I just rented the DVD of the Korean War movie, "Tae Guk Gi - The Brotherhood of War." In it, there's a scene where folks are getting the heck out of dodge, loaded down on a freight being pulled by a steam locomotive (the scene is at night so you can't see much detail). I thought it looked odd that that the stack talk at all while it's moving, leaving me to think it was being pushed.
Well, I watched the making of part of the DVD, which by the way appears to not have a way to get an English translation (the film was made IN Korea), so I don't know what anyone was saying, but they clearly showed the "tender" stripped down to the frame, shoiwng a VERY large gearbox and tansmission. Clearly, it's not under steam at all.
That leads to my question, aren't there ANY running steam engine in Korea they could have used? Seems to me that building a full-scale mockup capable of actually pulling a train had to have cost a bundle...

The only working steam locomotive in South Korea I am aware of is in fact a Chinese-built SY 2-8-2; built in 1994. It works a tourist train on the Seoul-Uijongbu Line.

It could have made a good stand-in for Miki class 2-8-2; which dominated the standard gauge Korean railway scene in the years before, during, and after the Korean War. I guess either it was not available, or the producers did not know about it.

-James Hefner
Hebrews 10:20a

Surviving World Steam Project

I saw a version of this film (Tae Guk Gi) with English subtitles and apparently there was not a single working steam locomotive in Korea that could be used, so they made a mock-up to fill in. The director was told that it would cost too much, that he should simply delete the scene from his script, but he said no, he was determined to keep it. For those Koreans who remember those desperate times, trying to crowd aboard southbound trains to flee the advancing enemy forces during a brutal winter, the scene truly hit home, and the film was a great success.

As for steam excursions on the Seoul-Uijongbu line, I asked about these at the Seoul station's information counter during my visit in 2005 and again this month (I returned six days ago) and these trips are no longer offered. I'm not sure when they ended, but they were already history by the spring of 2005.

I took a train north from Seoul to Imjingang and, on the way back, I saw what appeared to be the end of a tender of a south-facing steam locomotive inside a concrete shelter next to the main line near the Susaek station. Unfortunately the shelter is right by the main line in an active rail yard, so getting a closer peak isn't likely. Perhaps this is what became of the Chinese-built locomotive that no longer hauls excursion trains, but without a definitive identification, I'm reluctant to say just which locomotive might be connected to the tender.

Also, I made contact with the head of the Korean Railroad Museum in Uiwang and asked him about the Erie 4-6-2 that some believe may still exist in Korea. He said that, to the best of his knowledge, this locomotive has not existed for a long time and he is unaware of it being displayed or stored anywhere in the country.

Tim -

It's always interesting the emphasis that rail enthusiasts put on the Erie 4-6-2 that was sent over to the Republic of Korea. But in reality, there were many more American steam locomotives sent over there, including those from the Pennsy, the C&O, the Great Northern (if I recall correctly) and perhaps other lines. I read that at least one PRR B-6 class 0-6-0 was seen in operation. I would like to know if ANY of these other American locomotives might have been preserved. Maybe the next time you are at the Korean Railroad Museum, you might ask the museums head about other U.S. engines besides the 4-6-2.

Les

Les:

There's no need to wait a couple of years until my next visit to ask questions about other steam locomotives. I have the gent's email address, so I'll drop a line to him and ask him about any surviving steam locomotives that might still be around.

One thing I noticed about the Korean rail system is that there's very little old equipment to be found lying about. Things that aren't in use tend to be scrapped and converted to new uses. Rail equipment, both freight and passenger, is clean and devoid of graffiti. In fact, I didn't see graffiti anywhere at all during my entire visit.

I visited a number of steam locomotives on static display but only saw one that came from the US - an Alco by the front gate of the Korean National Railroad College adjacent to the railroad museum in Uiwang. When I visited the museum a couple of weeks ago, many of its outdoor equipment displays were roped off while overhead covers were being constructed to protect them from the sun. There could be a US-built locomotive in there, but most of those I came across in my visit, either at the museum or in other locations, were from other sources.

Tim -

Thanks. That would be great.

Les

Yes, that would be great. Although my Surviving World Steam Project is in mothballs right now; I would love to have a list of all the preserved steam locomotives in South Korea.