Sungai Mudan Station

The special thing about Mudan Station is that it is the largest turn on Taiwan Railway!
The special thing about Sungai Mudan Station is the Peony Slope!
These two Peony and Shuangxi railways are closely related to early mining. For details, please see the previous post: https://taipeihousing.homes/?p=74
During the Japanese colonial period, the railway first connected to Mudan and then to Shuangxi. After the Mudan and Shuangxi railways were connected, it had an epoch-making impact on travel to Yilan!
This is like the North Tamlan Ancient Road leading from Nuannuan to Gongliao Beach and then to Yilan!
Peony was called “Wudan” in the Qing Dynasty, and “Dan” means settlement in the Pingpu language. Can
Before the Hoklo people came to reclaim the land, there were many Pingpu ethnic groups living here.

Mudan Slope: The slope height difference between Mudan Station and Shuangxi Station is about 50 meters. In the early days, trains had to be equipped with auxiliary engines to climb. In order to slow down the slope of the train, length was traded for slope.
As a result, there is a large 120-degree curve in Mudan Station, creating a strange scene of the front and rear of the train looking at each other. It is also the railway station with the largest curve on the island.
There is a steep slope with a gradient of 16/1000 between Shuangxi Station and Mudan Station. Mudan Station happens to be located on the famous “Mudan Slope” of the railway. In the early years, trains were not as powerful as today’s trains, so the design of switchback stations was required. The trains had to be equipped with auxiliary machines to climb up to this station. Later, in order to solve the problem of slope, the railway traded length for slope, which increased the length of the train. As a result, there is a 120-degree turn in Mudan Station.
The track where the train runs has multiple tracks with a “guard rail design”, which is used to reduce the height difference caused by the turns of the track and prevent trains from derailing.
The opening of the Yilan Line Railway in 1924 brought major changes to the transportation in the Shuangxi area. With the travel speed of the Mackay era, business travelers traveling between Tamsui Hall and Kavalan Hall would stay overnight in Shuangxi along the Tamlan Ancient Road. , with the opening of the Yilan Line Railway, the steam train will stop at Shuangxi to add coal and water.
This is reminiscent of Su’ao in the past. In the past, travelers traveling to Hualien via Suhua would stay one night in Su’ao.

The remains of the “Mudan Station” switchback station, the tracks and platforms have been turned into parking lots and open spaces, and Tancheng is currently a factory.
In the open space near the iron shop on Shuangxi Street, through the culvert, directly in front is the trolley route of the mine.
Walk north along the east side of the railway to Shuangxi Station. The original remains of Taiwan Railway staff dormitories on the east side of Shuangxi Station are currently covered by fences in the public works section to prevent them from being occupied or dumping waste.
Below Sungai Nan Tiangong, on the northeast side of Sungai Station, the old locomotive turntable has been dismantled, and the water tower/water crane/coal storage tank and other facilities for adding water to the steamer are naturally missing.
The current location is the facility building of the Shuangxi Electric Power Branch of the Yilan Electric Power Section, and there are two permanent power maintenance vehicles.
The section from Sungai Station to First Sungai Bridge has been abandoned after many reconstructions 74 years ago. It is currently replaced by tunnels and bridges such as “Shuangxi Tunnel”, “Gonghe Tunnel” and “Cheung Tam Tunnel”.
From June 1919 to September 1922, the Japanese Ministry of Railways opened the Sandiaoling Tunnel and completed the railway between Sandiaoling and Wudankeng. On September 13, 1922 (Taisho 11th year), Wudankeng Station (Mudan) Station) was officially opened to traffic on September 21, between Sandiaoling and Mudan.
Later, the ancestors of Shuangxi no longer needed to climb the Golden Monument Ancient Road to and from Ruifang. They could directly take the train.
At that time, the railway from Mudan to Shuangxi had not yet been completed. The ancestors living in Shuangxi still had to walk to Mudan to catch the train. A year later, the Yilan line railway was connected to Shuangxi!
At this point, the northern section of the Tamlan Ancient Trail began to decline, and the mission came to an end. On December 1, 1924, the Caoling Tunnel was opened to the Yilan Line and the entire line was officially opened to traffic, and walking the Tamlan Ancient Trail entered history!
The mission of Tamlan Ancient Trail North has changed from a traffic trail to a more important mission of historical preservation, ancient exploration, outing and outing…