Since the beginning of 2020, cities around the world have been under the threat of Covid-19. Fortu­nately, Tainan is blessed to see the restoration work completed for two steam locomotives, C551 and D512, of the Governor-General of Taiwan during the Japanese Ruling Period. The two 80-plus year old machines are no longer deemed useless scrap metal, but instead enlisted as "antiquities" of registered cultural heritage. After refurbishing, people will learn better of their past glory. This also marks a memorable event in the city's railway relics preservation efforts.

But why did these two steam locomotives settle down at Tainan City Sports Park by the Zhu River? Let's go back to 37 years ago, and have a look at the astonishing scenes of "locomotives in the air" and "locomotives on the trailers".

Back in 1983, then mayor Su Nan-cheng fought to have CT529 and DT652, the two old steam locomotives that were written-off and about to be disassembled, donated to Tainan City for preservation. It was finally approved by then Depart­ment of Transportation of the Taiwan Provincial Government. The Public Works Bureau of Tainan City Government started building the exhibition hall and laying tracks in front of the rugby field at the Tainan City Sports Park, right by the Zhu River. The construction work started on February 1st, as the plan was to finish the 'new home' for the two machines before Lunar New Year that year. In the morning of February 11th, these two steam locomotives were towed by senior Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) train driver in a diesel locomotive. When they arrived at the Air Asia Branch Line at the intersection of Datong Road and Shengchan Road, large crane trucks lifted them onto trailer trucks. They were then driven along Datong Road and Guomin Road toward the Sports Park. Not only were they escorted by police cars, but also marching bands and local lion dance troupes. It was a joyous and lively scene!

In fact, it was quite a tricky task for the Tainan City Government to move such huge machines at the time. The original plan was to lay a temporary railway from the Tainan Train Station to the Tainan City Sports Park. However, later evalua­tions found great difficulties in such a plan. Therefore, the "locomotives on trailers" method was adopted in the end. Three crane trucks and three trailer trucks were employed. Two of the trailers carried the locomotives, and the other one carried coal-cars detached from them. The rare scene of "locomotives on trailers" attracted a huge crowd.

These two old steam locomotives have been quietly standing by the Zhu River for over three decades. Just as people were about to forget about them, the announcement of them being listed as "antiquities" in 2015 once again awakened the attention of the public towards railway cultural heritage. In early 2019, Tainan City Government officially launched the restoration plan to refurbish these old machines. After a whole year, the restoration work was finally completed on April 22nd, 2020. The original CT259 was also rectified to CT251.

"Do you know why 'l' is more precious than '9'?" Su Chao-hsu, the curator of Transportation Technology Museum, explained. According to Su, the TRA CT250 model was numbered at C55 model during the period of Japanese rule. There were 9 trains of the same model imported into Taiwan. The first 5 were imported in 1935, when the Governor-General of Taiwan held the Taiwan Exposition in Commemoration of the First Forty Years of Colonial Rule. In order to promote the militarist Southern Advance Policy, the Japanese royal family was invited to tour Taiwan on the trains pulled by these locomotives. They were the newest and most advanced locomotives in Japan at the time. Equipped with spoked driver wheels, the maximum speed could reach 100 kilometers per hour. Prior to this, the trains in Taiwan were used in Japan for several years before they were sent here. The introduction of the C55 model to Taiwan was even earlier than to Kyushu and Shikoku in Japan, marking the first incidence of launching a new model of steam locomotives in Japan and in Taiwan in the same year.

Su said, in the earlier build of the C55 model, the location of the air compressors was higher. Today, only numbers 'l' and '9' of the TRA CT250 model are left in Taiwan. In the past, people thought the one preserved at Tainan City Sports Park was CT259, when in fact it is CT251, also known as C551 back in the Japanese Ruling Period. There is another C551 preserved by Kyoto Railway Museum in Japan. Su said he would be happy to see if these two C551 steam locomotives could become "sisters".

DT652 was known as the D51 model steam locomotive during the period of Japanese rule. Su concluded that this model of freight locomotive was "the largest in quantity, the biggest and the heaviest, the strongest traction, and the last retirement• in Taiwanese railway history. In addition, the locomotive witnessed WWII.

Su said that the D51 model locomotives were first introduced in 1939. They each weighed 124 metric tons, with a tractive force of 17,000 kg, allowing it to pull dozens of carriages at a time, with a top speed of 85 kilometers per hour and superior performance. In 1943, D51 locomotives started transporting military supplies. As a war locomotive, when the US military bombed Taiwan at the end of Pacific War, D51 locomotives became the target of bombing. After WWII, the D51 model was renamed DT650. There were a total of 37 locomotives. They were all written-off in 1984, making them Taiwan's last steam locomotives. The DT652 in Tainan arrived in Taiwan in 1940, and retired in 1981. Bullet holes and traces of war can be clearly seen on its body. It is ever more precious for it bears witness of WWII. Today, there are only four such locomotives left in Taiwan.

Trains do not speak. Their eventful lives, however, can be the most moving stories of all. Walking past the old steam locomotives at Tainan City Sports Park, one can almost hear the sounds of the whistle, imagining the days when they were chugging and puffing away on the railway. It is definitely worth a visit

No. 257, Sec. 1, Jiankang Rd., South Dist., Tainan City

No. 35, Yunong Rd., Tainan City
The museum is the private venue of the curator SU Chao-hsu. Private appointment required; entrance free of charge. For appointments, email: sujaushi@yahoo.com.tw