I wanted to go from Hualien to Alishan (阿里山) in my first trip to Taiwan, but little did I know that although they are side by side on the rather thin peninsular, they are separated by mountain ranges. The trains run a loop around the island, and it is possible to go across, but it will take a very long, arduous drive. So for my second trip to Taiwan, I definitely had to factor it in, although it's a pity I missed the cherry blossom season.
Chushan (or Zhushan) Station on the Alishan Forest Railway used to be the highest railway station in Asia at 2451m until the Qinghai-Tibet Railway was completed in 2006. In fact, the list of railways above 2,000 m stands at fewer than 20 worldwide (Thanks Wikipedia!). Interestingly, the Japanese built and completed the Alishan Mountain Railway in 1911 to transport timber from the logging of Cypress (or 檜木, or hinoki) from the forest to be exported. While writing this up, Cypress wood sounded very familiar, then it dawned on me that it is the very prized material used to make the roofs of many a Japanese shrines and palaces, including but not limited to the Kiyomizudera Temple and the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It all made sense!
The Alishan Mountain Railway was opened in 1911 .Used in its earlier days for transporting timber,when the policy of conservation of forest resources was introduced it became a tourist railway. The locomotive pulls the cypress carriages through the misty forest, passing fallen cherry blossom, also greeting the dawn each day, the turning gears and loud whistle arousing special railway memories. source
Unfortunately, some parts of the railway remain closed for repairs after a typhoon struck. From Taiwan, The Bradt Travel Guide by Steven Cook:
From Taichung, we went to Chiayi, before taking a bus up to the Alishan Bus Station and there is a park permit that you must pay for. After checking into our minsu near the bus station, we visited the Alishan Train Station.
This wooden structure has a classic charm due to a row of semi-arch wooden pillars on its platform. This unprecedented unique design is immediately noticeable once visitors get off the train. Outside the platform is a spacious observatory offering a full view of the layered Tashan (Tower Mountain). During good weather conditions, one can even see the sea of clouds and a glorious sunset. Perched on top of a mountain, this well-located observatory also offers a clear view of all the shops down below. In addition, the observatory displays four sculptures made from Taiwanese cypress native to Alishan. They artistically represent the four stages of beginning, development, transition, and conclusion, not only giving an account of Alishan’s history but also linking old and new memories together. source
A model of the railway
And the highest station, Chushan (Wishing Mountain)
The train timings, the left columns for Zhaoping and right columns for Shenmu
Train Timings for the sunrise:
The Shenmu line is part of the Alishan Mountain Railway’s main line. This is where the third junction is.To make it easy for visitors to view the sacred tree, all trains stop at Shenmu Station. While here, why not take a walk on the Shemnu Trail and view the 20 tall Formosan red cypress trees along it? Through air filled with Pythoncidere, the wooden plank trail leads to Zhaoping Station.The Zhushan line from Zhaoping Station to Zhushan Station carries visitors to watch the sunrise. When the Forestry Bureau built the line it was the first high mountain railway designed and built by Taiwanese. The line climbs from the 2216 m elevation of Zhaoping Station to the 2451 m of Zhushan Station, covering a distance of 6.25 km. The sunrise viewing train departs from Zhaoping Station at different times in accordance with the time of sunrise. source
Such a cutie at the station
What a sweet-heart
A box to drop your insurance registration forms (comes with the train ticket I think)
Finally we got to the platform
The impressive train station, made of what else but Cypress
On the train
At Zhaoping/ Chaoping Station
You can go to these places:
After a walk in the forest, we reached the Shenmu (Sacred Tree) Station, with a fallen tree.
The overhead commentary told us about the bend, perfect time to get a shot of the train.
On regular days like these, only the red trains ply the routes, so I asked the staff when the black trains will be used. What black trains? These as seen on a mosaic wall mural, drawing in a teahouse and limited edition postcards:
Well the reply was that the black trains are only used for special occasions. Hmm how interesting!
In conclusion, the characteristics of the Alishan Forest Railway
I quote:
1. One of the three Famous mountaineering railway in the world.
2. The train is driven from the Chiayi of elevation of 30 meters to the Alishan of elevation of 2216 meters, maximum grade of 6.26%, minimum curve radius of 40 meters.
3. The train is driven to mountains with the way of "push".
4. The train is winded three circles (about 5 kilometers) in the Dulishan (Tuli mountain) with the way of the spirally mountaineering.
5. From 1st switch, it called "Alishan bumping into the wall" and it changed into "Z switchback".
6. The most famous attractions in the Alisan are Sunrise, Sunset, Sea of Clouds, Various forest and mountaineering train.
More on the "most famous attractions" coming right up! I'm so glad I visited Alishan. I've always found most long-distance train journeys to be rather romantic.
More pictures are available on my Flickr (simply click any photo).
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Taiwan Day 6 - Alishan, Day 2, Kaoshiung, Day 1:
多謝分享。上次去台灣沒有機會光顧阿里山，成了一種遺憾。在今後的幾年內一定重溫寶島之夢，到時候一定要去阿里山和日月潭！
ReplyDeleteYes I agree! Alishan, Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge are my three natural wonders must-visits in Taiwan. I only managed to visit Alishan on my second trip.
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