Sun Moon Lake has always been popular with tourists for its beautiful scenery; as a matter of fact, under the lake hides the biggest hydroelectric power plant, which is still operating up to date. At that time, an electrified railway was laid down for the transportation of construction materials. The electric railway was opened to traffic in 1922, being the very first railway system to run on electricity in Taiwan.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Sun Moon Lake electric railway, the Preparatory Office of National Railway Museum (NRM) launches a special exhibition "The visible and invisible sides of Sun Moon Lake: the hydropower plant project and the electrified railway in Sun Moon Lake" to introduce the construction of the Sun Moon Lake Hydropower Project and the first electrified railway in Taiwan based on historical documents, maps and various materials, as well as comparing the present and the past with field investigations.
The Sun Moon Lake hydropower system uses Sun Moon Lake as the upper reservoir, with a height difference of 320 meters between Sun Moon Lake and Shuili River, it drives water through the turbines to generate electricity. The hydropower project was completed in 1934 and is still providing electricity. On the contrary, the railway was removed right after the hydropower system was built and has left little trace so little is known about it.
For more information, please visit the official
website and Facebook
page of the Preparatory Office of NRM.