Asia Express

Asia Express running on the South Manchuria Railway. 1930s

The Asia Express (Japanese: あじあ号 Ajia-gō) was an express train built and operated by the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu) from 1934 until 1943.

The locomotives used to haul the trains were known as the Pashina type, and constructed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and the Shahekou Plant in the Kwantung Leased Territory.^[1] When the South Manchurian railway came under Chinese control the locomotives were given class SL7.

Description

The trains reached a top speed of 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph), surpassing the contemporary Chinese rail system and rivaling the United States and Europe. It served as a symbol of technology and modernism in Manchukuo and was used to demonstrate the success of Japan's imperial project. Mantetsu featured it on many of its fliers and posters, and Manchukuo children's textbooks included passages about it.^[2]

Encased in an aerodynamic shell, the Asia Express ran from Dairen through Shinkyō to Harbin. It featured air conditioning, on-board refrigerators, and an unusual glass observation deck resembling a salon complete with leather chairs and bookshelves.^[2]

Following the recapture of Manchuria, the Asia Express was used as a passenger train by the Republic of China. It can still be found on display.

Gallery

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  Asia Express engine

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  Asia Express

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  A remodeled passenger car from the Asia Express, on display in the China Railway Museum

References

1. 1934年（昭和9年）　パシナ形蒸気機関車979号が当社製造蒸気機関車の1,500両目となる : 沿革  : 川崎重工 車両カンパニー. www.khi.co.jp (in Japanese). Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
2. Louise Young. Japan's Total Empire. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. pp.246-7.

External links

• (Japanese) 大陸支配の尖兵「満鉄」と「あじあ」号