For many years the railway network of Taiwan was considered too far "off the beaten track" by many European railway enthusiasts. However, those that did make the journey were rewarded by a plethora of fascinating railway systems, each with its own idiosyncrasies. In this book, Taiwan expert Michael Reilly documents these narrow gauge lines, in many cases recorded for the first time in the English language. Book jacket.
This, the first of four books, looks at the treatment of varying aspects of public transport with the aid of postage stamps, either issued by the postal authorities of most of the worlds nations, or some of the railway companies themselves, especially heritage operators.It has long intrigued the author as to why narrow gauge systems throughout the world have demanded a far greater attention from the public and stamp producers than railway subjects from the standard gauge lines, which make up the vast majority of the western worlds major railway systems. The conclusion he has reached is that in most cases they are considered cute a truly abominable term, which is (thankfully) gradually fading from our vocabulary, but just how the author felt on first seeing engines of the Talyllyn Railway, in mid-Wales, from the top of the station approach at Tywyns Wharf Station: tiny little kettles in sparkling, rich green and lots of brass.The Talyllyn has the double honor of being the worlds first railway to be taken-over and operated by a preservation society in 1951, and also the first railway in the modern era to issue its own Railway Letter Service stamps, a practice that can be traced back to the very earliest of times, which allowed people in outlying areas to send letters by the railways to the nearest post office for onward transport. The Talyllyns first stamps were issued in 1957, and today the lucky collector can demand a substantial premium on the paltry issue value.From whatever origin or country, there is a huge variety of stamps covering narrow gauge railways, and usually they are attractive miniature works of art that make them very collectable. The author has not set out to cover every country or issue in these books, but to present a wide selection of those stamps that are note-worthy.
The Rough Guide to Taiwan is the ultimate travel guide to this fascinating island, with clear maps, full Chinese and pinyin translations and detailed coverage of all the top attractions and a host of lesser-visited sights. Discover Taiwan's highlights with stunning photography and information on everything from the island's magnificent national parks and tranquil hot spring resorts, to its most lavish temples and the mind-blowing National Palace Museum. Find practical advice on what to see and do in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung, relying on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, bars, clubs, shops and restaurants for all budgets. Explore Taiwan's fabulous culinary scene, from the top boutique restaurants to the best local street food, and learn how to make the most of Taiwan's gasp-inducing hinterland; Alishan, Kenting, Yushan, Sun Moon Lake and the offshore islands are described in detail and made easily accessible, even for non-Chinese speakers. Originally published in print in 2011. Now available in ePub format.
The new-look The Rough Guide to Taiwan - now in full colour throughout - is the ultimate travel guide to one of Asia's most exciting, yet often overlooked, destinations. Uncover the contrasts between ultra-modern 24hr Taipei and the city's slower-paced traditional backstreets; seek out the best hikes in Taroko Gorge and Alishan; find a beautiful B&B on the east coast, or among the fabulous hot-spring resorts in the East Rift Valley; discover pristine Pacific beaches and surf spots; and order great food everywhere you go with our carefully researched eating reviews which cover everything from night-markets to gourmet restaurants. Easily accessible information on transport will help get you from Yeliou in the far north to Kenting in the deep south, and everywhere in between, whether by bus and train, car, scooter or bicycle. Whether you have time to browse detailed chapters, gaining insights into the country's complex and tumultuous history, or need fast-fix itineraries and 'Top 5' boxes that pick out the highlights you won't want to miss.
This is James Waite’s second book for Pen & Sword about narrow gauge railways. He has travelled extensively in search of interesting, and often obscure, railways in remote locations. His previous book looked at the narrow gauge scene around the world and how many of its historic railways were surviving in the twenty first century. This new volume looks at some of them in greater detail and uses much hitherto unpublished material. The book is full of attractive and rarely seen photos. Some of them depict railways that were in their last days of everyday use, while others show heritage operations which still look much as they did when the trains were running commercially.
Yet there isn't a train goes by all day But I hear its whistle shrieking.... Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take, No matter where it's going. —Edna St. Vincent Millay, "Travel" "Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take" is a collection of stories about favorite train journeys by an inveterate railway enthusiast and train traveler. A half century career as an engineer, Naval officer, and university administrator took Bill Middleton to almost every part of the globe, and everywhere he took with him an abiding interest in railways, and a notebook and camera to record his experiences. His North American journeys have included experiences as diverse as the long journey north through Manitoba to polar bear country on Hudson Bay, a trip to Minnesota's Mesabi Range to haul a boatload of iron ore to Lake Superior behind a giant Yellowstone articulated steam locomotive, and the trip between Costa Rica's Atlantic and Pacific coasts by narrow gauge railway. His European travels have ranged from a Pullman seat on the crack London-Paris Golden Arrow to the slow trip across Thrace on one of the last runs of the celebrated Simplon-Orient Express. In Asia he traveled through the Toros Mountains of Turkey on the famous Istanbul-Baghdad Toros Express, experienced modern high-speed railroading in the cab of Japan's Bullet Train, and rode to Asia's highest mountain east of the Himalayas on the little trains of Taiwan's Ali Shan Forestry Railway.
History is everywhere, and is never as complete as when it can be accessed on a part of history itself. The locomotive is one of the great steps in progress of civilisation that undoubtably connects us to land and history that was shaped by the machine itself. Although a basic form of railway, or rutway, did exist in Ancient Greek and Roman times – notably the ship trackway between Diolkos and the Isthmus of Corinth around 600 BC – it would take several thousand years before the first fare-paying passenger service was launched in the early nineteenth century. Some two hundred years on, it is possible to travel by train to some of the world's most remote and remarkable destinations, and track the many wonderful legacies of the Earth's extensive history – man-made and otherwise. From prehistoric rock formations to skyscraper cities, slow steam engines to high-speed bullet trains, let A History of the World in 500 Railway Journeys be your guide. Through its beautifully illustrated pages, and 500 awe-inspiring railway journeys, you can chart your own transcontinental itinerary through time. Chug through canyons, steam past ancient monuments, speed through cities, luxuriate in the railcars of presidents and queens, or make express connections between key historical moments or epic eras, A History of the World in 500 Railway Journeys has it all. A must-read for travellers, railfans and history buffs alike, offering inspiration and information in equal measure.
Taiwan experienced a highly successful economic transformation in the last 50 years that produced one of Asia’s genuine ‘miracles’ of modern development, in terms of improvement in per capita income and overall quality of material well being for its citizens. The process, though, involved rapid industrialization and urbanization, and breakneck mass consumption, that inevitably resulted in rapid escalation in degradation of the island’s fragile air, water, and land, and produced some of the worst environmental pollution to be found anywhere in Asia This book examines the causes of Taiwan's environmental predicament, engaging in Taiwan's unique geological, geographical, demographical, political, industrial, historical and economic circumstances. In addition, Jack Williams and Ch'ang-yi David Chang assess the efforts of the government, NGOs and private citizens to create a "green" environmentally sustainable island, with a high tech economy based on the silicon chip, the backbone of Taiwan’s highly successful IT industry. Finally the authors discuss what can be done to improve Taiwan's environmental future. As the first commercially available book in English on Taiwan’s environmental problems this is an invaluable read for students and scholars interested in environmental studies, sustainable development and the island of Taiwan.
