Chiayi Garage Park, also known as "North Gate Repair Factory" during the Japanese colonial era, was originally located at the North Gate Locomotive Depot when the Pingdi section was opened on October 1910. As the railway construction expanded, it was officially opened in 1912. The primary function was to construct and repair various locomotives, passenger cars, and freight cars for the Alishan Railway. It has nearly a century of history. Since the Alishan Railway opened, the repair factory has been the main base for maintenance. Although the trains were purchased from the United States, the North Gate Repair Factory had a team of 100 to 200 people who were skilled in repairs, modifications, and manufacturing. They could manufacture their own parts, boilers, and steam engines. The Alishan cypress wood passenger cars were also one of the factory's classic masterpieces. Many precious retired Alishan trains are currently preserved in the North Gate Repair Factory.
On August 23, 1993, a major fire broke out at the North Gate Repair Factory, burning down the wooden factory buildings and some old trains. Today, some of the repair factory buildings have been renovated, and a few precious vehicles are stored in the garage for preservation. To allow the public to visit this historically significant site, it was renamed Chiayi Garage Park in 2005.
Chiayi Garage Park is the stopping base for Alishan Forest Railway trains and a large train ecopark and museum for train enthusiasts. Visitors can get up close to various retired steam trains, diesel locomotives, motorized passenger cars, passenger and freight cars from the Alishan Forest Railway, as well as the cypress wood passenger car that the Japanese Crown Prince rode on when visiting Alishan during the Japanese colonial era, giving a glimpse into the century-long history of the Alishan Railway.