The is a

Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′ B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications ...

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 ...

twin unit A twin unit, twinset, or double unit is a set of two railroad Railway car, 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 ...

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 foun ...

in Japan since 2001.

Operations

The locomotives are built at the

Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...

factory in

Fuchū, Tokyo file:FuchuCityHall2023091.jpg, 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in cent ...

. They are all based at

Takasaki is a Cities of Japan, 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 th ...

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, Nagano, Nagano with Shiojiri Station in Shiojiri, Nagano, Shiojiri. The line is a corridor between ...

, and Joetsu Line, replacing pairs of Class EF64s. , 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