The Matei class (マテイ) locomotives were a class of steam tender locomotives of the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) with 4-8-2 wheel arrangement. The "Mate" name came from the American naming system for steam locomotives, under which locomotives with 4-8-2 wheel arrangement were called "Mountain".

Description

With the development of mining operations in the northern part of Korea, traffic volumes increased significantly, and Sentetsu found a need for a locomotive with strong pulling power suitable for use on mountainous lines with sharp curves and steep slopes. The locomotive designed in response to this need was not of the 2-8-2 Mika type, which was Sentetsu's standard freight locomotive type, but of the Mate type with 4-8-2 wheel arrangement; the leading bogie was designed to reduce flange wear on the wheels. The resulting Matei class locomotives became a mainstay on long-distance freight trains on mountainous lines.

The Gyeongseong Works undertook two major design projects at the end of the 1930s: that of the Pashiko-class express passenger locomotive, and the Matei-class freight locomotives for use on steep mountain lines. Each was the largest of their type operated by Sentetsu, and the first unit of each type was rolled out in 1939. Both had a heating area of and were equipped with automatic stokers. After the first two were built at Gyeongseong in 1939 and 1940, a further 48 were built from 1941 through to the end of Japanese rule by Kisha Seizō in Japan.

Postwar After the Liberation and subsequent partition of Korea, both the Korean National Railroad (KNR) in the South and the Korean State Railway (Kukch'ŏl) in the North operated Matei-class locomotives. Not all survived the Pacific War, as there were only 77 of 83 built of both classes that remained in 1946; of these, 33 went to the Korean National Railroad in the South, and 44 to the Korean State Railway in the North. The six locomotives of both classes that remain unaccounted for were likely either destroyed during the Pacific War or were possibly taken by Soviet Army, which during its occupation of North Korea took a large number of locomotives back to the USSR.

Korean National Railroad Mateo1 class (마터1) Of the 33 4-8-2s that went to the KNR in the 1947 division of assets, most were likely Matei-class, which were designated 마터1 class by the KNR; the identities of twelve of these are known for certain.

KNR number Sentetsu number Builder Year Notes 마터1-5 マテイ5 Kisha Seizō 1941 마터1-14 マテイ14 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-22 マテイ22 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-23 マテイ23 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-24 マテイ24 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-25 マテイ25 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-27 マテイ27 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-30 マテイ30 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-31 マテイ31 Kisha Seizō 1943 마터1-44 マテイ44 Kisha Seizō 1944~1945 마터1-48 マテイ48 Kisha Seizō 1944~1945 마터1-49 マテイ49 Kisha Seizō 1944~1945

Korean State Railway Madŏha class (마더하)

Around eleven Matei class locomotives went to the north, where they were initially designated 마더하 class (Madŏha) by Kukch'ŏl; later, around the 1970s, they were renumbered in the 7100 series, retaining their original running number but replacing the "마더하" with a "7". The identities of two are known for certain.

KNR number Sentetsu number Builder Year Notes 마더하10 (2200) マテイ10 Kisha Seizō 1942 Destroyed in 1950 still carrying Sentetsu number plates.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 131, 마더하33 (2378) マテイ33 Kisha Seizō 1943 Seen stored at Sinŭiju in 2003, awaiting scrapping.

On 31 December 1950, a passenger train operated by Kukch'ŏl, consisting of マテイ10 - still wearing Sentetsu number plates - and 25 cars, running on the former Kyŏngŭi Line from Hanp'o to Munsan, was ordered to stop at Changdan by the US Army and was destroyed. The locomotive is now on display at Imjingak.

Construction

Original number Builder Year Works no. Postwar owner Postwar number Notes マテイ1 Gyeongseong Works 1939 マテイ2 Gyeongseong Works 1940 マテイ3 Kisha Seizō 1941 2055 マテイ4 Kisha Seizō 1941 2056 マテイ5 Kisha Seizō 1941 2057 KNR 마터1-5 マテイ6 Kisha Seizō 1941 2058 マテイ7 Kisha Seizō 1941 2059 マテイ8 Kisha Seizō 1942 2198 マテイ9 Kisha Seizō 1942 2199 マテイ10 Kisha Seizō 1942 2200 KSR 마더하10 Destroyed in 1950 still carrying Sentetsu number plates. マテイ11 Kisha Seizō 1942 2201 マテイ12 Kisha Seizō 1942 2202 マテイ13 Kisha Seizō 1943 2304 マテイ14 Kisha Seizō 1943 2305 KNR 마터1-14 マテイ15 Kisha Seizō 1943 2306 マテイ16 Kisha Seizō 1943 2307 マテイ17 Kisha Seizō 1943 2308 マテイ18 Kisha Seizō 1943 2309 マテイ19 Kisha Seizō 1943 2310 マテイ20 Kisha Seizō 1943 2311 マテイ21 Kisha Seizō 1943 2312 マテイ22 Kisha Seizō 1943 2313 KNR 마터1-22 マテイ23 Kisha Seizō 1943 2342 KNR 마터1-23 マテイ24 Kisha Seizō 1943 2343 KNR 마터1-24 マテイ25 Kisha Seizō 1943 2344 KNR 마터1-25 マテイ26 Kisha Seizō 1943 2345 マテイ27 Kisha Seizō 1943 2346 KNR 마터1-27 マテイ28 Kisha Seizō 1943 2347 マテイ29 Kisha Seizō 1943 2348 マテイ30 Kisha Seizō 1943 2349 KNR 마터1-30 マテイ31 Kisha Seizō 1943 2350 KNR 마터1-31 マテイ32 Kisha Seizō 1943 2351 マテイ33 Kisha Seizō 1944 2378 KSR マテイ34 Kisha Seizō 1944 2379 マテイ35 Kisha Seizō 1944 2400 マテイ36 Kisha Seizō 1944 2401 マテイ37 Kisha Seizō 1944 2402 マテイ38 Kisha Seizō 1944 2403 マテイ39 Kisha Seizō 1944 2404 マテイ40 Kisha Seizō 1944 2405 マテイ41 Kisha Seizō 1944 2406 マテイ42 Kisha Seizō 1944 2407 マテイ43 Kisha Seizō 1944 2408 マテイ44 Kisha Seizō 1944 2460 KNR 마터1-44 マテイ45 Kisha Seizō 1944 2461 マテイ46 Kisha Seizō 1944 2462 マテイ47 Kisha Seizō 1944 2463 マテイ48 Kisha Seizō 1945 2464 KNR 마터1-48 マテイ49 Kisha Seizō 1945 2465 KNR 마터1-49 マテイ50 Kisha Seizō 1945 2466

References