Sentetsu Pureha-class locomotives
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1939 (Hitachi, Kisha Seizō)
| Chosen Government Railway Pureha class (プレハ) Korean National Railroad Pureo8 class (푸러8) Korean State Railway Purŏp'a class (부러파) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.png) Builder's photo of Sentetsu プレハ36, built by Kisha Seizō in 1939. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Pureha-class (プレハ) locomotives were a group of steam tank locomotives with 2-6-2 wheel arrangement of used by the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) in Korea. The "Pure" name came from the American naming system for steam locomotives, under which locomotives with 2-6-2 wheel arrangement were called "Prairie".[1]
In all, Sentetsu owned 227 locomotives of all Pure classes, whilst privately owned railways owned another 52; of these 279 locomotives, 169 went to the Korean National Railroad in South Korea and 110 to the Korean State Railway in North Korea.[2]
The プレハ (Pureha) class was the eighth and final class of 2-6-2 locomotives procured by Sentetsu.[3] They were designed by Sentetsu as the most advanced locomotives in Korea at the time of their introduction, and the first twelve were built in 1932 by the Gyeongsong Works. A further 26 were built in 1939 by Hitachi and Kisha Seizō and assembled at Sentetsu's Busan shops.[4] Unlike previous Pure class locomotives, the Pureha class had larger driving wheels, with a diameter of 1,520 mm (60 in), which increased their maximum speed to 90 km/h (56 mph). They were frequently used for express trains on the Gyeongin Line.[4]
