Thursday, October 8, 2009

Tansui

Tansui (淡水, modern Danshui) is the terminus of the Tansui branch line, which runs north from Taihoku along the Tansui river. Details on the yard facilities are hard to come by.


This undated photograph shows some of the main buildings in central Tansui. These include the local post office, a distinctive-looking L-shaped building in the center-left of the image.


This photograph shows the same area from a different angle, with Guanyin Mountain in the background. The large building to the left of center looks like the post office.


The Tansui post office was built in Taisho 6 (1917) and stood until 1982 when it was torn down.


This image from a 1935 "Bird's Eye View of Greater Taihoku" shows Tansui's position on the river. Note the cluster of ships in the harbour.


The US Army Service map from 1944 shows two sidings and some warehousing facilities, but no turnaround points for locomotives. It also shows the large petroleum facilities to the southeast of the station area.


This was apparently the station built in Showa 10 (1935) that stood until it was torn down in 1990 to make way for the new MRT station.


For a station that was in use for 55 years, it's strange that these are the only two images that I could find of it. This photograph is from Li Qianshuo (2004).


The initial plan for the model Tansui has a passenger platform, a siding for loading and offloading boxcars into warehouses, and a turntable, but no major engine storage facilities as these will be handed by the main yard east of Taihoku. Tansui was not a major port, and so passenger and cargo fright will originate locally and arrive for local consumption.

2 comments:

  1. It is a pleasant surprise to see this post about my hometown Tansui. The post office and the train station were both familiar sights in my childhood days. Now they are both replaced by new buildings.

    As I remember it, there was no turntable in Danshui Station. The only locomotive simply headed into Taihoku and tailed back to Danshui. It did look funny, though. Perhaps a turntable should have been installed.

    Keep up the good work.

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  2. Thanks, EyeDoc. I was wondering about this for some time!

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