Trains of North Korea

[Mario_v]

Hello all

Here's a video from North Korea. I ddn't know exactly where to place it, since it has a little bit of everything moving by rails - a steam tran, that I belive to be a special, some subway and street cars too.

In the railway images, it i noticeable the apppaling state of trackage, and also the unmistakable russian origin of the electrification - 25 Kv AC I believe -, mixed toghether with engish type semaphores

Here's the video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXeBI2f2kg

Also some pictures of trains and landscape here :

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/new/11_nov13-kp/pix.html
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/new/11_nov07-kp1/pix.html
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/new/11_nov07-kp2/pix.html

And the story behind the images : http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/

It is interresting to know, that there is a twice mohtly sleeping car service between Moscow - Khabarovsk and Pyongyang, but no ideas of taking it, since tourists wont normally be allowed.

 

 

[Anonymous]

A number of years ago there was a gigantic explosion in a North Korean railroad yard, that was so tremendous the North and South Koreans briefly thought we'd hit the north with a tactical nuclear warhead.  The blast was so devastating it set-off seismometers all around the northern pacific rim.  I believe it was in the northwestern portion of the country, and as I recall they speculated it was an electrified train pulling a cargo of dangerous (obviously flammable) chemicals that somehow came into contact with the cantenaries and blew the bajeezus out of the whole facility.

[cacole]

I noticed that the superimposed script on some of the video is in the Japanese language, not Korean, so maybe this was taken by a Japanese tourist.

As secretive and secluded as the North Korean Goverment is, I'm surprised they let this video out of the country and didn't regard the images as showing state secrets.

[TimChgo9]

cacole

I noticed that the superimposed script on some of the video is in the Japanese language, not Korean, so maybe this was taken by a Japanese tourist.

As secretive and secluded as the North Korean Goverment is, I'm surprised they let this video out of the country and didn't regard the images as showing state secrets.

 

So am I. NK is pretty regimented and secretive as well, so I am very surprised to see video from that part of the world.  

I also noted just how lifeless the whole place seemed in the video.  There was an amazing lack of people on the streets in a couple of the scenes, and it looked like the trains were traveling through a "ghost town".    

Amazing footage, really.  Thanks for posting. 

[Modelcar]

...That's an awesome video from North Korea....Didn't think anything would {could}, look as good as it did in the video over there.  Nor did I think anyone could get something as revealing as that, out of the country.

Watching the steam engine / passenger train at the beginning surprised me to see the headlight was not turned on running in the day time.

I've ridden on steam trains...crude conditions {moving troops}, in the Inchon to Chunchon area there over 55 years ago, including thru tunnels with open windows, etc....But that was a long ago different era and under dire circumstances....

[Mario_v]

Some more data

The electrification shown is 3 Kv DC (just like the one used by Milwaukee Rd in the past).

Total distance from Tumangan, on th Korean (and also chinese) russian border to Pyongyang is 855 Kilometres (about 540 miles), and due to track condition, jointed rail in most cases, speeds are really low, 25 mph, maybe a little more.

And more videos depicting some of the landscape, with a nice jointed rail sound coming from underneath :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQrTFMOMvg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7k8u00zalY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPAFflmOArM

The speed of the train, maybe some 20 mph

[carnej1]

WIAR

A number of years ago there was a gigantic explosion in a North Korean railroad yard, that was so tremendous the North and South Koreans briefly thought we'd hit the north with a tactical nuclear warhead.  The blast was so devastating it set-off seismometers all around the northern pacific rim.  I believe it was in the northwestern portion of the country, and as I recall they speculated it was an electrified train pulling a cargo of dangerous (obviously flammable) chemicals that somehow came into contact with the cantenaries and blew the bajeezus out of the whole facility.

 I've read that the explosion involved cars carrying Ammonium nitrate and tank cars full of fuel oil colliding and essentially creating a gigantic ANFO (explosive used in mining and also in terrorist attacks) bomb...

[mackb4]

  What's more amazing to me about this video is the fact that a poor country like North Korea has  mass transit !

 What's wrong with this country ?

 I don't agree with or defend communism or socialist societies but good grief when are the people in this country going to wake up ?

 Great link,thanks

[cacole]

The big difference between our societies is that in the U.S. the railroads are privately owned and in a country like North Korea they are State owned.  North Korea has mass transit because they have no roads and people cannot afford automobiles or trucks.  If the State doesn't provide it, they don't have anything.  That's the way Socialism works and why so many are starving except their military and government officials.

[eeyore9900]

carnej1

WIAR

A number of years ago there was a gigantic explosion in a North Korean railroad yard, that was so tremendous the North and South Koreans briefly thought we'd hit the north with a tactical nuclear warhead.  The blast was so devastating it set-off seismometers all around the northern pacific rim.  I believe it was in the northwestern portion of the country, and as I recall they speculated it was an electrified train pulling a cargo of dangerous (obviously flammable) chemicals that somehow came into contact with the cantenaries and blew the bajeezus out of the whole facility.

 I've read that the explosion involved cars carrying Ammonium nitrate and tank cars full of fuel oil colliding and essentially creating a gigantic ANFO (explosive used in mining and also in terrorist attacks) bomb...

That would make sense. I've read about the disaster in Texas City, Texas in 1946 involving a cargo ship loaded with ammonium nitrate-VERY volatile stuff. The explosion leveled almost every building in the town for blocks inland, & actually blew a small plane out of the sky overhead.