Sentetsu Puresa-class locomotives

The Puresa-class (プレサ) 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]

Chosen Government Railway Puresa class (プレサ) Korean National Railroad Pureo3 class (푸러3) Korean State Railway Purŏsŏ class (부러서)
Sentetsu プレ283 as built, later プレサ3
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Borsig Build date 1911–1912 Total produced 14
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 2-6-2T Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) Driver dia. 1,370 mm (54 in) Length 10,338 mm (33 ft 11.0 in) Width 3,000 mm (9 ft 10 in) Height 3,880 mm (12 ft 9 in) Adhesive weight 37.00 t (36.42 long tons) Loco weight 52.00 t (51.18 long tons) Fuel capacity 1.25 t (1.23 long tons) Water cap 5,900 L (1,600 US gal) Firebox:  • Firegrate area 1.69 m^2 (18.2 sq ft) Boiler: ​  • Small tubes 177 x 51 mm (2.0 in) Boiler pressure 11.5 kgf/cm^2 (164 psi) Heating surface 99.10 m^2 (1,066.7 sq ft)  • Tubes 89.60 m^2 (964.4 sq ft)  • Firebox 9.50 m^2 (102.3 sq ft) Cylinders 1 Cylinder size 410 mm × 610 mm (16 in × 24 in) Valve gear Walschaerts
Performance figures Maximum speed 75 km/h (47 mph) Tractive effort 72.1 kN (16,200 lbf)
Career Operators Chosen Government Railway Korean National Railroad Korean State Railway Class Sentetsu: プレサ KNR: 푸러3 KSR: 부러서 Number in class Sentetsu: 14 Numbers Sentetsu: プレサ1–プレサ14 Delivered 1911–1912

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]

Description

The Puresa class was a group of 14 locomotives built in 1911 and 1912 by the Borsig works of Germany.[3] The first nine were delivered in 1911, and the last five in 1912.[4] They were larger than the preceding Purei- and Pureni-classes, with greater coal and water capacity, and were the first locomotives in Korea with Walschaerts valve gear. Like the previous types, they were delivered in knockdown form, and assembled at Sentetsu's shops in Busan.[5]

Postwar

After the liberation and partition of Korea, they were divided between North and South, but the specifics of which engine went where are unclear; those going to the Korean National Railroad in the South would be designated 푸러3 (Pureo3) class, those with the Korean State Railway in the North would be designated 부러서 (Purŏsŏ) class.

Construction

Sentetsu running number		Postwar
1911–1938	1938–1945	Owner	Number	Builder	Year	Notes
プレ281	プレサ1	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ282	プレサ2	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ283	プレサ3	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ284	プレサ4	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ285	プレサ5	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ286	プレサ6	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ287	プレサ7	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ288	プレサ8	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ289	プレサ9	?	?	Borsig	1911
プレ290	プレサ10	?	?	Borsig	1912
プレ291	プレサ11	?	?	Borsig	1912
プレ292	プレサ12	?	?	Borsig	1912
プレ293	プレサ13	?	?	Borsig	1912
プレ294	プレサ14	?	?	Borsig	1912

References

1. Colvin, Fred H. (1906). The railroad pocket-book: a quick reference cyclopedia of railroad information. New York, Derry-Collard; London, Locomotive Publishing Company (US-UK co-edition). p. L‑9.
2. "North and South Korea Steam Locomotives". 20 April 2004. Archived from the original on 20 April 2004.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
3. 푸러형 증기기관차(탱크식)를 알아보자. 2 December 2012 (in Korean)
4. "プレーリー型タンク機関車". Archived from the original on 2017-08-26.
5. Byeon, Seong-u (1999). 한국철도차량 100년사 [Korean Railways Rolling Stock Centennial] (in Korean). Seoul: Korea Rolling Stock Technical Corp.