I've spent the last several years building models of Korean National Railroad equipment. Many months of my childhood were spent in Korea as I visited family, and as a result I've had more exposure to the Korean railroad than I have anywhere else, and a sentimental attachment.
Korea is a very interesting place to model, as over the years they've had equipment from all over the world. Both American style and export EMD units, European electrics and high speed equipment, as well as Japanese-style EMUs. The majority of Korean rolling stock is unique to Korea in some way, and thus presents a fun modeling challenge. I also like building things that are unusual and unique.
Here's a collection of models I've built so far.
Where it started: Korail Class 8200 Siemens Eurosprinter from DFG Korea. The only model I've bought RTR, it's a Roco BR152 in origin.
A variety of freight cars, all 3D printed in PLA:
HEP Generator car, kitbashed from a MicroAce Kani 24-100
Mugunghwa passenger car, repainted Kato Kiha:
Full Mugunghwa consist:
Converted baggage car caboose, 3D printed in PLA:
KNR Class 5000 EMD SD9, painted and detailed Proto 2000: #5025 is preserved and is the sole remaining unit.
KNR Class 6100 EMD SDP28, kitbashed from Atlas SDP35: Out of 12 SD28s built total, six of them were SDP28s built for Korea. None survive.
This one I'm most proud of. Korail Class 7400 EMD GT26CW-2. The shell and trucks are printed in resin with detail parts added, and the chassis is printed in PLA and reinforced with brass.
Some video: (Sorry, I cannot get it to embed)
https://youtu.be/jSHhuMw_0zI
https://youtu.be/4zw6dL1vbuI
-Peter. Mantua collector, 3D printing enthusiast, Korail modeler.
Nice models, and very interesting. Thanks and regards, Peter
Those black and orange paint jobs make me shiver. Lots of masking work.
Beautiful.
Very nice!
Thanks for sharing.
Ed
Hey DA those 3D's dont look too bad! Icant tell from the perspective I have but did you do the trucks too? That SD28 looks pretty awesome also! Love the paint job.
PMR
Very nice collection of equipment. Everything looks so sharp. I like the big heavy look of the freighters and clean uncluttered look of the passenger trains. Dan
There are a lot of other models suitable for modelling Korean Railways.
In the steam era, many locomotives used in China were also used in Korea, particularly in the early post WWII period and of course, during the Korean War.
The Bachmann Chinese JF 2-8-2 was a class widely used in Korea, both South and North. The US Army 2-8-0, often wrongly described as an S-160, were very common in the South.
To move to electrics, the The Korean Railways had trains based on the original single deck French TGV trains and locomotives based on the French BB 15000 design.
There were many types of EMD export units, in particular the model G12, and there was one batch of Alco DL 532 units, a B-B version of the DL 531 both of which are available in HO scale.
Peter
PM Railfan Hey DA those 3D's dont look too bad! Icant tell from the perspective I have but did you do the trucks too? That SD28 looks pretty awesome also! Love the paint job.
Thanks! The only printed trucks are the export flexicoil trucks under the GT26CW-2, from Lines West Products. The freight car trucks are from Kato and Evemodel.
M636C There are a lot of other models suitable for modelling Korean Railways. In the steam era, many locomotives used in China were also used in Korea, particularly in the early post WWII period and of course, during the Korean War. The Bachmann Chinese JF 2-8-2 was a class widely used in Korea, both South and North. The US Army 2-8-0, often wrongly described as an S-160, were very common in the South. To move to electrics, the The Korean Railways had trains based on the original single deck French TGV trains and locomotives based on the French BB 15000 design. There were many types of EMD export units, in particular the model G12, and there was one batch of Alco DL 532 units, a B-B version of the DL 531 both of which are available in HO scale.
Would you know which KNR class the JF locomotives fall under? They appear somewhat similar to the Mika-1 class to me. Thanks for telling me about them, I wasn't aware that they were the same.
The KTX-1 bears the most resemblance to the Spanish AVE version of the TGV with a redesigned nose cone. Trying to find a suitable model in HO that doesn't break the bank is a challenge. I've thought about Mehano, but intermediate cars are nearly impossible to find!
The BB15000 based Class 8000 is a favorite of mine, I'm leaning towards doing a printed model of one because I'm hesitant to hack up a couple pricey Roco models, at least without more experience, and I can't think of a way to shove the third truck in an existing chassis. I always have an undo button on the computer!
I'm currently working on 3D models of the G12 variants and G8. The only scale version of the G12s I'm aware of are from Hobbytec Modelismo and Prema Models in Brazil, and I've had a hard time getting a hold of them. There's some detail differences that would be hard to correct on those as well. The hard part now is getting a hold of proper truck sideframes.
I saw a Powerline DL531 shell on eBay once, and I narrowly missed it before I could get a response about international shipping. I really don't want to buy an entire model just for the shell, but I guess I might have to.
Da StumerWould you know which KNR class the JF locomotives fall under? They appear somewhat similar to the Mika-1 class to me. Thanks for telling me about them, I wasn't aware that they were the same.
Hi Peter,
The JF class of steam locomotives wasn't confined to one particular "model" of locomotive, it was a collection of locomotives that had been inherited from predecessor railways that operated in China, which ranged from veterans of Japan's vast former railway empire to leftovers from the French-built Yunnan-Vietnam railway.
Bachmann China's model follows the JF-1 pattern, and when I cross-referenced my model with period Japanese builders photographs on Wikipedia the details are quite-accurate, if not spot on. The JF-1 classification was given to locomotives, classified by the Japanese as the Mikai class, that were inherited from the Imperial Japanese Empire's railway systems. Subsequent locomotives were also built new domestically in China based on improvements of the original design, however these new builds operated in China and were never exported to the best of my knowledge.
In the case of the KNR, the Mika-1s the railroad used were former Japanese Mikais, as well as new locomotives that were ordered postwar for the Korean War, built by the same Japanese manufacturers that built the original series of locomotives. It is safe to say that if one repaints a Bachmann JF class locomotive into KNR scheme they would have a accurate model of a Mika-1.
"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." -Lin Yutang
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That is some good information, thank you!
Very, very nice work!
1) Interesting that the rolling stock is lettered in the Latin alphabet and not Korean
2) You forgot the heavy (very) duty car for Fattie
BEAUSABRE Very, very nice work! 1) Interesting that the rolling stock is lettered in the Latin alphabet and not Korean 2) You forgot the heavy (very) duty car for Fattie
Thanks!
It’s just the Korail logo that’s in English. Car data, destination signs, and safety signs are all in Korean.
Fattie is the other Korea. Their rolling stock is in much much sadder shape.