Seventy-eight-year-old Liu Shu-gen (劉樹根) may have retired from the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) 17 years ago, but his former colleagues know they can always give him a call when they have problems fixing steam locomotives.
Liu was one of the four employees recognized by the TRA for their special contributions yesterday. The other three employees started working for the railway when they were young adults and have been working there for 50 years.
Liu was employed as a mechanic at the Taipei Depot in 1951. Before retiring in 1994, he had won numerous merits and awards for his performance.
Photo: CNA/Taiwan Railway Administration
In 1998 and 2000, he was asked to lead the repair work on the CK101, CK124 and CT273 locomotives, as well as several other models of steam trains.
Liu and other senior employees have in recent years repaired many of the old steam train locomotives, which are used for special services for railway enthusiasts.
Liu’s wife supported her husband’s passion in repairing steam trains. The couple was treated by the railway to a ride on the steam train operating on the old mountain line in Miaoli last month.
Wu Shi-yin (吳世瑛), director of the TRA’s personnel department, said that in its early years the administration did not have strict regulations regarding the minimum age of employment. As a result, some of its employees entered service when they were 13 or 15 years old.
“By today’s standards, this was child labor,” Wu said, adding that the agency was able to celebrate its 124th anniversary because of the dedication of its senior employees.
Fu Rih-yuan (傅日垣), 65, another employee, is scheduled to retire in January.
Employed by the TRA in 1960, Fu’s first job was as a waiter in the catering and restaurant service department. He worked his way up the hierarchy and now serves as a train conductor.
“Back then, it took more than 10 hours to travel from Taipei to Kaohsiung by train,” Fu said. “There was no air conditioning system aboard and the train only had electric fans, but none of the passengers complained.”
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