Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company
Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company (北海道炭礦鉄道, Hokkaidō Tankō Tetsudō)[1] was a company engaged in coal mining, railway operation and shipping in Hokkaidō, Japan.
The company was established in 1889 when the state-owned Horonai Coal Mine (幌内炭鉱, Horonai Tankō) and Horonai Railway were sold to the company. The company developed coal mines and transported coal to consumers by its own railways and a fleet of steamships.[2]
The railway of the company was nationalized on October 1, 1906 under the Railway Nationalization Act. At this time the company was renamed Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. (北海道炭礦汽船, Hokkaidō Tankō Kisen), which continued mining until 1995 and is in business of coal importing from Russia as of 2014.[2]
Railway
List of lines and stations
As of September 30, 1906[3]
Muroran – Temiya
The Muroran–Iwamizawa section and the Iwamizawa–Otaru section are part of the Muroran Main Line and the Hakodate Main Line respectively today. The remaining Otaru–Temiya section became the Temiya Line, which was closed in 1985.
| Built in | Station | Mile | Connections | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | Muroran | 室蘭 | 0.0 |  Muroran Port | |
| Misaki | 御崎 | 2.2 | |||
| Wanishi | 輪西 | 2.9 | Present-day Higashi-Muroran | ||
| Washibetsu | 鷲別 | 5.6 | |||
| Horobetsu | 幌別 | 10.3 | |||
| Noboribetsu | 登別 | 15.3 | |||
| Shikifu | 敷生 | 20.4 | Present-day Takeura | ||
| Shiraoi | 白老 | 27.0 | |||
| Nishitappu | 錦多峰 | 34.3 | Present-day Nishikioka | ||
| Tomakomai | 苫小牧 | 40.1 | |||
| Numanohata | 沼ノ端 | 45.9 | |||
| Toasa | 遠浅 | 51.4 | |||
| Hayakita | 早来 | 54.8 | |||
| Abira | 安平 | 58.3 | |||
| Oiwake | 追分 | 62.5 | To Yūbari | ||
| Mikawa | 三川 | 67.5 | |||
| Yuni | 由仁 | 72.3 | |||
| Kuriyama | 栗山 | 75.4 | |||
| Kiyomappu | 清真布 | 80.5 | Present-day Kurisawa | ||
| Shibun | 志文 | 83.0 | |||
| Iwamizawa | 岩見沢 | 86.5 | To Utashinai, Ikushunbetsu | ||
| 1882 | |||||
| Horomui | 幌向 | 92.9 | |||
| Ebetsu | 江別 | 98.7 | |||
| Nopporo | 野幌 | 100.6 | |||
| Atsubetsu | 厚別 | 105.4 | |||
| Shiroishi | 白石 | 108.2 | |||
| Sapporo | 札幌 | 111.7 | |||
| 1880 | |||||
| Kotoni | 琴似 | 114.2 | |||
| Karugawa | 軽川 | 118.4 | Present-day Teine | ||
| Zenibako | 銭函 | 123.1 | |||
| Hariusu | 張碓 | 126.3 | Station closed in 2006 | ||
| Asari | 朝里 | 128.6 | |||
| Otaru | 小樽 | 131.9 | Hokkaidō Railway to Hakodate | Present-day Minami-Otaru | |
| Temiya | 手宮 | 133.6 | Otaru Port. Station closed in 1985 | ||
Iwamizawa – Utashinai
The Iwamizawa–Sunagawa section is the part of the Hakodate Main Line today. The remaining part became the Utashinai Line, which was closed in 1988.
| Built in | Station | Mile | Connections | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | Iwamizawa | 岩見沢 | 0.0 | To Muroran, Temiya, Ikushunbetsu | |
| Minenobu | 峰延 | 5.1 | |||
| Bibai | 美唄 | 10.4 | |||
| Naie | 奈井江 | 17.0 | |||
| Sunagawa | 砂川 | 21.9 | To Asahigawa via Japanese Government Railways | ||
| Kamoi | 神威 | 29.2 | Station closed in 1988 | ||
| Utashinai | 歌志内 | 30.8 |  Sorachi Mine. Station closed in 1988 | ||
Iwamizawa – Ikushunbetsu
This section later became a part of the Horonai Line, which was closed in 1987.
| Built in | Station | Mile | Connections | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | Iwamizawa | 岩見沢 | 0.0 | To Otaru, Muroran, Utashinai | |
| Horonaibuto | 幌内太 | 6.7 | To Horonai | Later renamed Mikasa, station closed in 1987 | |
| 1888 | |||||
| Ikushunbetsu | 幾春別 | 11.2 | Ikushunbetsu Mine. Station closed in 1987 | ||
Horonaibuto – Horonai
This section later became a part of the Horonai Line, which was closed in 1987.
| Built in | Station | Mile | Connections | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | Horonaibuto | 幌内太 | 0.0 | To Iwamizawa, Ikushunbetsu | Later renamed Mikasa, station closed in 1987 |
| Horonai | 幌内 | 1.7 | Horonai Mine. Station closed in 1987 | ||
Oiwake – Yūbari
The section from Oiwake to Shin-Yubari (Momijiyama) is a part of the Sekishō Line (Main section) today while the remainder became the Yubari Branch Line which closed in 2019.
| Built in | Station | Mile | Connections | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | Oiwake | 追分 | 0.0 | To Otaru, Muroran | |
| Kawabata | 川端 | 5.9 | |||
| Takinoue | 滝ノ上 | 11.3 | |||
| Momijiyama | 紅葉山 | 15.7 | Present-day Shin-Yūbari | ||
| Numanosawa | 沼ノ沢 | 17.5 | |||
| Shimizusawa | 清水沢 | 20.9 | |||
| Shikanotani | 鹿ノ谷 | 25.1 | |||
| Yūbari | 夕張 | 27.2 | Yūbari Mine | ||
Sunagawa – Sorachigawa
The company leased this section to Japanese Government Railways. This section is a part of the Hakodate Main Line today.
| Built in | Station | Mile | Connections | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1892 | Sunagawa | 砂川 | 0.0 | To Iwamizawa, Utashinai | |
| Sorachigawa | 空知川 | 3.0 | Only a divisional point of railway asset. | ||
Nationalization
As the Railway Nationalization Act was promulgated, on October 1, 1906, the company's railway (207 miles 51 chains), rolling stock (1,940), steamship (1), personnel (3,673) and other goods and contracts were transferred to the government of Japan, in exchange of 30,997,100 yen worth of government bond.[4]
References
- Company advertisement, p. 195 of Handbook of Japan and Japanese exhibits at World's fair, St. Louis, 1904
- Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. 当社のあゆみ (in Japanese). Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR] (in Japanese). {{{1}}}. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. {{{2}}}. ISBN 4533029809.
- Ministry of Railways (1921). 日本鉄道史 中篇. pp. 849, 855, 862.
External links
- Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. (in Japanese)