4-6-4 Steam Locomotives in Korea

Class Barui/Baru-1, Baruha (Locobase 14222)

Data from Baldwin Locomotive Works Specification for Engines as digitized by the DeGolyer Library of Southern Methodist University, Volume 49, p. 204. See also "Engines for the Corean [sic] Railways", Locomotive Magazine, Volume 25 (15 January 1919), pp.2-3; and Wikipedia's "Sentetsu Barui-class locomotive" at [], last accessed 27 February 2020. Works numbers were 40780-40785 in October 1913. Locobase is unable to determine the builder for the latter six.

Wikipedia gives details on the class makeup, names, and delivery dates. Baldwin produced the first six in 1913, which served the Gyeongwon (i.e., Gyeong-Wonsan) Line north of Seoul.

These bi-directional tanks were destined for a railway in Japan's colony of Korea that had gentle curves (990 feet/ 302 metre radii) or 5 3/4 degrees and grades of 2 1/2%. Like the Ten-wheeler ordered the previous year (Locobase 14221), the Baltic tanks' fireboxes had to be guaranteed by the builder for 100,000 miles (162,000 km) and a period of three years' service. The direct heating surface included an ample 41 sq ft (3.81 sq m) in the combustion chamb and 32 sq ft (2.97 sq m) in firebrick tubes.

Wikipedia gives much higher weights than those shown in the 1919 LM report, but those figures seem very unlikely.

LM commented in early 1919:"Prior to the war the Corean Rwys had been obtaining engines of German manufacture, and we are glad to see that our American friends are helping to displace German trade in the East."

These were the only 4-6-4Ts Baldwin ever built. But "Hereafter" notes to consult for later batches or for similar locomotives still appear in the Baldwin spec. Perhaps the most notable requirement entered on 4/13/14 read "Correct counterbalance to reduce excess weight on front and rear drivers." Another directed "Omit pilots front and back and apply rail guards as the pilots interfere with coupling the brake hose." Others spoke to frame tweaking and precise measurement/

Wikipedia interpreted "Baru" as referring to the wheel arrangement "called 'Baltic'". All of them remained on the roster at the end of the Pacific War in 1945. When Korea was partitioned in 1946, three were assigned to South Korea's Korean National Railway as class Baru 1 (Baltik 1). The other went to North Korea's Korean State Railway as the Paruha class.