The was a Bo-2-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 ...

AC electric locomotive type operated in Japan from 1968 until the 1990s. 14 locomotives were built by Hitachi between 1967 and 1980.

Operations

The locomotives were introduced to operate on the steeply-graded

Ou Main Line OU or Ou or ou may stand for: Universities United States * Oakland University in Oakland County, Michigan * Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama * Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia * Ohio University in Athens, Ohio * Olivet Univers ...

between and , which was converted from 1,500 V DC electrification to 20 kV AC in October 1968. The locomotives often worked in multiple with Class EF71 locomotives.

History

A prototype locomotive, initially classified ED94 and numbered ED94 1, was delivered in 1967, with full-production locomotives delivered from 1968 until 1980. ED94 1 was modified and renumbered ED78 901 in 1968. All 14 locomotives were built by Hitachi in

Mito, Ibaraki is the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 269,330 in 123,282 households and a population density of 1239 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged o ...

, with modifications to convert ED94 1 to ED78 901 carried out at JNR's Koriyama factory. Following the conversion of the Ou Main Line to standard gauge as part of the

Yamagata Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line. The term Yamag ...

in 1992, the Class ED78s were transferred to duties on the Tohoku Main Line and

Senzan Line The is a railway line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) system, it runs from Sendai Station in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture to Uzen-Chitose Station in Yamagata, Yamagata Prefecture, acting as a connector between th ...

before ultimately being withdrawn.

Build history

The individual build dates of the fleet were as follows.

Preserved examples

, one member of the class is preserved: ED78 1. This locomotive was withdrawn in February 1987, and was subsequently stored at Fukushima Depot before being preserved at Fukushima Station. It was then moved to a site adjoining

Rifu Station is a railway station on the Tōhoku Main Line in the town of Rifu, Miyagi, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Rifu Station is the terminus of the 4.3-kilometer Rifu Branch of the Tōhoku Main Line from Iwakiri Stati ...

in Miyagi Prefecture, and later moved to the nearby Sendai General Shinkansen Depot. It was moved to Hitachi's 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 2015 and cosmetically restored in 2016. File:ED78 1 Rifu Station 20020825.jpg, ED78 1 preserved near Rifu Station in August 2002 File:ED781 Sendai General Shinkansen Depot 20080726.jpg, ED78 1 preserved at Sendai General Depot in July 2008 File:ED78 1 Hitachi Mito Factory 20170603.jpg, ED78 1 preserved inside the Hitachi Mito factory in May 2017

Classification

The ED78 classification for this locomotive type is explained below. * E: Electric locomotive * D: Four driving axles * 7x: AC locomotive with maximum speed exceeding

References

{{Jreastloco 20 kV AC locomotives Electric locomotives of Japan B-2-B locomotives 1067 mm gauge locomotives of Japan Railway locomotives introduced in 1968 Hitachi locomotives