Chinese-Eastern Railway advertisement showing the "Transmanchourien de luxe" (coll. Juergen Klein)


In 1920 CIWL services on broad gauge from Changchun through Manchuria to Vladivostok started, from 1922 announced as the Transmanchourien-Express, surely interrupted by the Soviet occupation of Vladivostok. A Wagons-Lits timetable of 1930 showed this Transmanchourien Express 6/5 three times weekly from Manzhouli to Harbin and Changchun in connection with "les trains sovietiques Moscow - Mandchourie". Through cars Manzhouli - Vladivostok did run only by request: "En cas d'affluence, voiture directe pour Vladivostok". More important were the standard gauge connections to Shenyang (Mukden), Beijing, Dalian and Busan. The meals on the Transmanchourien had to be paid in Mexican dollars, the last gold currency. In 1931 the Japanese conquered the rest of Manchuria and the Transmanchourien disappeared.

Chinese Eastern Railway:
CIWL Harbin workshops from 1922, services with WL CIWL (see China), WR CIWL 928, 932, WL, diner, couchette/coaches rented from Chinese Eastern, coaches from Ussuryi mainly as reserves.
Colors: CIWL teak, Chinese Eastern green/teak, Ussuryi cars painted dark.

Chinese Eastern 1st class 2-berth, 2nd class 4-berth compartments, 3rd class 4-wheelers open couchette compartments.

Trains 5/6
Rolling stock in 1929, extract from CIWL Harbin list (saved by Roger Commault):

Services	No. des Voitures	Observations
Manchourie - Vladivostok 5/6		3 rames
WL CIWL I/II classe	2249
Est Chinois I/II	207, 302, 316
Est Chinois III	760, 762, 763, 766
WR Oussouri	710,71
WR Est Chinois	114
Fourgons Est Chinois	1707, 1708, 1710
Fourgon Oussuri	804
Harbine-Changchoune 5/6		2 rames
Est Chinois I/II	216,24
Est Chinois III	708, 719, 721, 728, 734, 737, 744, 747, 769
WR CIWL	928,93
Fourgons Est Chinois	1704,17

Transmanchourien de luxe
In 1932 a special was formed, consisting of 1 Fourgon (van), 1 Voiture-Restaurant, 3 Wagons-Lits 1 Salon-observatoire (no. 221) of Chinese Eastern, rented by CIWL. Traction by a series G (4-6-0). No regular running!

In 1931 CIWL's own cars escaped to China and until 1933 a total of 194 Chinese Eastern cars were transferred to the Soviet Union.

Locomotives of Chinese Eastern Railway
Broad gauge, according to a Japanese list for 1932:

Group	Wheel arr.	Builder	Year	Remarks
G	4-6-0	Bryansk, Kharkov	1901-2	expresses
Ts	2-8-0	Fives-Lille	1898-04	also expresses
Sh	2-8-0	Bryansk, Kharkov	1901-02
Kh	2-8-0	Baldwin	1898-00
Ov?	0-8-0			Russian Ov
Ye	2-10-0	Alco, Baldwin, Canadian	1915-18	124 locomotives
Bo	0-6-0T	Kolomna, Hanomag 1897-01
Ba	0-6-2T	Baldwin	1898
b	2-10-2T	Skoda	1930

From 1933 North Manchuria Railway (a SMR division), then Manchukuo State Railway. 83 locomotives had been transferred to the Soviet Union, 44 Ye were rebuilt to standard gauge.

Ussuri railway sleeping car, leased by CIWL, in Manchuria 1930 (coll. Dr. Fritz Stoeckl)


After occupation by Japan in 1931 the network of "Manchukuo" was changed completely to standard gauge. Only in 1935 services from Manzhouli re-started, now at Harbin connecting with the streamliner "Asia", introduced in 1934 initially between Changchun and Dalian. It was the show-piece of the Japanese - an American-style streamliner, no longer an empty-running first-class train, the best train of Asia!

The standard gauge train 702/701 Manzhouli - Harbin in Manchukuo did run even in 1943 and probably later. A train 901/902 connected Harbin with a place near Suifenhe at the Eastern border. In August 1945 the Soviet Army stood at the trans-Manchurian railway.

Train 701/702
South Manchuria Railway, Harbin - Manzhouli, 1937:
1 postal van
1 van
1 sleeper 1st class
1 sleeper 2nd class
1 dining - car
1 sleeper 3rd class
3 coaches 3rd class

Asia
South Manchuria Railway, Dalian - Harbin, 1937:
Pasi Na (streamlined Pacific, nos. 970-980)
1 Teyu 8 (postal van)
2 Ha 8 (3rd class)
1 Shi 8 (dining-car)
1 Ro 8 (second class)
1 Teni 8 (1st class observation car)

All cars streamlined 12-wheelers, pale green, white line, locomotive indigo blue.

Tairiku
Busan - Beijing
Manchukuo, Oct. 1942 (according to Bill Pearce):

1 Teyu (postal van)	KGR ?
1 Hane (sleeper 3rd class)	KGR ?
1 Ha (3rd class)	KGR ?
1 Shi 5 (diner, 12-wheeler)	SMR or MNR ?
1 Ro… 2nd class	SMR or MNR ?
1 Rone 2 (sleeper 2nd class)	SMR or MNR ?
1 Tenine 2 (sleeper/observation 1st, 12- wheeler)

Colors dark-green?

An official business car GW 97327, photographed in 1979 by Bill Pearce in Changchun, is considered the Tenine 2 type of the Tairiku express. According to Heiko Mueller also the cars GW 97310 (used for special trips), GW 97350 and GW 97351 are still existing. One GW on exhibition is painted green with yellow stripes. A car no.16 with an open end platform is preserved by the railway museum Pugok/ Seoul, painted red/cream.

Traction in Korea Pasi Shi or Pasi Go (Pacific), on SMR Pasi Ro (Pacific).

Locomotive 800 from Japan, Manchurian class SL3 (old postcard from Manchuria)

Express "Asia", South Manchuria Railway class Pasi Na, no.971 (contemporary press)

Twelve-wheeler GW97327, the former sleeper/ observation car type Tenine 2 of the Tairiku Busan - Beijing. Picture taken at Changchun in 1979 (William Pearce)