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)

No. 362, another 12.5-ton C-tank built by Tubize in 1948, was taken to Japan after retirement. It ran in operation at the Nobeyama SL Land amusement park, opened in 1986, where a large steam generator was mounted on the locomotive’s rear. With the park’s closure in 2018, it was moved to KATO Railway Park in Tsurugashima, Saitama. The external generator has since been removed and replaced with a smaller unit inside the body. It was not restored to original condition; instead it now carries a green livery inspired by the character “Oliver” from Thomas & Friends. Usually it is kept in a shed, viewable through the windows. (Photos: Nobeyama 2018; KATO 2025)

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 was often regarded as an amusement-park ride due to its battery locomotives and the nickname “Fairytale Train,” yet in fact it was a bona fide local railway with 762 mm gauge and the electric tablet block system. In 1972 Seibu borrowed steam locomotives from the Kubiki Railway and the Ikasa Railway. In 1977 it purchased two 15-ton C1 locomotives from Taiwan Sugar—Nos. 527 (built 1928) and 532 (built 1930)—manufactured by Orenstein & Koppel (Koppel) for operation with its own motive power. In 1984, with conversion to a new transit system, the locomotives were retired; No. 527 was preserved at the “Restaurant Poppo” inside Seibuen Yuenchi. In 2011 it was transferred to the Chen Chung-Ho Charity Foundation in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and is now displayed at the Chen Chung-Ho Memorial Hall. No. 532 was kept at UNESCO Village after retirement, later moved to “Maruseppu Ikoi-no-Mori” in Hokkaido, and is now statically preserved at KATO Railway Park. Sadly, I have never had the chance to photograph it. (Photos: Yamaguchi Line 1984; Seibuen Yuenchi 2008; Chen Chung-Ho Memorial Hall 2024)

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)