscionable a railway,” says Mr. Shen Yi-Ching, main of nan Safety Management Division. “It’s a surviving history of Taiwan. It started pinch nan harvesting of our precious forests during nan Japanese assemblage era. The railway was built to carrier that timber, and astir it grew communities, industries and a unsocial culture.”

And it’s a civilization which nan railway honours successful galore ways. Certain carriages are clad pinch fragrant cedarwood, and galore of nan stations on nan way lucifer wood temples.

As we propulsion in, I watch nan conductor thin retired nan model and walk a ample token, attached to a loop of rope, to nan stationmaster. Before nan train departs, different token is passed backmost to nan conductor. It’s a ritual which has existed since nan railway’s heyday, and 1 which proves that nan train had nan correct to traverse nan erstwhile conception of track, and has support to proceed to nan adjacent one.

Tourists person replaced cargo

Train stations specified arsenic Jiaoliping, which huddles successful nan protector of some cedar-carpeted mountains and a trackside, lantern-adorned temple, are spotlessly clean.

All excessively often, railways successful Europe go dumping grounds for discarded bottles, cans and different detritus. But here, immoderate scraps of litter are quickly removed by members of nan section communities, who spot nan railway arsenic a lifeline, and regularly stitchery to behaviour organised litter-picking sessions.

The trains chugging on this railway didn’t conscionable transportation lumber – they carried supplies and post, and connected locals pinch nan extracurricular world. Today, nan cargo is visitors – an arsenic valuable commodity. Many of nan stations double arsenic departure points for hikers keen to research nan trails which weave done Alishan’s firefly-dotted mountains.

The lumberjacks and train drivers who would region astatine these stations to remainder and refuel person now been replaced by visitors who queue astatine nutrient stalls to feast connected nan bento boxes which erstwhile sustained those who toiled connected its tracks. I urge a serving of turkey atom (a speciality successful this portion of Taiwan), followed by a cup of oolong upland beverage (gāoshān chá).

Relics from nan railway’s heyday are ne'er acold away. There are rusting h2o guns erstwhile utilized by way gangs to extinguish fires caused by sparks from nan train. Ruan Wen-An, who lives adjacent to nan railway’s mini Dulishan railway station, will happily show passengers nan 1 erstwhile owned by his grandfather.

Ancient devices are connected show astatine Fenqihu Station. Here, a cathedral-like woody loco shed has been transformed into an accumulation abstraction wherever visitors tin study astir nan railway’s history.

Sunrise complete Taiwan’s tallest peak

For galore people, nan last destination is Alishan Station, 71.4 kilometres from Chiayi. But nan short, saccharine Zhushan Line, an hold which opened successful 1984, is now portion of nan railway’s story, too. It is nan only conception of nan Alishan Forest Railway to beryllium built aft WWII.

The time aft arriving astatine Alishan Station, I return to committee nan alleged sunrise train for nan 30-minute travel to Zhushan Station. At 2,451 metres supra oversea level, it’s Taiwan’s highest train station. In 2023, it emerged from a awesome renovation, pinch a sweeping tile resembling 2 lengths of ribbon, and architectural elements inspired by nan clouds which regularly cloak nan surrounding peaks.

Nature has shaped its creation successful much tangible ways, too; adjacent nan entrance, a towering reddish cedar grows done a bespoke spread successful nan roof. It is simply a Taiwanese return connected nan mid-century modern buildings I’ve seen successful Palm Springs, galore of which person information holes added to accommodate thenar trees. Nature shapes departure times, too. They dangle connected what clip nan sun rises that day, displayed connected level motion boards which are manually changed.

A train worker tells maine that contempt this peculiar travel lasting conscionable 30 minutes, it generates a akin gross to that of nan restored Alishan Forest Railway. The reason? Every morning, visitors clamour to committee nan train successful clip to watch nan sun emergence complete nan distant mountains from an study constituent adjacent to Zhushan station. Taiwan’s tallest peak, Jade Mountain, is 1 of nan galore earthy wonders connected show.

The Alishan Forest Railway is simply a railway which has genuinely stood nan trial of time, and it’s fitting that overmuch of its restoration was carried retired not pinch machinery but by hand. It’s a labour of love, and 1 which passed a recent, unexpected trial pinch flying colours.

Just a fewer days aft its opening successful July 2024, Typhoon Gaemi swept complete Taiwan, and landslides meant nan railway was forced to adjacent truthful that tracks could beryllium cleared. But dissimilar nan typhoon, which sealed its destiny successful 2009, nan railway emerged mostly unscathed, opening a period later – impervious that this cedar-scented occurrence communicative is present to stay.