Songheung Line

The Songheung Line was a 762 mm (30.0 in) narrow gauge railway line of the Chōsen Railway (Chōtetsu) of colonial-era Korea, located in South Hamgyeong Province.[1] There was a 550 m (1,800 ft) cable-hauled section between Baekamsan and Hamnam Songheung.[2]

Songheung Line
Overview
Native name	송흥선 (松興線)
Type	Heavy rail, Regional rail Passenger/Freight
Status	Operational (see text)
Locale	South Hamgyeong
Termini	Hamnam Sinheung Bujeonhoban
Stations	13
Operation
Opened	1928–1932
Owner	Sinheung Railway (1928–1938) Chōsen Railway (1938–1945)
Operator(s)	Sinheung Railway; Chōsen Railway
Technical
Line length	50.6 km (31.4 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	762 mm (2 ft 6 in)
Route map 50.6 Bujeonhoban 47.9 Hamnam Doan 40.0 Bujeon 33.7 Hamjiwon 27.1 Bujeollyeong 25.4 Baekamsan cable-hauled section - summit end cable-hauled section - bottom end 20.0 Hamnam Songheung 19.0 Hasongheung 14.9 Songha 13.1 Gyeongheung 6.9 Dongheung 2.8 Gilbong 0.0 Hamnam Sinheung Hamnam Line

History

On 1 February 1928, the Chōsen Railway extended its Hamnam Line by opening a 20.0 km (12.4 mi) section from Pungsang to Hamnam Songheung.[3] Two years later, on 1 February 1930 the Hamnam Line was taken over by a newly established subsidiary company, the Sinheung Railway,[4] and on 15 January 1932, after the existing Hamnam Songheung Station was renamed Hasonghung Station, the present Hamnam Songheung Station was opened 1.0 km (0.62 mi) from Hasongheung,[5] and on 10 September 1933, the line was extended 31.6 km (19.6 mi) to Bujeonhoban.

The Sinheung Railway was absorbed by Chōtetsu on 22 April 1938,[6] and Chōtetsu separated the Hamnam Sinheung–Bujeonhoban section from the Hamnam Line, naming that portion the Songheung Line.

After the establishment of North Korea and the nationalisation of its railways, the Hamnam Line was split up, with the Hamheung - Oro - Sinheung section being merged with the Songheung Line to create the present Sinheung Line.[1]

Services

In the November 1942 timetable, the last issued prior to the start of the Pacific War, Chōtetsu operated the following schedule of third-class-only local passenger services:[7]

Distance (read down)	Price Korean yen	545	501	503	505	507	Station name	Distance (read up)	Price Korean yen	500	502	504	506	546
Arr. from		-	Oro	Hamheung	Hamheung	Hamheung		Cont. to		Oro	Hamheung	Hamheung	Hamheung	-
41.0	1.65	...	06:56	09:55	14:14	19:09	Hamnam Sinheung	50.6	2.10	07:45	10:50	15:15	19:55	...
61.0	2.45	...	08:36	12:00	16:08	20:57	Hamnam Songheung	30.6	1.25	06:30	09:30	13:50	18:47	...
68.1	3.35	...	...	13:18	17:45	...	Bujeollyeong	23.5	1.00	...	...	10:40	17:28	...
74.7	3.60	07:12	...	14:00	18:30	...	Hamjiwon	16.9	0.70	...	...	10:07	16:54	21:01
91.6	4.25	08:17	...	15:07	19:39	...	Bujeonhoban	0.0	-	...	...	08:37	15:24	20:00

Route

松興線 - 송흥선 - Shōkō Line - Songheung Line

Distance		Station name
Total; km	S2S; km	Transcribed, Korean	Transcribed, Japanese	Hunminjeongeum	Hanja/Kanji	Connections
0.0	0.0	Hamnam Sinheung	Kannan Shinkō	함남신흥	咸南新興	Hamnam Line
2.8	2.8	Gilbong	Kippō	길봉	吉峰
6.9	4.1	Dongheung	Tōkō	동흥	東興
13.1	6.2	Gyeongheung	Keikō	경흥	慶興
14.9	1.8	Songha	Shōka	송하	松下
19.0	4.1	Hasongheung	Kashōkō	하송흥	下松興
20.0	1.0	Hamnam Songheung	Kannan Shōkō	함남송흥	咸南松興
25.4	5.4	Baekamsan	Hakugansan	백암산	白岩山
27.1	1.7	Bujeollyeong	Fusenryō	부전령	赴戦嶺
33.7	6.6	Hamjiwon	Kanjien	함지원	咸地院
40.0	3.8	Bujeon	Fusen	부전	赴戦
47.9	7.9	Hamnam Toan	Kannan Dōan	함남도안	咸南道安
50.6	2.7	Bujeonhoban	Fusenkohan	부전호반	赴戦湖畔

References

1. Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
2. "북한지리정보: 운수지리 - 장진선". Retrieved 2017-01-18.
3. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 354, 7 March 1928
4. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 930, 10 February 1930
5. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 1510, 22 January 1932
6. 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 3385, 3 May 1938
7. Tōa Travel Co. (東亜旅行社), Ministry of Railways Combined Timetable 1 November 1942 (鐵道省編纂時刻表昭和１７年１１月１日)