The arrival of a 50-year-old diesel locomotive that is being loaned to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway by the Alishan Forest Railway in Taiwan has been delayed by eight days.
Both railways share the same 2ft. 6in. (762mm) gauge and have similar topography, with sharp bends and steep gradients, and have been affiliated since 2017. The locomotive, Alishan Forest Railway No. DL-34, was designed to tackle steep gradients and tight curves hauling heavy logging trains down a steep winding track from Taiwan's highest mountain through the Alishan Forest to Chiayi.
At a ceremony on Wednesday, 23rd November, DL-34 was handed over by the Alishan Forest Railway in the Garage Park at Chiayi in Taiwan to representatives of the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, 9,971km from its headquarters at Llanfair Caereinion in Wales.
DL-34 was built by Mitsubishi of Japan in 1972 and has a 523 HP engine. It is being shipped from Alishan on the South China Sea island, and is being loaned to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway as part of a three-year deal. It should have landed in Liverpool Docks on New Year's Day, but bad weather has delayed its arrival from its 10,000km journey from Taiwan.
Once DL-34 has been unloaded at Liverpool Docks, it will be transported by low-loader and is expected to arrive in Wales next Wednesday, 18th January.
The Alishan Forest Railway has the distinction of being the highest narrow-gauge line in Asia. It has over 50 tunnels and 77 wooden bridges, and was originally built for logging, but is now a tourist attraction. It was recently listed by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture as a potential World Heritage Site.
Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway company secretary Michael Reilly, a former diplomat in Taiwan, said: “The engineering, scenery, and operation of the Alishan railway is really quite incredible.
“It has the same 2ft 6ins narrow-gauge track and steep gradients as we have at Welshpool and we hope this loan will further the educational and cultural cooperation between our two railways.”
