Chōsen Railway Class 630

The Class 630 was a class of steam tank locomotives with 2-6-2 wheel arrangement operated by the Chōsen Railway in colonial Korea.[1] The first five were built for the company by Kisha Seizō of Japan for use on the railway's Hwanghae Line; they were numbered 630 through 634 (works numbers 1113-1117);[1] these were joined by an unknown number built by Nippon Sharyō in the same year.[2]

Chōsen Railway Class 630
Builder's photo of Chōsen Railway Class 630 no. 632
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Kisha Seizō, Nippon Sharyō Build date 1930 Total produced 5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-2T Gauge 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) Driver dia. 940 mm (37 in) Length 8,634 mm (339.9 in) Width 2,134 mm (84.0 in) Height 3,150 mm (124 in) Total weight 28.50 t (28.05 long tons)
Performance figures Tractive effort 32.46 kN (7,300 lbf)
Career Operators Chōsen Railway Korean State Railway Class Chōsen Railway: 630 Number in class >5 Numbers Chōsen Railway: 630-63? Delivered 1930

Engine number 634 being loaded onto a ship for delivery.

After the Liberation and partition of Korea, these locomotives were taken over by the Korean State Railway of North Korea, and were likely scrapped after the conversion of the Hwanghae Line network to standard gauge in 1973. Their KSR numbering is unknown.

Class 655

The Class 655 was a class of three 2-6-2T tank locomotives built by Kisha Seizō for the Chōsen Railway in 1935 (works numbers 1302-1304). Numbered 655 through 657, they were nearly identical to the Class 630 engines.[1]

Like the Class 630, these were taken over by the Korean State Railway in 1948, but their subsequent fate is unknown.

References

1. Yamada, Keitarō (1972). 汽車会社蒸気機関車製造史 [Manufacturing History of Kisha Kaisha Steam Locomotives] (in Japanese). Nagoya: Kōyūsha.
2. Byeon, Seong-u (1999). 한국철도차량 100년사 [Korean Railways Rolling Stock Centennial] (in Korean). Seoul: Korea Rolling Stock Technical Corp.