The North Chōsen Colonial Railway (Japanese: 北鮮拓殖鐵道株式會社, Hokusen Takushoku Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha; Korean: 북선척식철도주식회사, Bukseon Cheoksik Cheoldo Jusikhoesa) was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupied Korea.

History In order to exploit the rich iron deposits of the Musan region, the Chōsen Railway established the North Chōsen Colonial Railway as a subsidiary company and began construction of a new line, calling it the Hambuk Line (not to be confused with the current Hambuk Line, which at that time was part of the Chosen Government Railway's (Sentetsu) Hamgyeong Line). The line was opened in two parts - the Gomusan-Hambuk Sincham section opening on 20 August 1927, and the Sinch'am-Musan segment opening on 15 November 1929. On 1 February 1937, Musan Cheolsan Station was opened.Japanese Government Railways (1937), 鉄道停車場一覧. 昭和12年10月1日現在(The List of the Stations as of 1 October 1937), pp. 511

Originally built as a narrow-gauge line, the conversion to standard gauge was completed on 1 May 1940,朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 3984, 6 May 1940 and the extension to Musan Gangan station was completed then as well. On 1 April 1944, the line was absorbed into Sentetsu;朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa Nr. 5143, 29 March 1944 at the same time, the line was given its current name, Musan Line, and the extension to Musan Gangan station was closed.

After the partition of Korea the line was within the territory of the DPRK, and was nationalised by the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea along with all other railways in the Soviet zone of occupation on 10 August 1946;Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), the line retained the name given it by Sentetsu, Musan Line.Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō),

Services In the last timetable issued prior to the start of the Pacific War in November 1942, the North Chōsen Colonial Railway was operating four daily round trip passenger trains between Gomusan and Musan, timed to connect with local and express services on Sentetsu's Hamgyeong Line.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)

+ Gomusan - Musan Distance(read down) 2nd ClassKorean yen 3rd ClassKorean yen 1 3 5 7 Station name Distance(read up) 2nd ClassKorean yen 3rd ClassKorean yen 2 4 6 8 0.0 - - 07:00 10:00 14:50 19:00 Gomusan 57.9 4.70 2.35 08:58 12:30 17:29 19:46 33.6 2.80 1.40 08:52 11:51 16:42 20:54 Hambuk Sincham 24.3 1.97 1.00 07:24 10:56 15:55 18:11 50.5 4.10 2.05 09:32 12:31 17:30 21:34 Chinhwa 7.4 0.60 0.30 06:30 10:01 14:58 17:16 57.9 4.70 2.35 09:49 12:47 17:48 21:50 Musan 0.0 - - 06:00 09:30 14:30 16:45

Motive power

Prior to the conversion of the line to standard gauge, locomotives on the line included Class 810 locomotives of the Chōsen Railway. After it was converted to standard gauge, the primary power on the line was twenty-two heavy 2-8-2 steam locomotives identical to the South Manchuria Railway's Mikai class engines. Built by Kisha Seizō of Japan, they were numbered 1 through 22.

After the North Chosen Colonial Railway was nationalised, these locomotives were taken over by Sentetsu, but their subsequent numbering is unknown.

Road number Year Builder Works number 1 1940 Kisha Seizō 1891 2 1940 Kisha Seizō 1892 3 1940 Kisha Seizō 1893 4 1940 Kisha Seizō 1894 5 1940 Kisha Seizō 1895 6 1940 Kisha Seizō 1987 7 1940 Kisha Seizō 1988 8 1940 Kisha Seizō 1989 9 1940 Kisha Seizō 1990 10 1940 Kisha Seizō 1991 11 1940 Kisha Seizō 1992 12 1941 Kisha Seizō 2100 13 1941 Kisha Seizō 2101 14 1941 Kisha Seizō 2102 15 1941 Kisha Seizō 2103 16 1941 Kisha Seizō 2104 17 1942 Kisha Seizō 2203 18 1942 Kisha Seizō 2204 19 1942 Kisha Seizō 2205 20 1942 Kisha Seizō 2206 21 1942 Kisha Seizō 2207 22 1942 Kisha Seizō 2208

Route

Distance Station name Total; km S2S; km Transcribed, Korean Transcribed, Japanese Hunminjeongeum Hanja/Kanji Opened Connections 0.0 0.0 Komusan Komozan 고무산 古茂山 20 August 1927 Sentetsu Hamgyeong Line 4.2 4.2 Seosang Seijō 서상 西上 20 August 1927 8.9 4.7 Musu Bushū 무수 舞袖 20 August 1927 14.5 5.6 Pyemusan Haimozan 폐무산 廃茂山 20 August 1927 18.9 4.4 Charyeong Sharei 차령 車嶺 20 August 1927 22.6 3.7 Geumpae Kinpai 금패 金佩 20 August 1927 33.6 11.0 Hambuk Sincham Kanboku-Shintan 함북신참 咸北新站 20 August 1927 39.4 5.8 Seopungsan Seihōzan 서풍산 西豊山 15 November 1929 45.7 6.3 Jucho Shusō 주초 朱草 15 November 1929 50.5 4.8 Chinhwa Chinka 진화 珍貨 15 November 1929 54.3 3.8 Musan Cheolsan Mōzan-Tetsuzan 무산철산 茂山鉄山 15 November 1929 57.9 3.6 Musan Mōzan 무산 茂山 15 November 1929 Sentetsu Baengmu Line(opened 1944) 60.4 2.5 Musan Kang'an Mōzan-Kōgan 무산강안 茂山江岸 1 February 1937Closed 1944

References