Anyone have any idea what types of steam locomotives might be available for preservation if our relationship and certain possibilities might materialize with North Korea? I believe there were some 2-8-0 and other locomotives working in the north/ww2 war aid that might still exist in some sort of stockpile or even working still. Maybe even some examples of russian/eastern block locomotives which are almost completely unrepresented over here in the west/United States.

Erie 2524! If found, she would be the ONLY surviving Erie steam engine.

Are there any updates to this legend?

Whoa! Talk about a leap of faith!

There is no trace, none, of the American steam locos which were given to rebuild Korea in the 1950's. Furthermore, the US delegation is only meeting with the North Koreans because they are deeming it politically advantageous.

Put your hiking boots and cameras away for a few more years.

Nothing new. An inquiry was made to a South Korean official who said he was confident that 2524 did not still exist, although there are supposedly locos stuffed and mounted all over SK. Who knows what's in the north. I suppose we will have to wait until google maps gives us something better to peruse.

In North Korea:
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/country ... northkorea

In South Korea:
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/country ... southkorea

Thank you, Mr Bailey. What a fascinating list.

This little 760mm gauge 0-6-0T in the Pyongyang Railway Museum (!) caught my eye:
http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=18123

Could it be a Baldwin, or perhaps a Davenport? I don't see a builder's plate, but that's not surprising.

-Philip Marshall

With 36 of the 45 steam locos remaining in North Korea reportedly being 2-8-2 Mikados, I guess you could say that North Korea "is a Mike kind of town." (Sorry, Mr. Sinatra.)

Sorry, folks, I just couldn't resist it.

John B. Corns
a.k.a. misterwandle

The CIA reports that there is a 4-6-2 in the bottom of a quarry outside of Pyongyang.

Classified reports are you can even see the domes above water every time they do a nuclear test.

Oh shoot. So even if the Erie pacific survives she is now radioactive?

Robert

If so, you could save a lot on headlight bulbs and might not even need coal to boil the water!

Even if it does exist, what shape is it in, and what are the reparation chances? I recall people foaming (for lack of a better term, although sometimes appropriate.) about getting Cuban locos. Has any group seriously started trying to return a Cuban loco?

The late Hal Carstens dreamed of finding that Erie Pacific.

I was stationed in ROK 1969-1970; KNR (now Korail) was then operating 100 steamers, but only two were Pacifics: both PaSi 5 class, built in Korea during the Japanese occupation.

KNR runs left-handed and all their own steam engines were set up left-handed. The US engines had the engineer on the wrong side.

Incidentally I did find (and ride) coaches and combines from the Reading Company. Moreover KNR's road engines had 6-chime whistles that sounded like 2124.

A last note. Most KNR steam burned oil, but one engine terminal used coal. The name in Korean was Iri, pronounced Erie.

Phil Mulligan

Correction to the above; The KNR PaSi 5 engines operated in 1970 were built by Kawasaki in Japan. Wikipedia reports PaSi 5 23 is preserved at the Korean Railway Museum (ROK).

Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentetsu_ ... locomotive

ROK Museum:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR ... id=1320188

Phil Mulligan

I think I read somewhere that the Cuban government has declared all steam locomotives in Cuba "National Treasurers", making it illegal to take them out of Cuba.