Chiayi Depots in the Age of Steam

At Chiayi Station, there used to be a pedestrian overpass outside the station that connected to the rear entrance. From this overpass, looking toward the direction of Kaohsiung, one could see the Chiayi Depot. Steam locomotives could also be seen emitting smoke. By 2024, however, the overpass had been removed due to the station’s elevation project.

I walked along the railway tracks to reach this point. The roundhouse at Chiayi Depot had up to track No. 8 and was apparently smaller in scale than the one in Hsinchu. However, since I was not allowed to take photographs at the time, I do not remember the details clearly.

The sign at the main gate of the Chiayi Depot read "Chiayi Locomotive Division (機務段, meaning locomotive depot in Chinese)" and "Chiayi Locomotive Company." Under martial law, the railway was considered a vital military facility, and organizations similar to military units were established. The person standing on the left is Mr. Ku Jen-jung, who served as our guide and also took photographs with us. At the time, photos taken by Taiwanese railfans were rare, making Mr. Ku's photos an invaluable historical record.

There were railway tracks on both sides of the depot gate, outside and inside, used by locomotives. However, I no longer remember exactly how they were positioned relative to each other.

There was also a signboard at the entrance of the office, showing even more detailed organizational titles. The sign on the left read "TRA Defense Corps, Chiayi Area Battalion, Locomotive Company," indicating a military-style organizational structure with battalions and companies. Another sign read "愉快上班 平安回家," a common Chinese expression meaning “Go to work with joy, return home safely.”

Chiayi Depot had a long, narrow layout along the tracks, and locomotives at rest could be seen even from the main line. This DT658 was built in 1941 by Kawasaki Rolling Stock Works and was originally classified as D518 under the Taiwan Governor-General’s Railway before the war. The slogan on the building in the background reads: "Ensure Safety Through Rolling Stock Inspection" (檢查車輛確保 行車安全). A smaller slogan in the lower right corner says: "Reviving Chinese Culture Requires Practice – Essentials for National Life" (復興中華文化要實踐－國民生活須知), which was one of the many political slogans frequently seen at the time.

DT665 was also built in 1941 by Kawasaki Rolling Stock Works and was designated as D5117 under the Taiwan Governor-General’s Railway during the Japanese era. Locomotives in Taiwan were all well-polished and gleaming in appearance.

This shows the smokebox door of a steam locomotive opened for cleaning out cinders (coal ash and clinker). Since about 100 to 150 kg of cinders are produced for every ton of coal burned, frequent cleaning was essential. It was a demanding task.

To dispose of accumulated cinders and other debris, they had to be loaded onto open freight cars for removal. Here, a person is pushing a freight car alone. On level ground, loosening the brakes allows the car to move relatively easily.

The roundhouse is in the background. This was as close as I could get to capture it in a photo. From left to right are DT665, CT259, and DT607—equivalent to Japan’s D51, C55, and 9600 classes. I had never seen all of these locomotives together in one place even in Japan.

CT259 was built in 1938 by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding in Kobe. It was originally designated as C559 by the Taiwan Governor-General’s Railway and is the final numbered unit among Taiwan’s C55 class locomotives. Today, it is preserved at the Takao Railway Museum in Kaohsiung.

Taiwan’s CT259 featured the same beautifully reinforced spoked driving wheels as Japan’s C55 class, known as “Mizukaki-tsuki spoke wheels” (spoked wheels with built-in mud scrapers). This distinctive wheel style was unique to the C55 class.

To enhance their appearance, some locomotives had their number plates, driving wheels, and rods painted. In service, the CT250 class featured modest decoration—red number plates and lightly accented red rods. Preserved examples sometimes have white lining on the running boards, yellow-painted pilot guards, or even fully red wheel centers in addition to rods, but during active service, the appearance was more subdued, as shown here.

The coal yard at Chiayi Depot was a sturdy structure reinforced with rubble stone and concrete. Coal was piled so high that it almost concealed the locomotives behind it.

CT275 was built in 1943 by Kawasaki Rolling Stock Works and was designated C575 under the Taiwan Governor-General’s Railway. It corresponds to the second production series of Japan’s JNR C57 class. In Japan, production of the C57 had already ceased by 1943 in favor of freight locomotive types, but four additional units were still built for Taiwan during that year.

D607 was built in 1929 by the Kisha Seizō Kaisha (Rolling Stock Company). Before the war, it was classified as E800 No. 826 by the Taiwan Governor-General’s Railway, and reclassified as D98 No. 826 during the 1937 renumbering. It was the 26th locomotive of the same type. After the war, it became part of the DT580 class. Among Taiwan’s 9600-class locomotives, features like the placement of the air compressor and reservoirs were standardized, so individual differences were minimal.

CK102 belonged to the CK100 class, a type not found in Japan. I was allowed to take this photo on the condition that I would not photograph the inside of the roundhouse. CK102 had already been retired and was in storage. It was built in 1917 by Kisha Seizō Kaisha. Under the Taiwan Governor-General’s Railway, it was originally classified as E400 No. E402, later renamed to C44 No. 402 during the 1937 reclassification. A total of 8 locomotives were built between 1917 and 1919 and were used for branch lines and shunting.

This is the only photo that captures the turntable at Chiayi Depot. CK102 has a 1-C-1 wheel arrangement, but the trailing wheel on the right side is derailed, likely due to a damaged axle.

DT601 is seen passing outside the fence. The fence itself was constructed using repurposed boiler tubes. DT601 was manufactured by Hitachi in 1929.

A southbound local train (known in Chinese as “普快車”) hauled by CT279 is passing by the depot. Passenger cars for local trains in Taiwan were similar to those in Japan, with doors at both ends of the carbody. However, for easier boarding, some cars had single or double doors located centrally—a design not seen in Japan. The CT279 was part of the second postwar production batch, built in 1953 by Hitachi for export to Taiwan. It came equipped with a pilot (cowcatcher) from the start. This group of locomotives represents the final production batch of Japanese National Railways-style steam locomotives.