Exploring the Mysterious Base in Railway Silo
Photo and text/Jingsiou Vanguard Team 2015.1.6 On January 8, we explored Railway Silo, through the interpretation of Board Director Jian-hsin Chang of Tpcode Design Foundation and Teacher Mei-tu, we had an overall understanding.
Knowing about Railway Silo Silo Subordinated to Taiwan Railways Administration, the railway silo was commenced in 1974 and completed in 1976, with a project cost of 35 million NTD. There were 8 floors inside it, 18 |
large drums with an inner diameter of 6m were adjacent to each other, with a height of 34.3m, each main silo can store 120 MT of grains, totally 10,500 MT. Yuanlin enjoyed developed oil making and feed industry, the grains could go in and out of the silo from the east side through the railway, the main enterprises include Taishan Oil Refinery, Guangcheng Feed Factory and Zongyuan Salad Oil Factory, which were equipped with large imported automatic machinery, and the stocking and shipment process could be mastered only with 2 persons.
In the 1980s, because of convenient traffic of expressway and Port of Taichung, the silo was stopped 7 years later, and its structure was not damaged in the 7.3-magnitude 921 great earthquake in 1999. In 2002, Tpcode Design Foundation launched the plan of reusing the silo, in June 2003, the silo was listed as a history building, and the activation mechanism was launched to transform the silo into an exhibition place of artistic kaleidoscope.
Entering a mysterious world
Five years ago, because of the elevated railway engineering, the construction was forced to be restricted, and the silo became deserted again to become a rest place of wild dogs. Board Director, Mr. Chang, led everyone to enter the silo. On the second floor, we saw the large machinery units, the higher the floor was, the better the horizon was, and we snapshot the gesture of rapidly driving train. We climbed to the top of the silo which was completely opened, under the beam and column was the transmission iron pipe, there were small windows in the two side walls, where we could overlook the street scene of Yuanlin and wave hands with the kids in Jingsiou Elementary School Jingye Building Classroom 603!
Changing Yuanlin from Railway Silo
Such great silo was the best sightseeing building in Yuanlin railway where we could place the coffee tables and chairs and listen to the old melody of phonograph for hundred of years! All visitors expressed their statements and proposed the opinions to activate the silo. They could not bear to see the waste and disorder. It is hoped that the campaign of “Love Yuanlin Railway” will be fermented continuously, so as to improve the Yuanlin railway culture and drive the local development.