Interview with a railway fan - Chang-hung Ma
      Photo and text / Jingsiou Vanguard Team   2015.1.21

      On the morning of January 21, 2015, Jingsiou Vanguard Team specially invited the railway fans eye-disabled people to participate and listen to the story about railway fan told by Chang-hung Ma.

Chang-hung Ma and railway
      Chang-hung acted as a policeman in 1994, who traveled through the whole Taiwan and shot more than 200 train stations, and he also met the railway police and director, and his negative film was confiscated. In the next year, he became the founding

 Reflection

executive director of Taiwan Railway Culture Society. In 2011, he transformed into a railway policeman, on the new year of 2003, the railway policemen in Taiwan were greatly downsized. He wrote articles to suggest the director of National Police Agency, soon a criminal case occurred in Wanhua Station, and on the next day, he was arrested and confessed that he did not see the railway police…

Happiness in railway promotion

      In 2002, he and his good friends established Babuza Railway Culture Office, after acting as the general secretary in 2007, he canceled the collection of membership fee. Although there was no necessary condition, with the volunteer training and railway guidance system, it became a coordination bridge between Changhua County Government and Taiwan Railways Administration. For example, the three weeks’ CK 124 steam locomotive re-driving from Changhua to Ershui held in the summer vacation of 2002. In 2008, he assisted to plan the cruise-type train in Taiwan. In his mind, the railway is the life memory, with history and culture presented.

 

      In 2010, he purchased an unfrequented most expensive ticket “Yuanlin—Taitung” for 25,000 NTD” to hold the train journey from Yuanlin to Taitung. Thirty passengers sat in the additional carriages of Juguang Train, but South Link Railway was destroyed by the storm and debris flow. After the train was stopped in Taitung, he went home by tourist bus. Recently, he has held the surrounding-Taiwan journey of Taiwan Fund for Children and Families Southern Taichung Branch, and 5 Jugguang Trains were needed. Finally, the work was completed only with the folk force, and he expects Taiwan Railways Administration to be more active in public welfare activity.

 

Elevated railway ends the historical culture of Yuanlin old railway
      In 2000, he contributed to Linzai Street Magazine in Yuanlin Township Office to suggest to reconstruct Yuanlin Train Station Second Platform into a sugar railway sightseeing forwarding station. At that time, Yuanlin Sugar Railway was in complete condition, and there has been sightseeing service in the small train of Xihu Sugar Factory. With proper use of Yuanlin Sugar Railway and the characteristics of joint construction of three railways, Yuanlin Station can become a transfer station for sightseeing of the two railways. He did not approve of the expensive elevated or underground railways. In case of railway accident, it is easy to rescue and restore the plane, and once the railway is elevated, the culture and history of the old railway will disappear.

Inherit love to railway
      When Chang-hung was two years old, his grandfather died at the age of 50. His grandfather became the youngest director in Taiwan at the age of 28, pitifully, no one inherited his cause, but only Chang-hung has fell in love with railway since childhood, and he inherited his grandfather’s love to the railway. Chang-hung has always safeguarded the railway, and swore to inherit the cultural beauty of Taiwan Railway with enthusiasm. We have a special interview to Chang-hung and listen to his deep feelings to Taiwan railways, making us moved and admired!