Taiwanese Steam Locomotives in Japan

Wudu, located between Taipei and Keelung, once had the Keelung Coal Mine Railway, a 610 mm line worked by small steam locomotives. Nos. 3 and 6 are 3.5-ton engines built in the 1930s by Kusunoki Works in Osaka and hauled coal on the mine’s private trackage. By the 1970s all JNR steam had disappeared, and the small steam engines that had survived on mines, factories, and local private railways had mostly vanished by the 1960s. As a result, examples of small steam locomotives preserved in Japan are rare. These two engines, repatriated from the Keelung coal line soon after its closure, are particularly valuable. Once caked in mud at the mines, they were restored after arriving in Japan and today are operated on selected days at Narita Dream Dairy Farm. (Photos: 2003, 2004, 2008)

TSR(Taiwan Sugar Railways) No. 347 is a 12.5-ton C-tank locomotive imported by Taiwan Sugar Corporation in 1948 from AFB (Anglo-Franco-Belge). In 1988 it was purchased by the JCI Hebei chapter and donated to Hebei Town, where it began occasional operation in Hebei Central Park as a remembrance of the local “Imoko Train.” In 2005 the boiler failed; because renewal would be costly, a steam generator was mounted at the rear of the locomotive to supply steam to the cylinders, resulting in its present configuration. It operates only a few times a year for children’s rides. (Photos: Sep. 2025)

TSR No. 360 is a 12.5-ton C-tank built by Tubize (Belgium) in 1948. Around 1990 it was acquired and preserved by a private owner in Ageo, Saitama. In 2005 it moved to the Japan Garden Railway (JGR) in Susono, Shizuoka, and later was transferred to the Naka River Clear Stream Railway Preservation Society in Tochigi. It is currently on display there; opening days are irregular. (Photos: Ageo 2005; Naka River Clear Stream Railway 2014)

Taiwan Sugar Corporation’s locomotive No. 362 is a 12.5-ton Class C tank locomotive built in 1948 by Tubize in Belgium. After its retirement, it was brought to Japan and was preserved in working order at Nobeyama SL Land, which opened in Showa 61 (1986). At that time, it was modified to carry a large steam-generating unit mounted on the rear of the locomotive. With the closure of the park in Heisei 30 (2018), the locomotive was moved to Kato Garden Park (KATO Railway Park) in Tsurugashima City, Saitama Prefecture. The externally mounted large unit was removed and replaced with a smaller steam-generating device that fits within the locomotive’s body. However, it was not restored to its original appearance; instead, it was repainted green and named “Oliver,” and is preserved in this altered form. It is usually kept inside the engine shed, where part of it can be seen through the windows. (Photos: Nobeyama, 2018; Kato Garden Park, 2026)

No. 363, also a 12.5-ton C-tank built by Tubize in 1948, was preserved statically at Nobeyama SL Land from its opening in 1986. It is presumed the park acquired both Nos. 362 and 363 aiming for double-headed operation, but due to boiler safety requirements and the expense of fitting steam generators, only No. 362 may have been modified. After the park closed, No. 363 was temporarily stored by Tsurugashima City before KATO Railway Park opened; its subsequent whereabouts are unknown. (Photo: 2020)

Seibu Railway’s Yamaguchi Line connected Seibuen Amusement Park with “UNESCO Village.” It was operated by battery locomotives that looked like amusement-park rides, and was popularly known as the “Fairy-Tale Train.” In reality, however, it was a bona fide local railway: it used a 762 mm gauge and employed tablet block working. In Showa 47 (1972), operations began with steam locomotives borrowed from the Kubiki Railway and the Ikasa Railway. Later, in Showa 52 (1977), aiming to operate with steam locomotives owned by the company, Seibu purchased two 15-ton, 0-4-0T (C1) Koppel-built locomotives from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation: No. 527, built in Showa 3 (1928), and No. 532, built in Showa 5 (1930). However, in Showa 59 (1984), the locomotives were withdrawn when the line was converted to a new transit system, and were preserved at “Restaurant Poppo” inside Seibuen Amusement Park. Subsequently, in Heisei 23 (2011), they were transferred to the Chen Chung-He Charity Foundation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Returned to Taiwan, they are now on display at the Chen Chung-He Memorial Hall. (Photos: the Yamaguchi Line in 1984; Seibuen Amusement Park in 2008; the Chen Chung-He Memorial Hall in 2024)

The other locomotive purchased from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and operated on the Seibu Railway Yamaguchi Line together with No. 527 was No. 532, built by Koppel in Showa 5 (1930). After being withdrawn when the Yamaguchi Line was converted to a new transit system, it was preserved at UNESCO Village, later moved to “Maruseppu Ikoi-no-Mori” in Hokkaido, and is now preserved as a static exhibit at Kato Garden Park (KATO Railway Park). (Kato Garden Park, 2026)

No. 650 is a C1 locomotive built in 1928 by Orenstein & Koppel (Koppel). Tohoku Kogyo purchased it in 1974; Kyosan Kogyo built and fitted a tender and overhauled the engine. It was displayed in front of the “Regina” restaurant in Zao Town, but after the restaurant closed the engine was left outdoors and deteriorated. In 2003, thanks to the efforts of Mr. I from Akita, it returned to Taiwan and was preserved at Suantou Sugar Factory. In 2017 the Chiayi County Cultural & Tourism Bureau funded restoration, but it was not returned to operating condition; it remains on display at Suantou. (Photos: Zao 2003; Suantou 2024)

The TRA Taitung Line was originally 762 mm gauge. Anticipating a future gauge change to 1,067 mm like other lines, it was built to a lighter, inexpensive “light railway” standard. The LDK50 class—D-axle-arrangement, 21.4-ton tank locomotives—comprised 13 engines built between 1913 - 1938 by H.K. Porter (USA), Kisha Seizo, Nippon Sharyo, and Hitachi. LDK56 was built by Kisha Seizo in 1918. Around 1984 it returned to Japan and has been displayed at “Steak PekoPeko Minami-Koshigaya.” The company once collected rail vehicles for display and even shop use; you can still see a bogie under the rear of the building. Unfortunately, maintenance appears poor. (Photo: 2004)

LDK57, built by Kisha Seizo in 1920, returned to Japan around 1984. It was first displayed at the Tama-Plaza Shopping Center, then moved to “Steak PekoPeko” in Hasuda. After that restaurant closed, the locomotive was stored on a vacant lot, and later moved to “Nasu SL Land,” where it received a colorful livery reminiscent of Thomas & Friends. (Photos: Hasuda 1997; after closure 2003; vacant lot 2005; Nasu 2011)