The is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

diesel/battery

Bo-Bo B-B and Bo-Bo are the AAR wheel arrangement, 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′B ...

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 ...

switcher locomotive A switcher locomotive (American English), shunter locomotive (British English), station pilot (British English), or shifter locomotive (Pennsylvania Railroad terminology) is a locomotive used for maneuvering railway vehicles over short distanc ...

type operated by

Japan Freight Railway Company , 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 Freight) in Japan. Following the delivery and evaluation of a prototype locomotive in March 2010, the first full-production locomotive entered service in February 2012.

Variants

* Class HD300-0: Standard type, entering service from February 2012 * Class HD300-500: Sub-class designed for operation in cold-climate conditions, delivered from November 2014 * Class HD300-900: Prototype locomotive delivered in March 2010

Design

The locomotives use

lithium ion batteries A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, energy d ...

, and are designed to reduce exhaust emissions by at least 30% to 40% and noise levels by at least 10 dB compared with existing Class DE10 diesel locomotives. Tests conducted at Tokyo Freight Terminal in June 2010 demonstrated fuel savings of 36%, NOx emission reductions of 62%, and noise level reductions of 22 dB compared with a class DE10 locomotive. Externally, the locomotives are finished in a bright red livery to aid visibility, with yellow and black diagonal warning stripes at the ends. The first full-production locomotive, HD300-1, delivered in January 2012, while broadly identical to the prototype HD300-901 locomotive, incorporates a few minor improvements, including changes to the headlamps, a wider front-end warning panel to reduce snow build-up on the steps, and larger windows in the driving cab doors to improve visibility. File:JRF-HD300-901-01.jpg, No. 1 end of prototype HD300-901 in May 2013 File:HD300-2 (No 1 end) Nishi-Kokubunji 20121026.JPG, No. 1 end of full-production loco HD300-2 on delivery in October 2012 File:HD300-2 (No 2 end) Nishi-Kokubunji 20121026.JPG, No. 2 end of full-production loco HD300-2 on delivery in October 2012

History

The prototype locomotive, HD300-901, was delivered from 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 ...

to Tokyo Freight Terminal on 30 March 2010 for approximately six months of trials before being moved to Matsumoto in

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

later in the year to assess performance at higher altitudes. The locomotive was moved to

Sapporo is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in Hokkaido, Japan. Located in the southwest of Hokkaido, it lies within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, a tributary of the Ishikari River. Sapporo is the capital ...

Freight Terminal in

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

in January 2011 to assess battery performance and adhesion in cold winter conditions. The prototype locomotive entered revenue service from 11 July 2011, on shunting operations at Tokyo Freight Terminal. The first full-production locomotive (numbered HD300-1) was delivered from the Toshiba factory in Fuchū, Tokyo, in January 2012, and entered service at Tokyo Freight Terminal from 8 February. In May 2012, the Class HD300-900 prototype was awarded the 2012

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. A formal presentation ceremony was held at Tokyo Freight Terminal on 18 November 2012. In November 2014, the first Class HD300-500 locomotive, HD300-501, designed for operations in cold-climate areas, was delivered to Naebo Depot in Hokkaido.

Fleet list

, 29 Class HD300 locomotives are in service.

Classification

The HD300 classification for this locomotive type is explained below. As with previous locomotive designs, the prototype is numbered HD300-901, with subsequent production locomotives numbered from HD300-1 onward. * H – hybrid locomotive * D – four driving axles * 300 –

synchronous motor A synchronous electric motor is an AC electric motor in which, at steady state, the rotation of the shaft is synchronized with the frequency of the supply current; the rotation period is exactly equal to an integer number of AC cycles. Sync ...

References

External links

JR Freight press release announcing development in September 2008

(Japan Railfan Magazine) {{Toshiba Diesel locomotives of Japan HD300 Bo-Bo locomotives 1067 mm gauge locomotives of Japan Railway locomotives introduced in 2010 Hybrid locomotives Toshiba locomotives Shunting locomotives