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Train memorabilia for sale as TRA marks anniversary

Starting today, a variety of railway memorabilia, including pocket watches used by train conductors and station masters in the 1950s, will be available for purchase as the nation’s railway celebrates its 121st anniversary and the 100th anniversary of the Western Line connecting Keelung and Kaohsiung.

The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) will mark the occasion by offering 34 types of collectibles, said Lee Kun-kuang, division chief at the TRA’s catering service department.

In addition to 100 pocket watches priced at NT$33,000 each, the TRA is also selling figurines depicting train stewardesses and conductors wearing 1978 TRA uniforms, Lee said over the telephone.

Ticket punchers no longer in use will also be up for grabs by train enthusiasts.

Taiwan has a special relationship with its railways, Lee said. Unlike in the US, the train is a very popular and efficient way to get around. Lee said the TRA hoped the souvenirs would inspire appreciation for the nation’s railway culture and support for Taiwan’s railways to “last forever.”

All the TRA memorabilia will be available at the Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien main train stations from Saturday to Monday.

“After June 9 the public can also pick up the souvenirs at the TRA’s Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung stations,” Lee said.

Starting today and until July 17, consumers can also order the souvenirs at 7-Eleven stores.

The idea of building a railway in Taiwan was first suggested in 1887 by Qing Dynasty governor Liu Ming-chuan (劉銘傳), who was appointed the first provincial governor after the dynasty split Taiwan from Fujian Province.

During Japanese colonial rule, the railway became the most important system of transport between the north and the south.
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