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
Higashi-Muroran 輪西 2.9 Present-day Higashi-Muroran
Washibetsu 鷲別 5.6
Horobetsu 幌別 10.3
Noboribetsu 登別 15.3
Takeura 敷生 20.4 Present-day Takeura
Shiraoi 白老 27.0
Nishikioka 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
Kurisawa 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
Teine 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
Minami-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
Mikasa 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 Mikasa 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
Shin-Yūbari 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

  1. ^ Company advertisement, p. 195 of Handbook of Japan and Japanese exhibits at World's fair, St. Louis, 1904
  2. ^ a b Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Co., Ltd. 当社のあゆみ (in Japanese). Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  3. ^ 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). Vol. {{{1}}}. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. {{{2}}}. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  4. ^ Ministry of Railways (1921). 日本鉄道史 中篇. pp. 849, 855, 862.