2020/10/15
The Alishan Forestry Railway and Cultural Heritage Office (AFR) has started the restoration plan of the steam locomotive SHAY 21 in order to facilitate the century-old steam train to be preserved for operation. This time, the original coal-fired power system will be maintained. The renewal of the boiler will adopt traditional techniques rather than modern common welding methods to preserve the appearance of this significant cultural heritage. The locomotive has departed from the Chiayi Garage Park to the Taichung factory for restoration.
The SHAY 21, which was manufactured a century ago, had been displayed in Chiayi Park for 40 years after its suspension. In 2019, it was moved back to AFR’s garage. Its body has been corroded and damaged severely. In order to recover its original function and appearance, a restoration plan is launched. Due to the limitation of the personnel and replacement parts at this stage, it is necessary for us to outsource the restoration to the professional group. AFR will send young technicians to the factory for 18 months to observe the whole process of restoration.
In order to establish the core maintenance technology, all parts will be deconstructed, and the drawings of the parts will be redrawn to establish a database for controlling the accuracy of parts assembly and ensure the function of the parts. We send technicians to participate in the whole process of the restoration work to learn the core repair skills and compile maintenance manuals to inherit the technology and cultivate more maintenance professionals.
In the future, all restoration projects will be recorded; important parts and components will be preserved. On the other hand, we invite other domestic steam locomotive operators such as the Taiwan Railway Bureau, Taiwan Sugar Company, Luodong Forest District Office, and Hualien Forest District Office to participate in the restoration, share technology, and exchange experience with each other in order to deepen the domestic restoration techniques.