Tongpyo is a kind of ‘the Running Permit of a Train’ for giving and receiving between a station-master and a locomotive engineer in order to prevent collision accident on the single railroad used until the blockade machine of Tongpyo was introduced.
① Tongpyo ‘Gyeongin Line 572’ was used from the beginning of the inauguration of Gyeongin Line in 1899 which is the first railroad connecting Seoul and Incheon and came to stop using it at the same time with the installation of the blocking machine of Tongpyo in August of 1908. ② Tongpyo ‘301’ began to be used form the inauguration of Gyeongui Line (Yongsan-Sinuiju) in April of 1906 to the year of 1908. ③ Tongpyo ‘3273’ was used for the temporary military railroad including the military railroad between Seoul and Uiju inaugurated in February of 1904. ④ Tongpyo ‘1199’ was used at the several construction work sections in 1902 after the construction work of Gyeongui Line was commenced and it came to stop using it with the opening of Gyeongui Line in April of 1906. ⑤ Tongpyo ‘Gyeongin Line ‘2245’ started to be used with the opening of Gyeongbu Line in 1905. The five Tongpyo above mentioned are the only ones that have remained in our country.
The aforementioned 5 items are the only remaining Tongpyo in Korea.