2012年6月25日 星期一

The Guan-du Tunnel and Gorge

[An old friend: BK24, the steam locomotive that had served Tamsui Railroad faithfully between 1901 and 1954; now on display on Guan-Fu Campus of National Cheng-Kung University.]

Tamsui Railroad opened for business in 1901. It was a one-hour ride between Tamsui and Taipei enjoyed by generations of Tamsui-lang until 1988 when it was demolished to make way for the Taipei Metro. It had the same gauge [1,067mm] as the rest of the Taiwan Railroad system; although the steel rails were lighter in weight that could not support regular locomotives. A less powerful and smaller Model BK24 [the Columbia, manufactured by Japan Steam Engine Co in 1901] therefore must be used which was also the only locomotive that could fit comfortably into the Guan-du Tunnel [關渡隧道]. Therein, however, lied the problem: since the tunnel, sitting next to the Guan-du Station, was situated at the top of a slow slope, the train often must back up a short distance to literally gather steam before charging uphill into the tunnel. There was also a very steep curve immediately after the tunnel. The centrifugal force was fun for most boys, heart-stopping for others. People were known to mutter prayers during this part of the train ride. And our regular contributor ChoSan still remembers the ritual of passengers having to close the windows when the train was inside the tunnel. The dense soot-rich dusty smoke from the coal-fired steam engine was quite over-powering indeed.

Here are maps from before (made in 1921-28) and now (from Google maps today), both showing the sharp bend of the railway and, in the area below the bend, the Guan-du Gorge, where the Keelung River and the Tamsui River merge. The gorge was widened in 1964 to facilitate the water flow especially during the typhoon season:

After the sharp bend, now there is the Guan-du Bridge, built in 1980-83. The engineers had used a labor-saving technique, the 潮汐施工法, i.e., large pieces of the columns were dragged to the construction site at high tide, and lowered/fitted into place, almost automatically, when the water receded at low tide. A bit beyond the bridge, the riverbed apparently drops resulting in the white rapids. While the bridge connects Bali with the eastern shore of Tamsui River, the east end also loops into the bottleneck of the highway to Tamsui. Most travelers now take the well-run Taipei MRT Tamsui Line, just like in the olden railroad days, instead of driving.

5 則留言:

  1. The gorge, remember called 獅仔頭 was widen 50% by guessmated from two maps. With the gorge widen, Taipei City extended to the other side of river bank as 延平北路九段 to 浮線; those are all new to me.
    I don't know either TY Lin or Young, the chief engineer's idea to utilize tide to install the arch bridge on top of the piers however it is a great idea.
    Lin was unhappy with the KMT and not willing to visit Taiwan. I wonder if he were back Taiwan for the design project or not. We live nearby and we all like the ballroom dance and have 豆乳油条 on Sunday morning at the same restaurant at Berkeley. He walks fast and lectures with very heavy Chinese accent in the classroom, a talented engineer from Taiwan Sugar Company to professor at U. C. Berkeley with only a Master's degree. He is more of a businessman than an engineer, I guess. Unfortunately he has deceased before eye witness his dream bridge that called Peace Bridge, connecting Siberia and Alaska built.
    ChoSan

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  2. Hi ChoSan,

    On the old map, the general area blasted away is marked 山後. The gorge itself could indeed have been 獅仔頭. Old names, like 下茄苳腳 (near Guan-du Station), have all disappeared. Also, it must have been the chief engineer of 唐榮, who, under contractual time constraints, had applied the method.

    Some places stay the same, though. Bali Village itself is still more or less underdeveloped. That is probably a good thing, since it does not appear any rational city planning in place. Already, from Tamsui side looking at Bali, the few ultra-tall condo buildings along the riverbank are an eye sore.

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  3. Thanks for this info on the Tansui railway line; I'm really interested in the early-twentieth-century railroad in northern Taiwan and stuff like this is great. Are there any photographs of the tunnel and/or Guandu Station?

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  4. This site has photos of Guan-du Station and Tunnel (and more):
    http://blog.xuite.net/hwangsan/st1/40188296

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