Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company

Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company (北海道炭礦鉄道, Hokkaidō Tankō Tetsudō)[1] was a company engaged in coal mining, railway operation and shipping in Hokkaidō, Japan.

The company was established in 1889 when the state-owned Horonai Coal Mine (幌内炭鉱, Horonai Tankō) and Horonai Railway were sold to the company. The company developed coal mines and transported coal to consumers by its own railways and a fleet of steamships.[2]

The railway of the company was nationalized on October 1, 1906 under the Railway Nationalization Act. At this time the company was renamed Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. (北海道炭礦汽船, Hokkaidō Tankō Kisen), which continued mining until 1995 and is in business of coal importing from Russia as of 2014.[2]

Railway

List of lines and stations

As of September 30, 1906[3]

Muroran – Temiya

The Muroran–Iwamizawa section and the Iwamizawa–Otaru section are part of the Muroran Main Line and the Hakodate Main Line respectively today. The remaining Otaru–Temiya section became the Temiya Line, which was closed in 1985.

Built in	Station		Mile	Connections	Note
1892	Muroran	室蘭	0.0		Muroran Port
	Misaki	御崎	2.2
	Wanishi	輪西	2.9		Present-day Higashi-Muroran
	Washibetsu	鷲別	5.6
	Horobetsu	幌別	10.3
	Noboribetsu	登別	15.3
	Shikifu	敷生	20.4		Present-day Takeura
	Shiraoi	白老	27.0
	Nishitappu	錦多峰	34.3		Present-day Nishikioka
	Tomakomai	苫小牧	40.1
	Numanohata	沼ノ端	45.9
	Toasa	遠浅	51.4
	Hayakita	早来	54.8
	Abira	安平	58.3
	Oiwake	追分	62.5	To Yūbari
	Mikawa	三川	67.5
	Yuni	由仁	72.3
	Kuriyama	栗山	75.4
	Kiyomappu	清真布	80.5		Present-day Kurisawa
	Shibun	志文	83.0
	Iwamizawa	岩見沢	86.5	To Utashinai, Ikushunbetsu
1882
	Horomui	幌向	92.9
	Ebetsu	江別	98.7
	Nopporo	野幌	100.6
	Atsubetsu	厚別	105.4
	Shiroishi	白石	108.2
	Sapporo	札幌	111.7
1880
	Kotoni	琴似	114.2
	Karugawa	軽川	118.4		Present-day Teine
	Zenibako	銭函	123.1
	Hariusu	張碓	126.3		Station closed in 2006
	Asari	朝里	128.6
	Otaru	小樽	131.9	Hokkaidō Railway to Hakodate	Present-day Minami-Otaru
	Temiya	手宮	133.6		Otaru Port. Station closed in 1985

Iwamizawa – Utashinai

The Iwamizawa–Sunagawa section is the part of the Hakodate Main Line today. The remaining part became the Utashinai Line, which was closed in 1988.

Built in	Station		Mile	Connections	Note
1881	Iwamizawa	岩見沢	0.0	To Muroran, Temiya, Ikushunbetsu
	Minenobu	峰延	5.1
	Bibai	美唄	10.4
	Naie	奈井江	17.0
	Sunagawa	砂川	21.9	To Asahigawa via Japanese Government Railways
	Kamoi	神威	29.2		Station closed in 1988
	Utashinai	歌志内	30.8		Sorachi Mine. Station closed in 1988

Iwamizawa – Ikushunbetsu

This section later became a part of the Horonai Line, which was closed in 1987.

Built in	Station		Mile	Connections	Note
1882	Iwamizawa	岩見沢	0.0	To Otaru, Muroran, Utashinai
	Horonaibuto	幌内太	6.7	To Horonai	Later renamed Mikasa, station closed in 1987
1888
	Ikushunbetsu	幾春別	11.2		Ikushunbetsu Mine. Station closed in 1987

Horonaibuto – Horonai

This section later became a part of the Horonai Line, which was closed in 1987.

Built in	Station		Mile	Connections	Note
1882	Horonaibuto	幌内太	0.0	To Iwamizawa, Ikushunbetsu	Later renamed Mikasa, station closed in 1987
	Horonai	幌内	1.7		Horonai Mine. Station closed in 1987

Oiwake – Yūbari

The section from Oiwake to Shin-Yubari (Momijiyama) is a part of the Sekishō Line (Main section) today while the remainder became the Yubari Branch Line which closed in 2019.

Built in	Station		Mile	Connections	Note
1892	Oiwake	追分	0.0	To Otaru, Muroran
	Kawabata	川端	5.9
	Takinoue	滝ノ上	11.3
	Momijiyama	紅葉山	15.7		Present-day Shin-Yūbari
	Numanosawa	沼ノ沢	17.5
	Shimizusawa	清水沢	20.9
	Shikanotani	鹿ノ谷	25.1
	Yūbari	夕張	27.2		Yūbari Mine

Sunagawa – Sorachigawa

The company leased this section to Japanese Government Railways. This section is a part of the Hakodate Main Line today.

Built in	Station		Mile	Connections	Note
1892	Sunagawa	砂川	0.0	To Iwamizawa, Utashinai
	Sorachigawa	空知川	3.0		Only a divisional point of railway asset.

Nationalization

As the Railway Nationalization Act was promulgated, on October 1, 1906, the company's railway (207 miles 51 chains), rolling stock (1,940), steamship (1), personnel (3,673) and other goods and contracts were transferred to the government of Japan, in exchange of 30,997,100 yen worth of government bond.[4]

References

1. Company advertisement, p. 195 of Handbook of Japan and Japanese exhibits at World's fair, St. Louis, 1904
2. Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. 当社のあゆみ (in Japanese). Retrieved August 23, 2014.
3. Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR] (in Japanese). {{{1}}}. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. {{{2}}}. ISBN 4533029809.
4. Ministry of Railways (1921). 日本鉄道史 中篇. pp. 849, 855, 862.

External links

• Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. (in Japanese)