Taiwan Sugar Corp. (Taisugar) held an exchange event with the U.K.’s Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (WLLR) as part of the local company’s 80th anniversary celebration March 7 at Suantou Sugar Factory Cultural Park in Chiayi County, underscoring its work to highlight the history of the sugar industry and strengthen international railway cooperation.
According to Taisugar Chair Wu Ming-chang, the companies’ connection began in 2005, when the Welsh railway purchased and restored Taisugar’s No. 175 Diema locomotive. Bilateral relations deepened in 2018, with the exhibition of the British steam train Dougal in Taiwan and the signing of a sister railway memorandum of understanding between the two sides, he said.
A highlight of the event was a ceremony unveiling a refurbished No. 252 inspection railcar from the period of Japanese rule (1895-1945). Jointly launched by Wu and WLLR Chair Anne Wright, the railcar ran within the cultural park and was warmly welcomed by visitors.
Equally impressive was a special exhibition featuring a blue-skin retro dining car. The display included photographs documenting Taiwan-U.K. railway exchanges, along with a cross-cultural afternoon tea experience designed to promote tourism at the narrow-gauge railway park.
The event helped strengthen railway cultural preservation exchanges between the two sides, Taisugar said. The company added that it will continue promoting its historical assets while boosting tourism and international cooperation to support development of the park and the surrounding area. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
According to Taisugar Chair Wu Ming-chang, the companies’ connection began in 2005, when the Welsh railway purchased and restored Taisugar’s No. 175 Diema locomotive. Bilateral relations deepened in 2018, with the exhibition of the British steam train Dougal in Taiwan and the signing of a sister railway memorandum of understanding between the two sides, he said.
A highlight of the event was a ceremony unveiling a refurbished No. 252 inspection railcar from the period of Japanese rule (1895-1945). Jointly launched by Wu and WLLR Chair Anne Wright, the railcar ran within the cultural park and was warmly welcomed by visitors.
Equally impressive was a special exhibition featuring a blue-skin retro dining car. The display included photographs documenting Taiwan-U.K. railway exchanges, along with a cross-cultural afternoon tea experience designed to promote tourism at the narrow-gauge railway park.
The event helped strengthen railway cultural preservation exchanges between the two sides, Taisugar said. The company added that it will continue promoting its historical assets while boosting tourism and international cooperation to support development of the park and the surrounding area. (YCH-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News