ALISHAN Forest Railway’s Mitsubishi diesel locomotive DL-34 is on its way to the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (WLLR).
The 1972-built 25-ton 520hp loco was displayed at a depot in Chiayi City, Taiwan, for a handover ceremony on November 23 then departed for shipping.
The loan of the loco for three years was announced in mid-2022 (RM, July 2022), although at that time shipping still had to be arranged. The loco is likely to arrive in Britain early in the new year. Following a period of commissioning and modifications to its coupling and braking systems to make it compatible with WLLR rolling stock, it is expected to enter passenger traffic early in the 2023 operating season.
While strengthening the educational links between the 762mm gauge WLLR and the Alishan Forest Railway, which have been affiliated since 2017, DL-34 will allow 1949 built Baguley-Drewry No. 7 Chattenden and former Taiwan Sugar Corporation Diema No. 175 to be released from traffic in turn for major works.
Meanwhile, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ C H Funkey-built Bo-Bo diesel returned to operation in mid-November after an absence of some five years.
