The Tanpō Railway (Japanese: 端豊鉄道株式会社, Tanpō Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha; Korean단풍철도주식회사, Danpung Cheoldo Jusikhoesa), was a privately owned railway company in Japanese-occupied Korea.

Tanfū Railway
Overview
Native name단풍철도주식회사 (Danpung Cheoldo Jusikhoesa)
端豊鉄道株式会社 (Tanpō Tetsudō Kabushiki Kaisha)
Route map

0.0
Dancheon
Sentetsu Hamgyeong Line
7.0
Dongdae
21.1
Haunseung
32.6
Sangnong
39.3
Jungchon
43.5
Nongchon
49.7
Chudong
Mandeok Line
54.7
Goseong
6.6
Budong
60.9
Suui
10.3
Mandeok
67.1
Jangpa
78.9
Hahonggun
80.3
Honggun
Pungsan
(planned)

History

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The name of the railway was formed from the first characters of the names of the starting point, Tansen on the Kankyō Line of the Chōsen Government Railway, and Hōzan, the county seat of Hōzan County. The initial section of the mainline, 80.3 km (49.9 mi) from Tansen to Kōkun, was opened on 26 August 1939.[1] A 10.3 km (6.4 mi) branchline from Kojō (now called Heocheon) to Mantoku was also opened, but the planned continuation from Kōkun to Hōzan was not completed before the fall of Japan at the end of the Pacific War.

Following the partition of Korea, the entirety of the Danpung Railway's network was located in the Soviet zone of occupation. The Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea nationalised all railways in the northern half of the country on 10 August 1946, and following the establishment of North Korea, the Korean State Railway was created, which renamed the line Hŏch'ŏn Line.[2] Damage sustained by the line during the Korean War was repaired, but the extension to Pungsan (renamed Kimhyonggwonin 1990) was never built.

Services

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In the November 1942 timetable, the last issued prior to the start of the Pacific War, the Tanpō Railway was running three trains each day from Tansen to Kōkun, and four each day on the return trip.[3]

Supung - Cheongsu
Distance
(read down)
Price
Korean yen
- - - Station name Distance
(read up)
Price
Korean yen
- - - -
0.0 - 07:20 13:00 19:05 Dancheon 80.3 3.25 09:40 16:20 19:50 00:10
80.3 3.25 13:20 18:00 00:05 Honggun 0.0 - 04:40 11:20 14:50 19:10

Rolling Stock

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One Class 4110 steam locomotive was sent from the Japanese Government Railway to the Danpung Railway after conversion to standard gauge.[4]

Network

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Main line
Distance Station name
Total; km S2S; km Transcribed, Korean Transcribed, Japanese Hunminjeongeum Hanja/Kanji Connections
0.0 0.0 Dancheon Tansen 단천 端川 Sentetsu Hamgyeong Line
7.0 7.0 Dongdae Tōdai 동대 東坮
21.1 14.1 Haunseung Shimounshō 하운승 下雲承
32.6 11.5 Sangnong Jōnō 상농 上農
39.3 6.7 Jungchon Chūson 중촌 中村
43.5 4.2 Nongchon Nōson 농촌 農村
49.7 6.2 Chudong Shūtō 추동 楸洞
54.7 5.0 Goseong Kojō 고성 古城 Mandeok Line
60.9 6.2 Suui Shugi 수의 守義
67.1 6.2 Jangpa Chōha 장파 長坡
71.3 4.2 Bochiri Hoshiri 보치리 浦淄里
78.9 7.6 Hahonggun Shimokōkun 하홍군 下洪君
80.3 1.4 Honggun Kōkun 홍군 洪君
満徳線 - 만덕선 - Mantoku Line - Mandeok Line
Distance Station name
Total; km S2S; km Transcribed, Korean Transcribed, Japanese Hunminjeongeum Hanja/Kanji Connections
0.0 0.0 Goseong Kojō 고성 古城 main line
6.6 6.6 Budong Futō 부동 釜洞
10.3 3.7 Mandeok Mantoku 만덕 満徳

References

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  1. ^ 朝鮮總督府官報 (The Public Journal of the Governor-General of Korea), Shōwa No. 3788, 4 September 1939 (in Japanese)
  2. ^ Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 131, ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6
  3. ^ 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)
  4. ^ Kokubu, Hayato, 将軍様の鉄道 (Shōgun-sama no Tetsudō), p. 66 ISBN 978-4-10-303731-6