The Asia Express (Japanese: あじあ号 Ajia-gō) was an express train built and operated by the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu) from 1934 until 1943.
The locomotives used to haul the trains were known as the Pashina type, and constructed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and the Shahekou Plant in Dalian, Liaoning, China.[1]. When the South Manchurian railway came under chinese control the locomotives were given class SL7.
The trains reached a top speed of 134 kilometres per hour (83 mph), surpassing the contemporary Chinese rail system and rivalling the United States and Europe. It served as a symbol of technology and modernism in Manchukuo and was used to demonstrate the success of Japan's imperial project. Mantetsu featured it on many of its fliers and posters, and Manchukuo children's textbooks included passages about it.[2]
Encased in an aerodynamic shell, the Asia Express ran from Dairen to Shinkyō. It featured air conditioning, on-board refrigerators, and an unusual glass observation deck resembling a salon complete with leather chairs and bookshelves.[2]
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