Luodong Forest Railway
The Luodong Forest Railway or Bong Bong Train (traditional Chinese: 羅東森林鐵路; simplified Chinese: 罗东森林铁路; pinyin: Luódōng Sēnlín Tiělù) was a 36.4 km (22.6 miles) long narrow gauge forest railway with a gauge of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) near Luodong in Yilan County, Taiwan. The track was opened in 1924 and closed in 1979. A section will be re-used for tourist trains.
| Luodong Forest Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Luodong Forest Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Line length | 36.4 km (22.6 miles) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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History
The Luodong Forest Railway was inaugurated on 27 January 1924 for goods services. Passenger transport commenced in May 1926 with 10 stations.[1]
In 1970 Lin-Tailong railway station north of Luodong railway station was inaugurated. Chinese diesel rail cars were introduced in 1971, to improve the quality for the passengers while reducing the operating cost. The goods volume of forest produce declined after 1976, and passenger transport lost in importance due to increasing road traffic.
The track required many wooden bridges, and as a consequence it was prone to flood damage. Thus the track was de-commissioned on 1 August 1979 after 56 years of service.[2] In August 2019, Wu Tze-cheng stated that the railway would be rebuilt in two phases, for a total cost of NT$8 million.[3]
Luodong Forest Railway on the Tsaiqiao Bridge
Alishan Forest Railway
Track
The railway was an extension of the Taiping Mountain Forest Railway. There were ten stations along the track, which passed seven tunnels and 17 or 22 bridges. A single trip lasted approximately 2 hours and 50 minutes.[1]
| Name | Chinese | Taiwanese | Hakka | Distance (km) | Transfers and Notes | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lo-tung | 羅東 | Lô-tong | Lò-tûng | -0.6 |   Yilan line: Luodong |
Luodong | Yilan |
| Chu-lin | 竹林 | Tek-lîm | Chuk-lìm | 0.0 | |||
| Wai-tzŭ-wai | 歪仔歪 | Oai-á-oai | Vâi-è-vâi | 3.04 | |||
| Ta-chou | 大洲 | Toā-chiu | Thai-chû | 5.92 | Sanxing | ||
| Wan-fu | 萬富 | Bān-pù | Van-fu | 10.24 | |||
| San-hsing | 三星 | Saⁿ-chheⁿ/chhiⁿ | Sâm-sên | 14.50 | |||
| Tien-sung-pʻi | 天送埤 | Thian-sàng-pi | Thiên-sung-phî | 18.02 | Limited tourist service around station | ||
| Chʻing-shui-hu | 清水湖 | Chheng-chúi-ô͘ | Tshîn-súi-fù | 21.38 | |||
| Niu-tou | 牛鬥 | Gû-tàu | Ngiù-teu | 23.78 | |||
| Lê-shui | 樂水 | Lo̍k-chúi | Lo̍k-súi | 29.38 | Datong | ||
| Tʻu-chʻang | 土場 | Thô͘-tiûⁿ | Thú-chhòng | 36.64 | →  Taiping Mountain Forest Railway | ||
Preserved buildings
The rails were lifted and scrapped after de-commissioning, and the bridges and tunnels collapsed over time. There are still some railway station buildings and similar buildings as well as tunnels, dams and bridge pillars, of which some are listed as cultural heritage.
Tunnel No 8 of 1921 is still in sound condition fertiggestellte Tunnel Nr. 8 is well preserved and has been listed in July 2012 as a Grade II listed historic building. It is near the Lan Yang CreekDamm, approximately 350 metres off the settlement of the Zhiban tribe. It is only 40 m (44 yards) long. At its entrance are concrete vaults and in other areas solid rock of slate. The interior was originally reinforced by wooden struts which have disappeared over time.[4]
Tien-sung-pi railway station
Turntable in Tien-sung-pi
Chu-lin railway station
Restoration
New railway tracks were laid on both sides of the road at Tien-sung-pi railway station. New rolling stock in the historic style was manufactured and successfully tested. A 3.9-km-long piece of track is planned to be used for regular heritage trains starting with effect of October 2017.[5]
References
- 太平山森林鐵路 [Taiping Mountain Forest Railway]. Executive Yuan COA Forest Service. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- 羅東林鐵八號隧道 (in Chinese). Bureau of Cultural Heritage of the Executive Yuan. 23 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- Chung, Jake (30 August 2019). "Forestry railway in Yilan to reopen after 40 years: minister". Taipei Times. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- Huang, Tony (25 November 2017). Tony的自然人文旅記(994): 宜蘭大同．樂水部落．桂竹林步道．濁水神社遺跡．羅東林鐵八號隧道. [Tunnel No 8 of the Luodong Railway] (in Traditional Chinese).
- 太平山林鐵五分仔車 月底試營運. news.ltn.com.tw. 10 October 2017.
External links
- 從八仙山到太平山 羅東林鐵的蒸汽機車傳奇 [From Baxian Mountain to Taiping Mountain. Legend of the Luodong Steam Railway]. blog.xuite.net. 15 July 2014.
- 走訪羅東森林鐵路的軌跡 探訪千年檜木的的旅程 [Visit Luodong Forest Railway]. Luodong-Lin Forest Office. Retrieved 10 August 2016.