JR Freight Class EF500

Class EF500

EF500-901 at Hiroshima Depot, October 2006

Type and origin Power type Electric Builder Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Electric Build date 1990 Total produced 1

Specifications UIC class Bo-Bo-Bo Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Wheel diameter 1,120 mm (3 ft 8 in) Length 20,000 mm (65 ft 7 in) Width 2,905 mm (9 ft 6.4 in) Height 4,280 mm (14 ft 1 in) Loco weight 100.8 t Electric system(s) 1,500 V DC & 20 kV (50/60 Hz) AC Current collection Overhead catenary Traction motors AC

Performance figures Maximum speed 120 km/h (75 mph) Power output 6 MW (8,000 hp) Tractive effort 26,600 kgf

Career Operators JR Freight Number in class 1 First run 1990 Withdrawn 29 March 2002 Disposition Withdrawn, preserved

The Class EF500 (EF500形) was a prototype Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement multi-voltage AC/DC electric locomotive formerly operated by JR Freight in Japan.^[1]

Intended as a prototype for a new fleet of high-power electric locomotives to haul freight trains northward from Tokyo to Hokkaido, the sole member of the class, EF500-901, was built jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Electric, and delivered to Shin-Tsurumi Depot in August 1990.^[2] The design was broadly based on the Class EF200 locomotives built for Tokaido Main Line freight duties west of Tokyo.^[2] Following initial test-running, the locomotive underwent long-term feasibility testing on freight services on the Tohoku Main Line.^[2] However, the locomotive fell foul of newly introduced government guidelines covering high-frequency electromagnetic noise emissions, and so fleet production was deemed unfeasible.^[2] JR Freight instead opted for the Class EH500 and Class EF510 locomotive designs.^[2]

EF500-901 was transferred to Sendai Depot in 1996, but subsequently saw little use.^[2] It was formally withdrawn on 29 March 2002.^[3] The locomotive is stored at JR Freight's Hiroshima Depot.^[4]

See also

• Japan Railways locomotive numbering and classification
• JR Freight Class ED500, another experimental electric locomotive

References

1. JR機関車カタログ [JR Locomotive Catalogue]. Japan: Ikaros Publications Ltd. 20 June 2013. p. 43. ISBN 9784863207271.
2. プロトタイプの世界 - Prototype World . Japan: Kōtsū Shimbunsha. December 2005. pp. 122–123. EAN 4910065141258.
3. "JR車両のデータバンク2001/2002" [JR Rolling Stock Databank 2001/2002]. Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 42 no. 496 (Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd.). August 2002. p. 98.
4. "ＪＲ世代の機関車オールガイド" [Comprehensive Guide to JR Era Locomotives]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine. Vol. 39 no. 315 (Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun). July 2010. pp. 12–26.