旗山的糖鐵發展

「嘟~嘟~火車來囉，快點來幫忙卸貨，長官要求明天要
送出1500公噸的蔗糖。」想當年，火車站是多麼的繁華
熱鬧。
爺爺，旗山明明就沒有火車，為什麼會有火車站啊?
其實日治時期的旗山火車站是在運送蔗糖的，五分車沿著
旗尾線將蔗糖送至旗尾製糖所，再從旗尾線經過的九曲堂
連接縱貫線，將糖運送到高雄港。平時，旗山居民也可乘
坐旗尾線到高雄甚至台灣各地，非常方便。但是隨著製糖
業的落寞，鐵路也停止運輸服務。
原來旗山早期除了香蕉，蔗糖也那麼興盛阿。
是阿，旗山雖小，但五臟俱全呢。
「DU~DU~the train is coming,come to help unload the cargo first,the officer asks us to send out 1500mt’s cane sugar tomorrow。」In those days,the train station was in hustle and bustle.
Grandpa,there are no trains in Qishan, but why is the train station here?
In fact,in Japanese colonial rule,Qishan train station was built for carrying sugar cane. With carrying sugar cane, the narrow-gauge train (五分車) passes along 旗尾線、九曲堂 connecting Longitudinal line to send sugar cane to the Kaohsiung Port.
As usual, Qishan Residents can go to Kaohsiung by train,even through Taiwan. It is very convenient. However, with the decline of the sugar industry, the railway stopped the service of transportation.
At first, in addition to bananas, Qishan was rich in cane sugar.
Yes,Qishan is a small town, but is full of natural resources.

爺爺，那甘蔗運送到糖廠之後要怎麼變成蔗糖?製糖的方式有兩種，製糖廠用兩個石輪，以十二、三頭水牛拖轉石輪，絞榨挾於其間廡禓鶨，將其汁液導入木槽內，用鐵鍋蒸煮，初期使用燃料，後來則以乾燥甘蔗皮充用。
另一種是台灣糖分紅糖和白糖兩種，清朝末年先民在蔗田附近蓋一棟棟茅草小屋 稱為「糖廓」，也就是製糖的地方。將砍下的甘蔗由蔗園拖回糖廓，去葉後再用造糖車榨汁。
　　旗山糖廠的製糖方法屬碳酸法，為台糖較成熟之製糖方法，蔗汁經二次加熱為55℃，送入連續碳酸飽和槽，頂部加入石灰乳，底部通入CO2，再進入過濾作業，過濾汁再經第二次碳酸飽和，再過濾後又經亞硫酸飽和進行蔗汁漂白，然後進行蒸發濃縮。
Grandpa, how does sugarcane turn into cane sugar after it is delivered to the sugar factory?
Do you want to know? OK, let me tell you.There are two
ways to make sugar. The sugar factory uses two stone
wheels, with twelve or three buffaloes towing the stone
wheels, to squeeze the sugar cane. Then, the juice drips
into the wooden trough, and steams it in an iron pot with
the fuel at the beginning. Later, sugar cane peel is used
too. Sugarcane peel is sufficiently used.
There are two kinds of sugar, one is brown sugar
and the other is white sugar. The other way to make
sugar is made in a thatched hut near the sugarcane field
called "sugar", which is the place where sugar was made. After sugar cane is cut down, it is pulled back.
With the leaves removed, sugar cane is squeezed and
turned into juice.
The sugar production method of Qishan Sugar Factory
belongs to the carbonic acid method, which is the more
mature way to make sugar. The cane juice is heated up
to 55°C for the second time and then sent to the
continuous carbonation tank. The top part is filled with
lime milk, the bottom part is filled with CO2, and then it
enters the filtering operation. The filtered juice is
saturated with carbonation for the second time, filtered
and saturated with sulfurous acid to bleach the juice,
and then is condencsed by evaporation.

爺爺，為甚麼現在的糖廠是在賣冰，而不是在製糖?
因為國際糖價低迷，台糖的出口比重逐漸下降，砂糖生產成本增加，產量日趨下跌，讓糖業成為夕陽產業；1970 年代製糖業沒落，台糖公司作多角化經營，轉型為冰品、花卉及休閒的多元休閒園區。為了提升糖廠冰品的品質，於民國 98 年底花了大筆的錢蓋一座現代化製冰工廠。
孩子，我們去吃冰吧，糖廠裏面還有小火車、鴕鳥和溜冰場呢，期待嗎?

Grandpa, but why are sugar factories selling ice now,
instead of making sugar?
It was because decline in sugar price in the international market Taiwan Sugar’s export proportion has been less and less. Sugar production industry withered and becomes sunset Industry: The sugar industry had declined in the 1970s, and Taiwan Sugar Company diversified its operations and transformed it into a diverse leisure park with ice products, flowers and leisure. In order to improve the quality of ice products in sugar factories, a large sum of money was poured into to build a modern ice factory at the end of 1998.
Now, you see a lot of people coming to visit Qishan.
They visit the old street in Qishan. There is one
important thing they will do before they go home. They go to sugar company to eat ice.
Let’s go and eat ice, kid. There are small trains,
ostriches and ice rinks in there. Do you look forward to it?