Archive:MNR Tehosa class locomotive
Template:Short description Template:Infobox locomotive
The Tehosa (テホサ) class locomotives were a series of 4-6-0 passenger steam locomotives operated primarily by the Manchukuo National Railway (MNR) and the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu).[1] The designation "Teho" derived from the American classification system term "Ten-Wheeler" (4-6-0), while "sa" denoted the third class of Ten-Wheeler locomotives registered under Mantetsu's naming convention.[1]
History
Together with the Sorisa class, these five passenger locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Company in 1912 were the first locomotives ordered from Great Britain by Mantetsu. Designated initially as class F2, they were reclassified as the Tehosa class in 1920, and between then and 1926 all five units were rebuilt with superheaters. They were deployed primarily on ordinary passenger services along both the Mantetsu main line and the Anfeng Line.
In 1927, four of the five locomotives were loaned to the Sitao Railway. Following the Mukden Incident in 1931, all five units were leased to the Fengshan Railway. Upon the nationalisation of the Fengshan Railway and other private regional lines to create the Manchukuo National Railway (MNR) in 1933, the locomotives were formally absorbed into the MNR fleet and reclassified as the Tehoko class. Under the unified classification system introduced across Manchurian railways in 1938, the locomotives were restored to their earlier Tehosa classification.
Class reclassification
| Operator | Class & numbers (1912–1920) |
Class & numbers (1920–1933) |
Class & numbers (1933–1938) |
Class & numbers (1938–1945) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mantetsu | F2 700–F2 704 | テホサ700–テホサ704 | — | — | Rebuilt with superheaters (1920–1926). |
| Manchukuo National Railway | — | — | テホコ5700–テホコ5704 | テホサ501–テホサ505 | Transferred following nationalisation in 1933. |
South Manchuria Railway
Designed to serve medium-distance passenger routes, the first locomotives of the Tehosa class were built in 1912.[1] Initial units were constructed in the United States by the ALCO before production shifted locally to Mantetsu's own Shahekou Works in Dalian, as well as Japanese builders such as Kawasaki and Kisha Seizo.[1][2]
Between 1912 and 1927, a total of 62 locomotives were built in multiple batches.[1] They were primarily assigned to local express and branch line passenger duties across the Mantetsu network in Northeast China.[2]
Transfer to Manchukuo National Railway
Following the establishment of Manchukuo in 1932, the state-owned Manchukuo National Railway (MNR) was created, with its operations managed directly by Mantetsu.[2] To meet the growing demand for rolling stock on newly constructed lines and secondary branches, a significant portion of the Tehosa fleet was transferred from Mantetsu to the MNR.[2]
Under the 1938 uniform classification system introduced across all railways in Japanese-controlled Northeast Asia, the class was formally designated as the "Tehosa" class, with locomotives numbered Tehosa 1 through Tehosa 62.[1]
Post-World War II
At the conclusion of World War II in 1945, all surviving locomotives were taken over by the Republic of China's Ministry of Railways, and subsequently transferred to the Chinese National Railways following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.[3] Under China Railway ownership, they were designated as the "TH3" class.[3] Most units remained in secondary industrial and switching service into the late 1950s before being withdrawn and scrapped.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ichihara, Yoshizumi (1972) (in Japanese). South Manchuria Railway Locomotives. Tokyo: Mainichi Shimbun.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 (in Japanese) History of Railway Development in Manchuria. Dalian: South Manchuria Railway Company. 1935.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cai, Weiming (1998) (in Chinese). The History of Chinese Steam Locomotives. Beijing: China Railway Publishing House. ISBN 978-7113031008.