The Class EF81 is a six-axle

Bo-Bo-Bo A Bo-Bo-Bo or Bo′Bo′Bo′ (UIC classification) is a locomotive with three independent two-axle bogies with all axles powered by separate traction motors. In the AAR system, this is simplified to B-B-B. The Bo-Bo-Bo configuration is of ...

wheel arrangement In rail transport, a wheel arrangement or wheel configuration is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed under a locomotive. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and c ...

multi-voltage AC/ DC electric locomotive type operated on passenger and freight services in Japan since 1968. , 44 locomotives remained in service, operated by

JR Freight , or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station. The Japan Railways Group was foun ...

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

, and

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

Variants

* EF81-0: Numbers EF81 1 – 152, built 1968–1979 * EF81-300: Numbers EF81 301 – 304, built 1973–1975 * EF81-400: Numbers EF81 401 – 414 * EF81-450: Numbers EF81 451 – 455, built 1991–1992 * EF81-500: Numbers EF81 501 – 503, built 1989 * EF81-600: Former EF81-0 locomotives renumbered by JR Freight from May 2012

EF81-0

152 locomotives were built from 1968 to 1979 in three batches and numbered EF81 1 to EF81 152. 14 EF81-0 locomotives were later modified to become Class EF81-400. The prototype locomotive, EF81 1, was built by

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

, and delivered in 1968. Locomotives EF81 137 onward were built with sun-visor plates above the cab windows. These were also subsequently retro-fitted to locomotives EF81 133 to 136. The prototype, EF81 1, was withdrawn on 31 March 2004. From May 2012, JR Freight locomotives not fitted with driving recording units mandated for operations over were renumbered by adding "600" to the running number to differentiate them from the other members of the sub-class fitted. , 18 Class EF81-0 locomotives remained in service, operated by

and

. File:JNR EF81-2 2008.jpg, EF81 2 (first batch) with white stripes indicating refurbishment in March 2008 File:JRE PC26 Cassiopeia 20070916 001.jpg, EF81 92 (second batch) in ''Cassiopeia'' livery in September 2007 File:EF81_141.JPG, EF81 142 (third batch)

EF81-300

Four locomotives were built between 1973 and 1975 by

with unpainted corrugated stainless steel bodies for use on services through the undersea Kanmon Tunnel to

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

. In 1978, locomotives EF81 301 and 302 were transferred to the Joban Line in 1978, and received the standard

JNR The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

AC/DC livery of pale red. , only one Class EF81-300 locomotive remained in service, EF81 303, operated by

and based at Moji Depot. File:JNR EF81-301 19920815.jpg, EF81 301 in light red livery in August 1992 File:EF81 302 Takeshita Station 20130326.jpg, EF81 302 in light red livery in March 2013 File:EF81 303 Takeshita Station 20130325.jpg, EF81 303 in unpainted stainless steel livery in March 2013 File:EF81 304 Koga Station 20130325.jpg, EF81 304 in unpainted stainless steel livery in March 2013

EF81-400

14 locomotives were built in 1986 and 1987 and to replace ageing Class EF30 hauling services through the Kanmon Tunnel. Although some locomotives operating on a few " Blue Train" services served some railway lines in Kyushu, in particular sections of the

Kagoshima Main Line The is a major railway line operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) between Mojikō in Kitakyushu, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima City, at the southern end of Kyushu. Until March 13, 2004, it extended 393 km between its two ...

and the

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima via the east coast of Kyushu, passing through the pr ...

as well as the entire

Nagasaki Main Line The , or simply Nagasaki Line, is a railway line owned by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu) connecting Tosu Station in Saga Prefecture to Nagasaki Station in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. There is a separate branch of this line from Kikitsu S ...

. Locomotives EF81 409 to 414 were withdrawn between March 1996 and December 2010. , three Class EF81-400 locomotives remained in service, EF81 403/404/406, all operated by

and based at Moji Depot. File:Asakaze EF81.jpg, EF81 414 on an '' Asakaze'' service in July 1991

EF81-450

Five locomotives built in 1991 and 1992 for use hauling freight services through the Kanmon Tunnel. Locomotives EF81 451 and 452 have modern-style headlight clusters. , all five Class EF81-450 locomotives remained in service, operated by

and based at Moji Depot. File:Ef81 451.jpg, EF81 451, September 2006 File:EF81 454 Koga Station 20130326.jpg, EF81 454 in March 2013

EF81-500

Three locomotives, EF81 501 to 503, were built by Hitachi in 1989 for JR Freight for use on freight services along the Sea of Japan coastal route. , all three Class EF81-500 locomotives remained in service, operated by

and based at Moji Depot. File:JRF EF81 502.jpg, EF81 502 in August 2010

EF81-600

These are former Class EF81-0 locomotives renumbered from May 2012 by JR Freight to differentiate them from locomotives fitted with driving recording units mandated for operations over . , 14 Class EF81-600 locomotives remained in service, operated by

and based at Moji and Toyama Depots. File:EF81-742 627.jpg, JR Freight EF81 742 and EF81 627 in October 2012

Livery variations

File:EF81-95+Yutori.JPG, JR East EF81 95 in "Super Express Rainbow" livery in February 2007 File:JRW EF81 103.JPG, JR West EF81 103 in ''

Twilight Express The was a limited express sleeping car train service operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Japan from 1989 until March 2015. It ran between the city of Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido and Osaka in south-western Honshu, ...

'' livery in February 2011 File:JRE EF81-81 Oku rail yard 20141115.jpg, JR East EF81 81 in imperial train livery with silver bodyline stripe in November 2014 In August 2014, JR East Tabata-based locomotive EF81 81 was repainted into a JNR-period imperial train locomotive livery, consisting of "rose pink" (Red No. 13) with silver bodyside stripe.

Preserved examples

, four members of the class are preserved. * EF81 10: Preserved at the Hakuba Mini Train Park in

Hakuba, Nagano is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 9,007 in 4267 households, and a population density of 48 persons per km2. The total area of the village is . Hakuba is an internationally renowned s ...

(front section only). * EF81 63: Kept at JR Freight's training centre in

Shinagawa, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The Ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. The Ward is home to ten embassies. , the Ward had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per km2. The total are ...

. (Not on public display) * EF81 103: Preserved at the

Kyoto Railway Museum The (formerly the until 2016) is a railway museum in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The original Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum opened in 1972, but was expanded and modernized in 2016, becoming the Kyoto Railway Museum. The museum is owned by We ...

in ''

'' green livery. * EF81 138: Preserved privately in

Chikusei, Ibaraki 260px, Shimodate Haguro Shrine is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 99,987 in 37,635 households and a population density of 487 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 w ...

, since December 2015. File:Kyoto railway museum twilight plaza.jpg, ''Twilight Express'' EF81 103 (right) in the Twilight Plaza zone at the Kyoto Railway Museum in May 2016

References

{{Jrkyushuloco 1500 V DC locomotives 20 kV AC locomotives Electric locomotives of Japan EF81 EF81 EF81 EF81 Bo-Bo-Bo locomotives 1067 mm gauge locomotives of Japan Railway locomotives introduced in 1968 Hitachi locomotives Mitsubishi locomotives Multi-system locomotives