The Alishan Forest Railway

The Alishan Forest Railway is located in Alishan Township in west-central Taiwan's Chiayi County. Its construction was commenced in 1899 by the Japanese during their colonial occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945).

The railway was initially intended to transport logs down the mountain. It has a 762-millimeter gauge, a gradient of 6.25 percent, and a minimum turning radius of 40 meters. Traffic was opened on a 66.6-kilometer stretch in 1912, and was extended up Alishan to a full length of 71.4 kilometers in 1914.

The railway climbs from 30 meters above sea level to 2,216 meters. It has 49 tunnels and 77 bridges, and passes through a cross-section of climates and terrain types.

The railway has now become an integral part of Alishan's recreation facilities. After the Alishan Express was established in 1986 (which boasts a train journey of more than 3 hours), some of the carriages of the original trains were converted into hotel accommodation. A number of locomotives are also on display at the Old Railway Display Area.