The Mikashi-class (ミカシ) locomotives were a group of steam tender locomotives of the Chosen Government Railway (''Sentetsu'') with

2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and two trailing wheel ...

wheel arrangement. The "Mika" name came from the American naming system for steam locomotives, under which locomotives with 2-8-2 wheel arrangement were called "Mikado" in honour of the

Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

, as the first 2-8-2 locomotives in the world were built for

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Of all Mika classes, 131 went to 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 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and 292 to the

Korean State Railway The Korean State Railway (), commonly called the State Rail () is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of North Korea and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chang Jun Song. History 1945–195 ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. Of these 423 locomotives, 356 were from Sentetsu; the other 67 were South Manchuria Railway Mikai-class engines on loan to Sentetsu along with Mika-type locomotives which had previously belonged to the twelve privately owned railways in Korea before 1945. Not included in this number, however, are the six SMR Mikai-class locomotives that were assigned to SMR's Rajin depot for operation on SMR's lines in northeastern Korea, and the eight SMR Mikaro-class locomotives likewise assigned to the Rajin depot; these fourteen locomotives were taken over by the Korean State Railway. Despite the DPRK government's extensive anti-Japanese propaganda, the railway nevertheless continues to use the "Mika" name officially for these locomotives even though it refers to the Japanese emperor.

Description

The Mikashi class locomotives were very similar to the South Manchuria Railway's Mikaro-class locomotives. 24 were built by Kawasaki between 1939 and 1942, numbered ミカシ1 through ミカシ24.

Postwar

The exact distribution of the Mikashi-class locomotives 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 ...

is uncertain, but they were operated by both the Korean National Railroad in the South and by the Korean State Railway in the North.

Korean National Railroad 미카4 (Mika4) class

service in

the Mikashi class was known as the 미카4 (''Mika4'') class. The numbers of the locomotives operated by the KNR is uncertain, however 미카4-23 is known to have been operated by the KNR.

Korean State Railway 미가너 (Miganŏ)/6400 series

The Korean State Railway initially designated its Mikashi class locomotives as 미가너 (''Miganŏ'') class, retaining the previous serial identity, and later renumbered them in the 6400 number series. The identities of two Mikashis that went north after the partition are known for certain - ミカシ9 and ミカシ15: ミカシ9 ended up in the North and was operated by the Korean State Railway as 미가너9, but was destroyed during the Korean War; it was subsequently captured by Southern forces and taken south; 6415 (previously 미가너15) was still in daily service in 2004 around Taegŏn, Ŭnsan and Changsŏn'gang on the

P'yŏngra Line The P'yŏngra Line is an electrified standard-gauge trunk line of the Korean State Railway in North Korea, running from P'yŏngyang to Rason, where it connects with the Hambuk Line.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), I ...

References

{{DPRKloco Locomotives of Korea Locomotives of South Korea Locomotives of North Korea Railway locomotives introduced in 1939 2-8-2 locomotives Kawasaki locomotives