The China Railways JF9 (解放9, Jiěfàng, "liberation") class steam locomotive was a class of "Mikado" type steam locomotives for freight trains operated by the China Railway. The "Mika" name came from the American naming system for steam locomotives, under which locomotives with 2-8-2 wheel arrangement were called "Mikado" in honour of the Emperor of Japan, as the first 2-8-2 locomotives in the world were built for Japan.
Of all Mika classes, 131 went to the Korean National Railroad in South Korea and 292 to the Korean State Railway in North Korea. Of these 423 locomotives, 356 were from Sentetsu; the other 67 were South Manchuria Railway Mikai-class engines on loan to Sentetsu along with Mika-type locomotives which had previously belonged to the twelve privately owned railways in Korea before 1945. Not included in this number, however, are the six SMR Mikai-class locomotives that were assigned to SMR's Rajin depot for operation on SMR's lines in northeastern Korea, and the eight SMR Mikaro-class locomotives likewise assigned to the Rajin depot; these fourteen locomotives were taken over by the Korean State Railway. Despite the DPRK government's extensive anti-Japanese propaganda, the railway nevertheless continues to use the "Mika" name officially for these locomotives even though it refers to the Japanese emperor.
The Mikasa class was also operated by the Central China Railway in Japanese-occupied China, and by the China Railway after the fall of China to communism, where they were designated JF9 class.
Description Designed by Sentetsu based on the experiences with the rebuilding of the Pureshi class, the Mikasa class, along with the Pashishi and Tehoro classes, were the first locomotives designed by Sentetsu. Because they were designed specifically for Korean operating needs and conditions, these superheated, two-cylinder locomotives were a great success and proved very easy to build, operate and maintain.
The Mikasa, Pashishi and Tehoro classes all had large heating areas. From its inception, the Mikasa class was designed to use the lignite abundant in Korea, which is less efficient than the anthracite the American-built locomotives needed. The Mikasa class featured a combustion chamber firebox to achieve sufficient combustion of the coal, which in turn improved boiler efficiency. Following the experience with the Mikasas, combustion chamber fireboxes were installed on the JNR 9700 class and JNR D52 class locomotives built from 1943. To improve maintenance logistics, care was taken during the design process to maximise the number common components between the Pashishi and Mikasa classes.
Structurally it is generally an American design in its features, with the first dome being a sandbox, and the second being for steam. The firebox is located above the trailing axle. After the first 27 were completed, the design was modified, resulting in a slightly different appearance of the smokestack and the steam dome. The tender was made bigger at the same time, with coal capacity rising from to , and water capacity increasing from to . The tender is a four-axle type, running on two four-wheel bogies of American Bettendorf design.
Construction Between 1927 and 1945, 308 were built for Sentetsu in Japan and Korea by five different builders, and a further five were built after the end of the Pacific War for the KNR. Prior to 1945, eight units were built for the privately owned West Chosen Central Railway, and 38 for the Central China Railway. In all, a total of 398 were built, but there were many in various states of construction at the end of the war that were never completed.
Chosen Government Railway ミカサ (Mikasa) class The first 70, which entered Sentetsu service prior to April 1938, were numbered ミカサ1701 through ミカサ1770; in Sentetsu's general renumbering of 1938, these became ミカサ1 through ミカサ70. Those that entered service after April 1938 were numbered according to the new system.
The Mikasa class became Sentetsu's standard locomotive for freight trains and trains on steeper lines, especially on trunk lines such as the Gyeongui and Gyeongbu Lines. During the Pacific War, the industrialisation of northern Korea was expanded on a large scale, and to meet the resulting sharp increase in freight demands in the area, large numbers of Mikasas were assigned to work on the Gyeongwon and Hamgyeong Lines, as well.
The exact dispersal of Sentetsu's Mikasa-class locomotives after the partition of Korea is uncertain.
+ Timeline of Mikasa production for Sentetsu Running Number Year Original Post-1938 Builder Works Number 1927 1701–1708 ミカサ1–ミカサ8 Kisha Seizō 927–930, 961–964 1928 1709–1711 ミカサ9–ミカサ11 Nippon Sharyō 207–209 1712–1714 ミカサ12–ミカサ14 Hitachi 293–295 1715–1717 ミカサ15–ミカサ17 Kawasaki 1251–1253 1718–1720 ミカサ18–ミカサ20 Kisha Seizō 1016–1018 1930 1721–1727 ミカサ21–ミカサ27 Gyeongseong Works 8–14 1935 1728–1731 ミカサ28–ミカサ31 Hitachi 614–617 1732–1735 ミカサ32–ミカサ35 Kisha Seizō 1331–1334 1936 1736–1742 ミカサ36–ミカサ42 Kisha Seizō 1382–1388 1937 1743–1747 ミカサ43–ミカサ47 Kawasaki 1844–1848 1752–1765 ミカサ52–ミカサ65 Kisha Seizō 1507–1514, 1526–1531 1938 1748–1751 ミカサ48–ミカサ51 Nippon Sharyō 514–517 1766–1770 ミカサ66–ミカサ70 Kisha Seizō 1539–1543 ミカサ81–ミカサ93 Kisha Seizō 1643–1647, 1656–1663 1939 ミカサ71–ミカサ75 Nippon Sharyō 607–611 ミカサ76–ミカサ80 Kawasaki 2118–2122 ミカサ94–ミカサ99 Kisha Seizō 1672–1677 ミカサ100–ミカサ103 Hitachi 1036–1039 ミカサ104–ミカサ109 Kisha Seizō 1766–1771 1940 ミカサ110–ミカサ129 Kisha Seizō 1896–1905, 1936–1945 ミカサ130–ミカサ147 Hitachi 1171–1188 ミカサ148–ミカサ172 Nippon Sharyō 817–841 ミカサ173–ミカサ179 Gyeongseong Works 64–70 ミカサ180–ミカサ186 Kisha Seizō 1960–1966 ミカサ187–ミカサ191 Hitachi 1324–1328 ミカサ192–ミカサ196 Nippon Sharyō 842–846 1941 ミカサ197–ミカサ208 Kisha Seizō 2049–2054, 2156–2161 1942 ミカサ209–ミカサ216 Kisha Seizō 2209–2216 ミカサ223–ミカサ228 Nippon Sharyō 1029–1034 ミカサ248–ミカサ278 Hitachi 1621–1627, 1704–1727 1943 ミカサ217–ミカサ222 Kisha Seizō 2266–2271 ミカサ229–ミカサ244 Nippon Sharyō 1142–1151, 1176–1181 1944 ミカサ245–ミカサ247 Nippon Sharyō 1261–1263 ミカサ279–ミカサ297 Hitachi 1728, 1848–1855, 1945–1954 ミカサ303–ミカサ313 Nippon Sharyō 1332–1342
West Chosen Central Railway ミカサ (Mikasa) class As traffic volumes increased significantly through the Pacific War, the privately owned West Chosen Central Railway also found itself needing more power. As a result, eight Mikasa class locomotives were bought in 1943 and 1944. More were needed, but as the capacity of locomotive builders in Japan and Korea was already being stretched, Mikaro (ミカロ, Mika6) class locomotives were borrowed from the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu) instead.
After the partition of Korea all railways in both North and South were nationalised, and being located north of the 38th parallel, the West Chosen Central Railway's assets were taken over by the Korean State Railway.
+ Timeline of Mikasa production for theWest Chosen Central Railway Year Running Number Builder Works Number 1943 201, 202 Hitachi 1457, 1458 1944 203–206 Kisha Seizō 2227–2230 207, 208 Nippon Sharyō 1213, 1214
Central China Railway ミカサ (Mikasa) class The Central China Railway also bought locomotives built to the Sentetsu Mikasa design; a total of 38 were built by Kisha Seizō, Hitachi and Nippon Sharyō in 1943 and 1944. These were numbered ミカサ11 through ミカサ19, ミカサ110 through ミカサ137 and ミカサ320. After the war, these eventually ended up with the China Railway.
+ Timeline of Mikasa production for theCentral China Railway Year Running Numbers Builder Works Number 1943 ミカサ11–ミカサ15 Kisha Seizō 2217–2221 ミカサ16–ミカサ19 Hitachi 1392–1395 ミカサ110–ミカサ113 Hitachi 1478–1481 ミカサ119–ミカサ128 Nippon Sharyō 1193–1202 1944 ミカサ114–ミカサ118 Kisha Seizō 2222–2226 ミカサ127–ミカサ137, ミカサ320 Hitachi 1729 – 1733, 1872 – 1875, 1871
Postwar The exact distribution of Sentetsu's Mikashi-class locomotives after the partition of Korea is uncertain, but they were operated by both the Korean National Railroad in the South and by the Korean State Railway in the North.
Korean National Railroad 미카3 (Mika3) class
Though the exact quantity and identities of the former Sentetsu Mikasa class locomotives that went to the Korean National Railroad isn't certain, there were at least 54 that were operated by the KNR. Additionally, a further five, which had been under construction for Sentetsu at the end of the Pacific War, were completed by Hitachi in 1946 and delivered to the KNR as 미카3-298 through 미카3-302 (works numbers 2022–2026); this was followed by eight, 미카3-314 through 미카3-321, built new in 1947. They were operated until at least 1968, by which time they were mostly relegated to shunting duties.
+ Known Korean National Railroad 미카3 KNR number Sentetsu number in 1945 Builder Year built Works Number Notes 미카3–8 ミカサ8 Kisha Seizō 1927 964 미카3–16 ミカサ16 Kawasaki 1928 1252 미카3–17 ミカサ17 Kawasaki 1928 1253 Scrapped by 1954. 미카3–27 ミカサ27 Gyeongseong 1930 14 During and immediately after the Korean War, carried "Southern Pacific" lettering on the tender. 미카3–31 ミカサ31 Hitachi 1935 617 미카3–42 ミカサ42 Kisha Seizō 1936 1388 미카3–43 ミカサ43 Kawasaki 1937 1844 미카3–50 ミカサ50 Nippon Sharyō 1938 516 미카3–52 ミカサ52 Kisha Seizō 1937 1507 미카3–66 ミカサ66 Kisha Seizō 1938 1539 미카3–71 ミカサ71 Nippon Sharyō 1939 607 미카3–76 ミカサ76 Kawasaki 1939 2118 미카3–78 ミカサ78 Kawasaki 1939 2120 미카3–89 ミカサ89 Kisha Seizō 1938 1659 미카3–94 ミカサ94 Kisha Seizō 1939 1672 미카3–96 ミカサ96 Kisha Seizō 1939 1674 미카3–99 ミカサ99 Kisha Seizō 1939 1677 Hitachi 1939 1036 미카3–111 ミカサ111 Kisha Seizō 1940 1897 미카3–118 ミカサ118 Kisha Seizō 1940 1904 Scrapped by 1953. 미카3–119 ミカサ119 Kisha Seizō 1940 1905 미카3–120 ミカサ120 Kisha Seizō 1940 1936 미카3-124 ミカサ124 Kisha Seizō 1940 1940 미카3-142 ミカサ142 Hitachi 1940 1183 미카3-144 ミカサ144 Hitachi 1940 1185 미카3-146 ミカサ146 Hitachi 1940 1187 미카3–150 ミカサ150 Nippon Sharyō 1940 819 미카3-161 ミカサ161 Nippon Sharyō 1940 830 Preserved at the Korean Railway Museum. 미카3-162 ミカサ162 Nippon Sharyō 1940 831 미카3-169 ミカサ169 Nippon Sharyō 1940 838 미카3-177 ミカサ177 Gyeongseong 1940 68 미카3-180 ミカサ180 Kisha Seizō 1940 1960 미카3-181 ミカサ181 Kisha Seizō 1940 1961 미카3-199 ミカサ199 Kisha Seizō 1941 2051 미카3-208 ミカサ208 Kisha Seizō 1941 2161 미카3-209 ミカサ209 Kisha Seizō 1942 2209 미카3-210 ミカサ210 Kisha Seizō 1942 2210 미카3-212 ミカサ212 Kisha Seizō 1942 2212 Wrecked in 1953 in a collision with a tank. 미카3-216 ミカサ216 Kisha Seizō 1942 2216 미카3-228 ミカサ228 1942 1034 미카3-239 ミカサ239 Nippon Sharyō 1943 1176 미카3-242 ミカサ242 Nippon Sharyō 1943 1179 미카3-244 ミカサ244 Nippon Sharyō 1943 1181 Preserved at Imjingak. 미카3-247 ミカサ247 Nippon Sharyō 1944 1263 미카3-253 ミカサ253 Hitachi 1942 1626 미카3-255 ミカサ255 Hitachi 1942 1704 미카3-256 ミカサ256 Hitachi 1942 1705 미카3-257 ミカサ257 Hitachi 1942 1706 미카3-261 ミカサ261 Hitachi 1942 1710 미카3-271 ミカサ271 Hitachi 1942 1720 미카3-272 ミカサ272 Hitachi 1942 1721 Still in service in 1968. 미카3-276 ミカサ276 Hitachi 1942 1725 미카3-280 ミカサ280 Hitachi 1944 1848 미카3-288 ミカサ288 Hitachi 1944 1945 Wrecked in an accident with a lorry in 1953. 미카3-298 – Hitachi 1946 2022 미카3-299 – Hitachi 1946 2023 미카3-300 – Hitachi 1946 2024 미카3-301 – Hitachi 1946 2025 미카3-302 – Hitachi 1946 2026 미카3-304 ミカサ304 Nippon Sharyō 1944 1333 Preserved at Sammu Park in Jeju City. 미카3-311 ミカサ311 Nippon Sharyō 1944 1340 미카3-312 ミカサ312 Nippon Sharyō 1944 1341 미카3-314 – ? 1947 미카3-315 – ? 1947 미카3-316 – ? 1947 미카3-317 – ? 1947 미카3-318 – ? 1947 미카3-319 – ? 1947 미카3-320 – ? 1947 미카3-321 – ? 1947
Korean State Railway 미가서 (Migasŏ) class/6300 series