The is a Bo′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 ...

twin unit A twin unit or twinset is a set of two railroad cars or locomotives which are permanently coupled and treated as if they were a single unit. A twinset of cars or coaches can also be called a twin car. In US passenger railroad parlance, twin u ...

DC electric freight 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 fou ...

in Japan since 2001.

Operations

The locomotives are built at the

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems ...

factory in

Fuchū, Tokyo 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in central Tokyo. The city hosts large scale manufacturing facilities for Toshiba, NE ...

. They are all based at

Takasaki is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 372,369 in 167,345 households, and a population density of 810 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Takasaki is famous as the hometown of t ...

depot, and are primarily used on oil tank trains north of Tokyo and on the steeply-graded

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

Shinonoi Line The is a railway line in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Shinonoi Station in Nagano with Shiojiri Station in Shiojiri. The line is a corridor between the Shinetsu Main Line and th ...

, and Joetsu Line, replacing pairs of

Class EF64 The is a 6-axle (Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement) DC electric locomotive type operated on passenger and freight services in Japan since 1964. Variants * EF64-0: Numbers EF64 1 – 79 (built from 1964 to 1976) * EF64-1000: Numbers EF64 1001 – 10 ...

s. , 25 Class EH200 locomotives are in service (EH200-901 and EH200-1 to EH200-24).

Variants

* EH200-900: Prototype locomotive EH200-901, built 2001 * EH200-0: Full-production locomotives built from 2003 onward

EH200-901 prototype

The pre-production prototype, EH200-901, was delivered to

depot in 2001, and entered revenue service in October 2002 following extensive testing. File:EH200-901 Hachioji 20030913.JPG, Prototype EH200-901 at Hachiōji station in September 2003

EH200-0 full-production version

Following evaluation of the prototype version, the first full-production locomotive, EH200-1, was delivered to Takasaki in March 2003. A number of minor improvements were incorporated, with the main external differences from the prototype being as follows. * Elimination of centre pillar in the cab windscreens * Redesigned windscreen wipers * "Blue Thunder" logo on bodyside * Reduced size white "JRF" logo on the body side File:EH200 yamate.JPG, EH200-21 in September 2010 File:EH200-8 Takasaki 20100509.jpg, Side view of EH200-8 in May 2010

Classification

The EH200 classification for this locomotive type is explained below. As with previous locomotive designs, the prototype is numbered EH200-901, with subsequent production locomotives numbered from EH200-1 onward. * E: Electric locomotive * H: Eight driving axles * 200: DC locomotive with AC motors

References