Asia Express
Encyclopedia
The Asia Express 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 Dalian, Liaoning, China.. When the South Manchurian railway came under chinese control the locomotives were given class SL7.
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.
Encased in an aerodynamic shell, the Asia Express ran from Dairen to Shinkyō
. It featured air conditioning, on-board refrigerators, and an unusual glass observation deck resembling a salon complete with leather chairs and bookshelves.
South Manchuria Railway
The , and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.-History:...
(Mantetsu) from 1934 until 1943.
The locomotives used to haul the trains were known as the Pashina type, and constructed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
and the Shahekou Plant in Dalian, Liaoning, China.. When the South Manchurian railway came under chinese control the locomotives were given class SL7.
Description
The trains reached a top speed of 134 kilometre per hour, surpassing the contemporary Chinese rail system and rivalling the United States and Europe. It served as a symbol of technology and modernism in ManchukuoManchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
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.
Encased in an aerodynamic shell, the Asia Express ran from Dairen to Shinkyō
Shinkyo
Shinkyō can refer to the following things:*Shinshūkyō , the New Religions of Japan*Shinkyō , the Japanese name of the capital of former pupper-state Manchukuo*A sacred mirror, e.g. Yata no Kagami...
. It featured air conditioning, on-board refrigerators, and an unusual glass observation deck resembling a salon complete with leather chairs and bookshelves.