The Shiki or Sigeu (Japanese シキ, Korean 시그) class railcars were a class of 3rd class

steam railcar A steam railcar, steam motor car (US), or Railmotor (UK) is a railcar that is self powered by a steam engine. The first steam railcar was an experimental unit designed and built in 1847 by James Samuel and William Bridges Adams in Britain. In 1 ...

s of the Chosen Government Railway (''Sentetsu''). There were two classes of such railcars, one built in Japan and one built in the United Kingdom.

Shiki1 class (シキ1)

In 1923, Kisha Seizō of

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 ...

built four steam railcars for Sentetsu, which were essentially a small tank steam locomotive with a

2-2-0 Under Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, two powered driving wheels on one axle, and no trailing wheels. This configuration, which became very p ...

wheel arrangement built onto one end of a passenger carriage. Intended for use for commuter trains on the

Gyeongin Line The Gyeongin Line (Gyeonginseon) is a railway mainline in South Korea, currently connecting Guro station in Seoul and Incheon. Commuter services along the line through operates into Seoul Subway Line 1. History The Gyeongin Line was the fir ...

, the railcar pulled two passenger cars in active service. However, performance was far from satisfactory, with many complaints about excessive vibration being received. As a result, in 1924, after barely a year in service, one was scrapped, and the remaining three were converted to 2-2-0 tank locomotives by removing the integrated passenger compartment. A second one was scrapped in 1927, leaving only two locomotives. These two remained in service until at least 1940, but their subsequent fate is unknown.

Shiki2 class (シキ2)

Despite the poor experience with the first steam railcars, Sentetsu imported two geared steam railcars from Sentinel-Cammell in England in 1929. These had a vertical boiler generating superheated steam of pressure, which fed a single, horizontally mounted, 6-cylinder engine producing , and had a lightweight body integrated with the underframe. These steam railcars later proved very helpful in designing Sentetsu's first petrol-powered railcars. Both units remained in service until at least 1940, but their subsequent fate is unknown.

References

{{Sentetsu rolling stock Locomotives of Korea under Japanese rule Railcars of Korea Railway locomotives introduced in 1923 Railway locomotives introduced in 1929 2-2-0 locomotives Kisha Seizo locomotives Sentinel locomotives Railmotors