The Samcheok Railway (
Japanese: 三陟鐵道株式會社, ''Sanchoku Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha'';
Korean: 삼척철도주식회사, ''Samcheok Cheoldo Jusikhoesa''), was a privately owned
railway company in
Japanese-occupied Korea.
The first section of the line (Mukho Port–Dogye) was opened on 31 July 1940. The line was named Cheoram Line, which ran from
Mukho
Mukho () is a harbor in Donghae City, Gangwon Province, South Korea. It is located on the shore of the Sea of Japan . In the past it played an important role in the shipping of iron ore and coal; much of this role has been taken over by Donghae ...
, a port on Korea's east coast that became part of
Donghae Donghae may refer to:
* East Sea, the South Korean name of the Sea of Japan
** Donghae Expressway, the name of the expressway in South Korea
** Donghae Line, a railway line in Busan, South Korea
* Donghae City, in South Korea
** ''Donghae''-class ...
in 1980, to Cheoram in the
Taebaek Mountains, to develop three coal fields.
Between Simpo-ri and Tong-ri stations, the great height difference was scaled by a steep double-track railway.
Freight railcars going up and down were connected to the same cable, passengers had to walk up the mountain.
On 1 August 1940, a branch from Bukpyeong (today Donghae Station) to Mukho bypassing Mukho Port was opened, and the original alignment became the
Mukho Port Line
Mukho () is a harbor in Donghae City, Gangwon-do (South Korea), Gangwon Province, South Korea. It is located on the shore of the Sea of Japan . In the past it played an important role in the shipping of iron ore and coal; much of this role has b ...
(
ko); this was followed by a branch from Bukpyeong to
Samcheok, the
Samcheok Line (
ko), that was opened on 11 February 1944.
[朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 5103, 9 February 1944]
After the
partition of Korea
The division of Korea began with the defeat of Japan in World War II. During the war, the Allied leaders considered the question of Korea's future after Japan's surrender in the war. The leaders reached an understanding that Korea would be li ...
the Samcheok Railway's network was entirely within the territory of
South Korea, and the company was nationalised on 10 August 1948 and made part of the
Korean National Railroad
The Korea Railroad Corporation (Korean: 한국철도공사, Hanja: ), branded as KORAIL (코레일, officially changed to in November 2019), is the national railway operator in South Korea. Currently, KORAIL is a public corporation, managed ...
. The Cheoram Line became part of the KNR's
Yeongdong Line
The Yeongdong Line is a line of Korail. It connects Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province with Gangneung in Gangwon Province. From Yeongju, it crosses the Taebaek Mountains and reaches the Sea of Japan (East Sea) at Donghae, thence proceedin ...
in 1963,
whilst the Samcheok Line remained a separate line. The Samcheok Railway's network was isolated from the rest of Korea's railways, and remained so until 1955.
Motive Power
Amongst other locomotives, the Samcheok Railway operated two
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Prairie.
Overview
The major ...
T
tank locomotives built by
Kisha Seizō of Japan for the railway in 1938; the company designated them the
350 series, numbered 350 and 351.
Network
References
{{reflist
Railway companies of Korea under Japanese rule
Defunct railway companies of Korea
Defunct railway companies of Japan
1948 disestablishments in North Korea