Ten points if anyone can tell me what I am looking at. I have no idea.

https://youtu.be/llPcsoZnJmc

The railroad is in South Korea:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR ... cid=814105

Which is clearly a steam outline diesel

See this video for a view of the cab - clearly a diesel! https://youtu.be/823LBs4QHPg

I saw all the bent crooked stationary rods and nearly went blind. I still have a headache.

It's Thomas the Tank Engine's Korean cousin!

Can't say I blame you, though the bent up rod biz seems to be a common cartoon effect from people who don't get the workings of outside valve gear with its eccentric rods seeming, to the uninitiated, to tumble inside-out in a jumble--that is, when the cartoonist even has rod motion at all.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/56 ... 11fd33.jpg


http://www.timtim.com/public/images/dra ... iveGuy.gif

http://www.cliparthut.com/clip-arts/147 ... 472049.png

http://previews.123rf.com/images/schult ... -steam.jpg

The locomotive's anatomy is way off (since when is the firebox in the tender?), but the joke is funny, even if corny.

http://www.jantoo.com/cartoon/68138712

The location of this train park is in southwest Korea, a long ride from Seoul in the northwest, which is why, despite my many visits to Korea, I've never been there. As far as I know, it's the only such place in all of Korea. There are a number of places offering rail bike rides but I don't know of any others that offer at least a mock-up of a ride on historic rail equipment. Perhaps it's because there's already so much excellent passenger service in Korea that a train ride isn't a novelty. Passenger service isn't something from yesteryear, it's something that exists now and is more plentiful than ever.

A number of older single-track rail lines that would wind through the countryside have been replaced by new, double-track routes with straighter track, overhead wires, large new stations and fast and frequent passenger train service. They run roughly parallel to the old routes, and instead of winding through river valleys, these lines bore in and out of mountains for faster and straighter rides.

When the new lines open, the older ones become redundant and are typically torn up. In some places stretches of isolated rails have been left in place for rail bike operations. Other stretches have become recreational bike trails, something unheard of in an earlier era when it was a daily struggle just to survive, not have fun.

I believe this rail park's line is one of those older routes taken out of commercial service by the construction of a new line, and its location away from major population centers allows riders to relive what old-time passenger service in Korea was like (sort of).

Speaking of Korean railroads, recently a new film was released called Train to Busan (new spelling for what used to be Pusan) about a zombie apocalypse breaking out due to a leak from a bio-tech plant. Passengers aboard a high speed KTX train train to escape from Seoul to Pusan and more and more zombies pursue them. See the trailer at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ovgxN2VWNc

It's turning out to be a popular film with record-breaking earnings in Korean theaters.

When watching it, I looked at their trains and stations with envy.

Tim (and others) -

Okay, it's obvious that the "steamer" pulling the train is actually a diesel. But what about the locomotive in the first photo in this thread (the one sitting next to diesel 2122)? To me, I think I can see tall drivers and a trailing truck. So this one seems to be a genuine steam locomotive. Yes? If so, any info on it? I also noticed in the one video of the running train taken from above, it shows an engine at both ends. Is this "genuine steamer" towed along for the ride? Or is there a second "fake steamer/diesel" involved?

Les

Here's a better photo:

http://www.withtour.net/sichansEditor6_asp/UserImages/IMG_4862_1.jpg

And here's its location:

https://goo.gl/maps/MVJ2eberinN2

It appears to be a 2-8-2 numbered 129 but other than that I have no idea. Steamlocomotive.info lists a few unidentified Mikes in South Korea.

Frank -

Thanks for the photo of the Mike.


Les

Les:

During each of my Korea trips I drop by the Korean Railroad Museum in Uiwang, just south of Seoul, and chat with the director, who told me during previous visits there are no operating steam locomotives anywhere in South Korea. With that in mind, I think this is a real steam locomotive being towed. I'll try to get down to Gokseong when I return to Korea next spring so I can take a lot of pictures, ask questions, and give you a complete answer when I return.

Tim

The number 129 on the locomotive seemed familiar and indeed it was. This locomotive, built in 1940 in Japan, became famous when it was used in a failed attempt to rescue Major General William Dean, commander of the 24th Infantry Division, early in the war. See:

Pentagon honors railroad workers for daring Korean War rescue effort
http://www.stripes.com/news/pentagon-ho ... t-1.381490

Johnson presents award for heroic rescue mission
https://www.army.mil/article/82598/John ... ue_mission

Accounts of that day state the 30 US soldiers taking part in the mission were "commandos" or "Special Forces." The US Army had no such units at the time. The last of six ranger battalions of WW II was inactivated by the end of 1945 and the 1st Special Service Force had been inactivated a year earlier. The original Special Forces groups were not activated until 1952 and did not deploy to Korea, and the ranger companies of the Korean War had not yet been activated. The 11th and 82d, the Army's two Airborne divisions, were in the States and significantly understrength. Later the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, formed from the 11th's 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment and other division units, was sent to Korea, but did not arrive until late September 1950. I've never found an account that identified the unit of the 30 US soldiers involved, but almost certainly they were regular GIs from the 24th Infantry Division on a "commando-type" mission. Just like with railroad history, military stories get better with each retelling, resulting in the 30 being inaccurately described as "commandos" and "Special Forces."

As for No. 129, it was last reported on display in Taejon (now Daejeon), as seen here

http://jikimi.cha.go.kr/english/search_ ... &requery=0

but it's possible the locomotive has since been moved to Gokseong for use on the tourist railroad. I hope to find out for certain next spring when I return to Korea.

Using the text describing the locomotive's location and matching it with Google Earth, it appears to have been on display at the Korea Railroad shops in Pyeongchon-dong on the northeast side of greater Daejeon, and a blurry image is visible in pictures up to June 12, 2009. Subsequent pictures show the locomotive (?) is gone, and the area in and around the display site has been redeveloped. It's entirely possible the locomotive was moved from there to Gokseong to ride on the rails again instead of being cooped up inside the shop grounds - even if it is just being towed.

Tim -

Interesting stuff. Thanks for the report. Look forward to your visit to Korea next year, and to a report on 2-8-2 #129.


Les

Glad I asked the original question. Lots of interesting replies here.