MIAOLI Old Mountain Line Railbike (苗栗舊山線軌道自行車)
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- On this one-day trip we experienced rail-biking on the Old Mountain Line. That was fun! We also visited the strawberry village of Dahu and the Hakka village of Beipu.
If you want to do the rail-biking make a reservation on this site (I was wrong, they do have English now):
www.oml-railbi...
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We are a small publishing company (Vision) based in Taipei. We produce an English magazine (Travel in Taiwan) introducing readers to Taiwan as a travel destination.
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My name is Johannes. I love creating videos about places in Taiwan and I try to post a few videos every week (well, more like twice a month). Please let me know what you think about this channel and feel free to ask me any question. Thanks for your support!
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Travel in Taiwan 2019-03/04
TEXT: STEVEN CROOK
The picturesque village of Shengxing has one of Taiwan’s best-known train stations, which is surprising considering regular passenger services on the railroad that passes through here ceased more than 20 years ago. Between 1903 and 1998, what’s called the Old Mountain Line carried local, express, and freight trains across the Da’an River into the greater Taichung area. At an altitude of 402.36m, Shengxing Railway Station was the highest station above sea level on Taiwan's conventional railway network. The station, a quaint wooden cottage-style building built in 1930, is a highly photogenic structure.
After the completion of a shorter, straighter alternative to the Old Mountain Line, 15.9km of track, along with eight tunnels and three bridges, were decommissioned. The Shengxing station was closed, but never forgotten - and since last year tourists have had a new reason to come here.
Sanyi Rail Bike Fun
The Old Mountain Line Rail Bike attraction offers an unusual 90-minute experience, a railway journey amid gorgeous scenery at the speed of a bicycle, but with no pedaling required. “Rail bike” is something of a misnomer. Each vehicle is about the size of a golf cart, has four train-type wheels, and runs on unmodified rail tracks. A canopy protects the passengers (there are four seats) from sunshine and rain.
I was impressed by the number of staff on duty, and their diligence. Safety belts must be fastened, and before starting the 6km-long ride from the train station to Tunnel No. 6, each “driver” - I was the one on our “locomotive” - is shown how to start the electric motor, release the hand brake, and accelerate. If you’ve ridden one of the scooters that are ubiquitous in Taiwan, you can do this. If anything, it’s far easier: There’s no need to steer, and the vehicle has been rigged to never exceed 12 km/h.
We were instructed to pull away from the station at intervals. Having a good bit of space between each rail bike is a good idea, as drivers often get distracted by the scenery and slow right down. Almost immediately, we were heading through the 725m-long tunnel south of the station, disturbing the bats that roost within.
Much of the route is single-track, and soon we were traversing a narrow bridge far above a mountain creek. Looking left, we enjoyed excellent views of one of Miaoli’s most-adored sights: the Longteng Bridge.
We were instructed to park our rail bikes at the point on the track where riders look down onto Liyu Elementary School. Glancing toward the west, we could see rugged Mt. Huoyan, located by the Taiwan Strait coast. Its bare, sandy ridges are highly unusual in lush, tropical Taiwan.
Everyone then proceeded on foot through Tunnel No. 6 to the Neishechuan Iron Bridge. The bridge itself is off-limits, but from its north end it’s possible to enjoy views up and down the waterway that drains the Liyutan Reservoir. After learning about this spot and the history of the railway line, we rode back to Shengxing.
If you’d like to take a look at this part of the Old Mountain Line without signing up for the rail bike experience, you can reach the iron bridge via Township Road 52. Steps connect the road with the southern end of the tunnel. There’s nothing to stop you walking north through the tunnel, but a flashlight is advised.
English and Chinese
Beipu 北埔
Beipu Old Street 北埔老街
Dahu 大湖
Dapu Reservoir 大埔水庫
leicha 擂茶
Longteng Bridge 龍騰斷橋
Neishechuan Iron Bridge 內社川鐵橋
Old Mountain Line 舊山線
Shengxing Railway Station 勝興車站
The Well Teahouse水井茶堂
Tunnel No. 6 六號隧道
This video is great, I love it! Thank you :-)
Love the video.... food looked great! And I need to get myself some strawberry wine!
Thank you for your great video.
great video. nice background music. cool guy in front of the camera. lovely voice too... thanks for the video.
Thanks Rajkumar! Cool guy? Ha ha, first time someone wrote something like that in the comments. :)
This is great. This is one of my favorite places in Taiwan to visit. They didn't have the rail bikes the last time I was there though. The noodle shop in SanYi is so good too. This entire section of the road in Miaoli is so much fun. DaHu is great and the Hakka Culture is so welcoming.
nice content thank you for the info😊😊
We have missed you. Looks like fun.
Should I upload more often? :-)
Awesome! You're with Steve!
First time in the field together, though we have been cooperating for more than a decade. :)
這個腳踏車行程很難預約，看你的影片也跟著玩了一輪。影片拍得很精緻，剪接也很用心，已訂閱！
謝謝,林惠真! 因為不能同時有人來回, 所以定位的機會就少了一點. 這樣也好,人不會太多. :)
很棒的影片！👍
What’s an interesting video!👍
Thanks, Rachel!
Hey, I’m new here.
This video is beautiful and fun.
I hope this channel will have more viewers👍
Thanks Emma! This channel is one that grows slowly... maybe it will grow into a giant tree one day in the very distant future.... :)
Taiwaneverything
I will pray for you👍🙏
May the force be with you😁
Actually a good video! Great!
Thanks, ZZ!
see us tom.😂😂😂
"No kiss"?
No kissing between cars...
Will this trip be suitable for an elderly lady aged 85 still mobile but need walking stick?
The „trains“ are a bit small, but if you can walk stairs you should be able to get in on of them.
Hi sir, where did you buy your ticket?
Tickets are sold online at: www.oml-railbike.com/
You sound like a German
That's because I AM a German! :P Guten Tag!
老外爺爺……遊台灣……
hey! 沒有那麼老~~