Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park Introduction
Chiayi Garage Park, formerly known as "Beimen Repair Shop" during the Japanese colonial period, was originally located at the Beimen Mechanic Depot when the Pingdiao section was opened in October 1910. As the railroad construction expanded, it was officially put into operation in the first year of the Taisho era (1912). Its main functions were to construct and repair various locomotives, passenger cars, and freight wagons for the Alishan Railway, boasting nearly a century of history. Since the commencement of the Alishan line, the repair shop has served as the maintenance headquarters. Although the trains were purchased from the United States at that time, the Beimen Repair Shop employed one to two hundred workers skilled in maintenance, modifications, and manufacturing. They crafted replacement parts by hand, and could also produce outer boilers and steam engines. The Alishan cypress wooden passenger car is one of the classic masterpieces of the repair shop. Many precious retired Alishan trains are now preserved at the Beimen Repair Shop. On August 23, 1993, a large fire destroyed the wooden factory buildings, and some old trains were also lost to the flames. Today, some of the repair shop buildings have been renovated, while a few of the more valuable vehicles are parked inside for preservation. To allow the public to visit this historically significant site, it was renamed Chiayi Garage Park in 2005. The Chiayi Garage Park serves as the base for the Alishan Forest Railway trains and is a large ecological train museum for train enthusiasts. Visitors can closely see various retired steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, powered passenger cars, and freight cars from the Alishan Forest Railway, as well as the cypress passenger car used by the Japanese Crown Prince when he traveled to Alishan, giving a glimpse into a century of the Alishan Railway.
