Locomotive Repair Shed on the Siping Section of the South Manchuria Branch Line of the Chinese Eastern Railway

Locomotive Repair Shed on the Siping Section of the South Manchuria Branch Line of the Chinese Eastern Railway

Locomotive Repair Shed on the Siping Section of the South Manchuria Branch Line of the Chinese Eastern Railway

Located in Tiexi District, Siping City, Jilin Province, about 1.5 kilometers north of Siping Railway Station on the Harbin–Dalian Railway, it covers an area of approximately 20,000 square meters, with the main building spanning around 6,000 square meters. To the east is the Harbin–Lushun Railway line, and to the west is the dedicated railway line leading locomotives to the repair shed. The Harbin–Dalian Railway, originally called the “South Manchuria Branch Line of the Chinese Eastern Railway,” was first built in 1898.

In 1906, Japan established the “South Manchuria Railway Company” to manage the South Manchuria Railway and all associated territories. In November 1925, the South Manchuria Railway Company built a fan-shaped locomotive shed at Siping Street Station, north of the station, capable of housing 24 locomotives. The shed included wash-and-repair lines, an overhead repair line, and a turntable, with additional locomotive servicing lines outside the shed.

The structure currently consists of a main building and workshops, built with a brick-concrete structure and a roof covered with corrugated metal. Designed in an eclectic architectural style, the building features a unique look, remains well-preserved to this day, and is still in active use. It is the only well-preserved locomotive repair shed remaining on the South Manchuria Branch Line of the Chinese Eastern Railway and holds significant industrial heritage value.

The construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway and its South Manchuria Branch Line not only stands as historical evidence of the aggression by Russia and Japan in Northeast China, but also provides important material for the study of modern railway construction history in the region, making it of high historical and research value.