North Chosen Colonial Railway


The North Chōsen Colonial Railway, was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupied Korea.

History

In order to exploit the rich iron deposits of the Musan region, the Chōsen Railway established the North Chōsen Colonial Railway as a subsidiary company and began construction of a new line, calling it the Hambuk Line. The line was opened in two parts - the Gomusan-Hambuk Sincham section opening on 20 August 1927, and the Sinch'am-Musan segment being opened on 15 November 1929. On 1 February 1937, Musan Cheolsan Station was opened.
Originally built as a narrow-gauge line, the conversion to standard gauge was completed on 1 May 1940, and the extension to Musan Gangan station was completed then as well. On 1 April 1944, the line was absorbed into Sentetsu; at the same time, the line was given its current name, Musan Line, and the extension to Musan Gangan station was closed.
After the partition of Korea the line was within the territory of the DPRK, and was nationalised by the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea along with all other railways in the Soviet zone of occupation on 10 August 1946; the line retained the name given it by Sentetsu, Musan Line.

Services

In the last timetable issued prior to the start of the Pacific War in November 1942, the North Chōsen Colonial Railway was operating four daily round trip passenger trains between Gomusan and Musan, timed to connect with local and express services on Sentetsu's Hamgyeong Line.
Distance
2nd Class
Korean yen		3rd Class
Korean yen		1357Station nameDistance
2nd Class
Korean yen		3rd Class
Korean yen		2468
0.0--07:0010:0014:5019:00Gomusan57.94.702.3508:5812:3017:2919:46
33.62.801.4008:5211:5116:4220:54Hambuk Sincham24.31.971.0007:2410:5615:5518:11
50.54.102.0509:3212:3117:3021:34Chinhwa7.40.600.3006:3010:0114:5817:16
57.94.702.3509:4912:4717:4821:50Musan0.0--06:0009:3014:3016:45

Motive Power

Prior to the conversion of the line to standard gauge, locomotives on the line included Class 810 locomotives of the Chōsen Railway. After it was converted to standard gauge, the primary power on the line was twenty-two heavy 2-8-2 steam locomotives identical to the South Manchuria Railway's Mikai class engines. Built by Kisha Seizō of Japan, they were numbered 1 through 22.
After the North Chosen Colonial Railway was nationalised, these locomotives were taken over by Sentetsu, but their subsequent numbering is unknown.
Road numberYearBuilderWorks number
11940Kisha Seizō1891
21940Kisha Seizō1892
31940Kisha Seizō1893
41940Kisha Seizō1894
51940Kisha Seizō1895
61940Kisha Seizō1987
71940Kisha Seizō1988
81940Kisha Seizō1989
91940Kisha Seizō1990
101940Kisha Seizō1991
111940Kisha Seizō1992
121941Kisha Seizō2100
131941Kisha Seizō2101
141941Kisha Seizō2102
151941Kisha Seizō2103
161941Kisha Seizō2104
171942Kisha Seizō2203
181942Kisha Seizō2204
191942Kisha Seizō2205
201942Kisha Seizō2206
211942Kisha Seizō2207
221942Kisha Seizō2208

Route