Preserved Steam Locomotives in South Korea

Until 2017, two steam locomotives and a passenger coach were preserved at Seoul Children's Grand Park, a large public park in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, with a zoo, botanical garden, and amusement facilities. One of the locomotives was a Hyeogi Class 1. In contrast to South Korea's standard gauge of 1,435 mm, it was built for the much narrower 762 mm gauge and was classified as a “Hyeogi” narrow-gauge locomotive. The name is written 혀기 in Korean. An information board at the site stated: “This locomotive was manufactured at a factory in Japan in 1951 and assembled at the Korean National Railroad's Busan Works. It operated between Suwon and South Incheon and between Suwon and Yeoju from 1951 until January 1973.” When I visited in 2009, it carried a conspicuous orange-based livery, but by 2015 it had been repainted entirely black. It was later moved to Hwarangdae Railway Park, where it remains on display.

The other locomotive formerly preserved at Seoul Children's Grand Park is Mika (미카) 5-56. It has also been moved to Hwarangdae Railway Park. The Mika 5 class was ordered from Japan by the South Korean government and United Nations forces through the U.S. Army Transportation Corps (USATC) during the Korean War (1950–1953). The locomotives were built by Kisha Seizo, Nippon Sharyo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Rolling Stock, and other manufacturers. The railway of the Japanese Government-General of Korea had used Mika classes through the Mikashi class, later redesignated Mika 4, so the new class was named Mika 5. In other words, it was the fifth class of Mikado-type locomotive, with a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement. Its design broadly followed the Mikai class formerly used by the South Manchuria Railway and the Manchukuo National Railway. Many locomotives had been destroyed during the Korean War, while freight demand was rapidly increasing, so large numbers of steam locomotives based on prewar designs were ordered from Japanese manufacturers. Anticipating this demand, the manufacturers also built many locomotives speculatively, expecting formal orders to follow. As the front stabilised, however, demand fell sharply, leaving the builders with numerous completed locomotives for which no buyer had been found. Some remained in storage for more than ten years before ultimately being scrapped. At Hwarangdae Railway Park, the locomotive and tender are displayed separately, providing ample space for visitors to view the cab.

Mika (미카) 3-161 is a former Mikasa-class locomotive, more than 300 of which were introduced by the railway of the Japanese Government-General of Korea before the end of World War II. It was a standard freight locomotive designed to suit conditions in Korea, taking into account locomotive weight and the calorific value of the coal available. From 1981 to 1983, it hauled a weekend tourist train between Busan and Gyeongju. After that service ended, the locomotive was placed on display at the Korea Railroad Museum.

This locomotive was manufactured by Kawasaki Rolling Stock in 1942 and assembled at the Keijo Works, in present-day Seoul, of the Railway Bureau of the Japanese Government-General of Korea. It was originally a Pashiko-class passenger tender locomotive and became Pashi (파시) Class 5 under the Korean National Railroad after the war. It operated on major trunk lines throughout the country, but was withdrawn from service in 1967 as diesel locomotives became widespread. Designed for Korean terrain and to burn domestically produced coal, it was a representative express passenger locomotive. It is the only surviving Pacific-type steam locomotive in South Korea, with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement. A triangular cover has been fitted over the chimney to prevent rainwater from entering, although in my view it somewhat detracts from the locomotive's elegant appearance.

The Hyeogi Class 11 was a large tender steam locomotive for a 762 mm narrow-gauge railway, with a 2-8-2 wheel arrangement. It originated as the Chosen Railway Class 900, built in 1937 and 1944 by Nippon Sharyo, Kisha Seizo, and Hitachi. Narrow-gauge railways have a small loading gauge and therefore limited transport capacity. Converting a line to a wider gauge, however, requires substantial time and expense, so the class was designed to provide the greatest possible power and capacity within narrow-gauge dimensions. The locomotives were introduced for the Hwanghae Line and the Gyeongdong Line, both operated by the privately owned Chosen Railway. The Hwanghae Line was nationalised in 1944 and lay in North Korea after the war. On the southern part of the former Gyeongdong Line, the Suwon–Incheon section became the Suin Line and the Suwon–Yeoju section became the Suryeo Line. Locomotives remaining in South Korea after the war were reclassified as Hyeogi Class 11. The Chosen Railway company emblem is painted on the tender. This locomotive is also almost identical in design and specifications to the LD50 class introduced by the Taiwan Government-General Railway for the Taitung Line, later designated LDT100 by the Taiwan Railways Administration.

Hyeogi No. US7, preserved at the Sorae History Museum, is broadly similar in specification to the Hyeogi Class 11. It is said to have originally been LD50 No. 7 (LD507), built for the Taitung Line of the Taiwan Government-General Railway. LD507 was manufactured by Nippon Sharyo in 1944 to a wartime design that made extensive use of substitute materials. By that time, Japan was already losing control of the sea. The two preceding locomotives, LD505 and LD506, also failed to reach Taiwan because the ships carrying them were sunk. LD507 remained in Japan until the end of the war without being shipped to Taiwan. According to this account, it was later rebuilt for South Korea, where transport capacity was desperately needed during the Korean War, and was sent by United Nations forces, principally the U.S. military, for use on the Suin Line. It consequently became known as Hyeogi US7. Unlike the original Taiwan specification, it was fitted with air brakes and automatic couplers, and the shape of the tender was altered. The marking “No. 7” remains stamped on the locomotive. It is still unclear whether this number derives from its intended identity as Taiwan's No. 7, or how it relates to the later designation “US7,” and these unanswered questions make the locomotive particularly intriguing.

When I visited in 2009, the boiler, driving wheels, and cylinder section of a large steam locomotive were displayed outside the museum. When I returned in 2015, only the chimney and an iron ring remained. This had been a full-size replica produced by POSCO for a corporate advertisement in 2005 and donated after filming. It represented Mate (마테) 2-10, a locomotive damaged at Jangdan Station during the Korean War on 31 December 1950 and left in the Demilitarized Zone for more than half a century. The surviving original is now displayed at Imjingak.

Hyeogi (혀기) 8-28 is displayed outdoors at the National Children's Science Center, formerly the Seoul Science Museum. It is a 762 mm gauge 2-8-2 tank locomotive. The information at the site states that it was imported from Japan in 1934 and operated over the 52 km route between Suwon and Incheon and the 73.4 km route between Suwon and Yeoju, making a major contribution to the development of local industry. These routes had formed part of the Gyeongdong Line of the privately owned Chosen Railway. After the war, they became the Suin Line and the Suryeo Line respectively.

The Gyeongui Line, running approximately 500 km from Seoul to Sinuiju and crossing the Korean Peninsula from south to north, was already a major trunk route during the period of the Japanese Government-General of Korea. The line was divided by the Korean War, and on the South Korean side it now extends from Seoul through Imjingang to Dorasan. Dorasan Station lies inside the Civilian Control Zone south of the Demilitarized Zone, so access requires identification and the prescribed procedures. Visiting arrangements and public access can change, so it is advisable to confirm the latest information in advance. Mika (미카) 3-244 stands beyond Imjingang Station, before the Imjin River, facing directly north as a symbol of the hope that trains may one day run again across a reunified Korea. The locomotive was originally Mikasa 244 of the railway of the Japanese Government-General of Korea and was built by Nippon Sharyo in 1943.

During the Korean War, Mate (마테) 2-10 was sent from Kaesong toward Hanpo in Hwanghae Province on 31 December 1950 to transport military supplies for United Nations forces. As the military situation deteriorated, it was attacked and disabled at Jangdan Station while heading south. United Nations forces had once advanced rapidly toward the Chinese border, but the large-scale intervention of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army reversed the situation and forced them to retreat southward. In the confusion at the front, the locomotive is said to have been attacked by United Nations forces to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Jangdan Station was later abandoned within the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone, and the locomotive remained at the site for more than half a century. Preservation was formally approved in November 2006. POSCO provided funding and technical support, while specialists removed rust and carried out conservation work over a period of two years. In June 2009, the locomotive was placed on public display at its present location near the northern end of the “Freedom Bridge” in Imjingak Park.

The DMZ Train was formed from a three-car set of Korean Railroad Class 9501 diesel railcars, originally used for Mugunghwa services, and began operating between Seoul and Dorasan on the Gyeongui Line in 2014. The leading car at the North Korean end carried an illustration of a steam locomotive, symbolising the expression “The iron horse wants to run.” Service was suspended in 2019 as part of measures to prevent the spread of African swine fever. It never resumed, and the train was withdrawn in 2023 because of its age. Separately from the former DMZ Train, the DMZ Peace Ieum Train began operating over the same section in April 2026.