The was a
Bo-Bo-Bo 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 ...
DC electric locomotive 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 ...
on freight services in Japan from 1992
until its retirement on 28 March 2019.
Overview
The Class EF200 was developed to replace
Class EF66
The is a six-axle, three-bogied ( Bo′Bo′Bo′) DC electric locomotive designed for fast freight used by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later operated by its descendants JR West and JR Freight. , 39 locomotives remained in service, all ...
electric locomotives on heavy freight services on the
Tokaido Main Line and
Sanyo Main Line
, stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded by ...
west of Tokyo.
It is equipped with six FMT2 traction motors, giving a total power output of .
Ultimately, the class was deemed to be over-specified and unnecessarily expensive, and the order was terminated after the delivery of 20 full-production locomotives.
The subsequent
Class EF210 was instead chosen as the standard design for hauling freight services on the Tokaido Main Line and Sanyo Main Line.
Originally designed to haul freight trains, problems of insufficient power supply capacity to the
overhead line
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as:
* Overhead catenary
* Overhead contact system (OCS)
* Overhead equipm ...
s, meant that the class was initially limited to hauling trains.
Operations
, the fleet consists of 12 locomotives (EF200-2 – 7, 10, 15, and 17 – 20), based at Suita Depot in Osaka.
They are used primarily on 1,300 t freight trains west of Tokyo on the Tokaido and Sanyo Main Lines.
Variants
* EF200-900: Prototype locomotive EF200-901, built 1990
* EF200-0: Full-production locomotives EF200-1 – 20, built 1992–1993
History
The prototype locomotive, EF200-901, was delivered in March 1990 for extensive testing.
The first full-production locomotives were delivered to Shin-Tsurumi Depot in Tokyo in 1992, entering revenue service on the Tokaido Main Line and Sanyo Main Line from the summer of that year.
In 1992, the Class EF200 was awarded the
Laurel Prize
The is an award presented annually in Japan since 1961 by the Japan Railfan Club. It is awarded for railway vehicles that entered service in the previous year and voted by the selection committee as having the most outstanding functional and des ...
, presented annually by the Japan Railfan Club.
From 1 April 1999, the entire class was transferred from Shin-Tsurumi in Tokyo to Suita Depot in Osaka.
Between 2006 and 2009, the entire fleet was repainted into a new livery similar to that used for the later
Class EF210 locomotives.
EF200-901 was similarly repainted in 2007.
From 2007, the class was power-derated to match the power output of the older
Class EF66
The is a six-axle, three-bogied ( Bo′Bo′Bo′) DC electric locomotive designed for fast freight used by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later operated by its descendants JR West and JR Freight. , 39 locomotives remained in service, all ...
locomotives.
In 2011, one class member, EF200-1, was withdrawn.
During fiscal 2015, eight members of the class were removed from regular duties, leaving 12 members in service.
The final service of the Class EF200 took place on 28 March 2019, as EF200-18 hauled its last freight train from the Hatabu yard in
Shimonoseki
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsush ...
to the Suita freight terminal in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
.
File:1992-8-23-ef200-4.JPG, EF200-4 in original livery in August 1992
File:Takashima line EF200.jpg, Prototype locomotive EF200-901 in revised livery in August 2013
Preserved examples
![EF200-901 (No 1 end) Hitachi Mito Factory 20170603](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/EF200-901_%28No_1_end%29_Hitachi_Mito_Factory_20170603.jpg)
The prototype locomotive, EF200-901, was withdrawn in March 2016
and moved to the
Hitachi Mito factory in
Hitachinaka, Ibaraki
250px, Hitachinaka city hall
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 154,663 in 64,900 households and a population density of 1547 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 ...
, in October 2016, where it was restored to its original livery.
Classification
The EF200 classification for this locomotive type is explained below. As with previous locomotive designs, the prototype was numbered EF200-901, with subsequent production locomotives numbered from EF200-1 onward.
* E: Electric locomotive
* F: Six driving axles
* 200: DC locomotive with AC motors
References
External links
JR Freight website
{{Jrfloco
1500 V DC locomotives
Electric locomotives of Japan
EF200
Bo-Bo-Bo locomotives
1067 mm gauge locomotives of Japan
Railway locomotives introduced in 1990
Hitachi locomotives