Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park Introduction
Chiayi Depot Park, formerly known as "Beimen Repair Shop" during the Japanese colonial period, is located on the site of the Beimen Engine Warehouse, which opened in October 1910 when the flatland section was completed. It officially began operations in 1912, the first year of the Taisho era, as the main facility for building and repairing various locomotives, passenger cars, and freight cars for the Alishan Railway. With nearly a century of history, the repair shop has served as the maintenance headquarters since the inauguration of the Alishan line. Although the trains were originally purchased from the United States, the Beimen Repair Shop employed around 200 skilled workers capable of maintaining, modifying, and manufacturing parts when needed—crafting replacement parts by hand, producing boilers, and steam engines in-house. The Alishan cypress wood passenger car is one of the workshop's classic masterpieces, and numerous retired Alishan trains are preserved at the Beimen Repair Shop. On August 23, 1993 (the 82nd year of the Republic of China), a major fire occurred at the Beimen Repair Shop, destroying wooden buildings and part of the old trains. Today, some of the workshop's structures have been renovated, and a few valuable vehicles are kept in storage for preservation. To allow the public to visit this historically significant site, it was renamed Chiayi Depot Park in 2005. Chiayi Depot Park is also the station base for Alishan Forestry Railway trains and a large train-themed ecopark for railway enthusiasts. Visitors can get up close to various retired steam locomotives, diesel locomotives, powered passenger coaches, freight cars, and the cypress carriage used by the Japanese crown prince during his visit to Alishan, offering a glimpse into a century of Alishan railway history.
