# Sentetsu Mate class locomotives

**Sentetsu Matei class** (マテイ) locomotives were a class of 4-8-2 steam tender locomotives operated by the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu), the state railway of Japanese-ruled Korea, and built between 1939 and 1945.<sup>[1](https://www.famousfix.com/topic/sentetsu-matei-class-locomotive)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> After the division of Korea the class was split between the two new national railways, becoming the Mateo1 class (마터1) in South Korea and the Madŏha class (마더하) in [North Korea](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-korea).<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Operator and class | Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu) Matei class, 4-8-2 (Mountain) tender locomotives<sup>[1](https://www.famousfix.com/topic/sentetsu-matei-class-locomotive)</sup> |
| Construction | 50 locomotives built 1939–1945 by Gyeongseong and Kisha Seizō<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> |
| Gauge and weight | 1,435 mm standard gauge; 116 t service weight, 83 t adhesive weight, 20.8 t axle load<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> |
| Power | Two 600 × 710 mm cylinders, 14.7 bar boiler pressure, estimated 2,100 kW (2,855 PS), top speed 80 km/h<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> |
| Wartime losses | Six examples destroyed or stolen by the Soviet Army during World War II<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> |
| Postwar operators | Korean National Railroad (Mateo1) in the South; Korean State Railway (Madŏha, renumbered series 7100 in the 1970s) in the North<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> |

## Design and technical characteristics

The Matei was Sentetsu's Mountain-type tender locomotive, with the 4-8-2 wheel arrangement written in Sentetsu's notation as 2'D1'.<sup>[3](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrcgr.htm)</sup> The driving wheels were 1,450 mm in diameter and the two cylinders measured 600 mm by 710 mm; boiler pressure was 15 atmospheres (14.7 bar).<sup>[3](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrcgr.htm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> The engine weighed 116 t in working order, of which 83 t was adhesive weight carried by the eight coupled driving axles, giving an axle load of 20.8 t.<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrcgr.htm)</sup>

The boiler had a grate area of 6.2 m², an evaporative heating surface of 280 m², and a superheater surface of about 114 m² (113.7 m² by the loco-info breakdown, which also gives a total heating surface of 393.7 m²).<sup>[3](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrcgr.htm)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> The locomotive was 23.84 m long, carried 35,000 liters of water and 14 t of coal, and had a total weight with tender of 201.8 t.<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> Estimated power was 2,100 kW (2,855 PS) with a starting effort of 220.3 kN and a top speed of 80 km/h.<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup>

Within Sentetsu's roster the Matei was the heaviest of the large tender classes listed for the railway: the Mate1 design appears in two variants, the second with boiler pressure reduced to 14 atmospheres and correspondingly smaller grate and heating surfaces, while the Mika 2-8-2 classes carried lighter adhesive weights of 69 to 79 t.<sup>[3](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrcgr.htm)</sup>

## Construction history

Fifty locomotives were built between 1939 and 1945 by two makers, the Gyeongseong works and Kisha Seizō.<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> The first locomotive, Matei 1, was completed in December 1939 at the Gyeongseong works.<sup>[4](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%A7%88%ED%84%B0%ED%98%95%20%EC%A6%9D%EA%B8%B0%EA%B8%B0%EA%B4%80%EC%B0%A8/%ED%98%84%ED%99%A9)</sup> The Kisha Seizō production list records Matei 3 through Matei 7 built in 1941 on works numbers 2105 to 2109, Matei 8 and Matei 9 in 1942 on works numbers 2198 and 2199, and Matei 10 in 1942 on works number 2200.<sup>[5](https://1960sjnr.neocities.org/zatta/kisha22)</sup> A builder's photograph survives of Matei No. 5, built by Kisha Seizo Kaisha.<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup>

The class entered service in the period when the colonial railway, run at a ministry level of government, was expanding its rolling stock fleet; unlike the semi-private South Manchuria Railway, the Korean railway was fully government operated and concentrated on railway operations alone.<sup>[6](https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART001766683)</sup>

## Service and postwar division

During World War II, six examples were destroyed or stolen by the [Soviet Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/soviet-army).<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup> After Korea's division in 1948, the surviving locomotives were split between the northern and southern parts of the country: the Kisha Seizō records show individual engines such as Matei 3 through Matei 9 passing in 1948 either to the Korean National Railroad as 마터1 (Mateo1) series engines or to the Korean State Railway as 마더하 (Madŏha) series engines.<sup>[5](https://1960sjnr.neocities.org/zatta/kisha22)</sup> Matei 10 went directly to the Korean State Railway and was destroyed in 1950.<sup>[5](https://1960sjnr.neocities.org/zatta/kisha22)</sup>

In South Korea the class became the Korean National Railroad's Mateo1 class, retaining the same technical data as the original Mate1 design.<sup>[7](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrknr.htm)</sup> In North Korea the Madŏha class locomotives were also used for passenger trains, and their long service life is shown by their re-classification as series 7100 in the 1970s.<sup>[2](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)</sup>

## References

1. [Sentetsu Matei-class locomotive, FamousFix](https://www.famousfix.com/topic/sentetsu-matei-class-locomotive)
2. [Chōsen Government Railway Matei class, loco-info.com](https://www.loco-info.com/locomotive/16662?t=&lng=en)
3. [Chosen Government Railway steam locomotives, J.D.H. Smith](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrcgr.htm)
4. [마터형 증기기관차/현황, Namu wiki](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%A7%88%ED%84%B0%ED%98%95%20%EC%A6%9D%EA%B8%B0%EA%B8%B0%EA%B4%80%EC%B0%A8/%ED%98%84%ED%99%A9)
5. [Kisha Seizō Kaisha Production List, works numbers 2101–2200](https://1960sjnr.neocities.org/zatta/kisha22)
6. [Lee, Yong Sang and Chung, Byung Hyun (2013). A Comparative Study of the Korean and Manchurian Railway Systems during the Japan Colonial Period. Journal of the Korean Society for Railway 16(2), 151–162.](https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART001766683)
7. [Korean National Railway steam locomotives, J.D.H. Smith](https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/term/slkrknr.htm)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Rail transport › Rail vehicles and rolling stock › Steam locomotives › Overseas steam classes (Americas, Australasia, Asia) › Korean steam locomotive classes*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license