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The Hanwa Electric Railway Class RoKo 1000 was a Japanese DC electric locomotive operated by the Hanwa Electric Railway and later other railway companies from 1930 to 1988.

History[]

The Class RoKo 1000 was an early electric locomotive used in Japan. The locomotives were operated by the Hanwa Electric Railway, the preceding operator of what is now the West Japan Railway Company's Hanwa Line. The locomotives's mechanical components were manufactured by Nippon Sharyo and its electrical components by Tōyō Denki. Built in preparation for the completion of the section of line between Hanwa-Tennōji Station and Higashi-Wakayama Stations, two locomotives were initially built in 1930, numbered RoKo 1001 and 1002. A third locomotive, RoKo 1003, was built in 1931.

Operated as the main electric locomotive of the Hanwa Electric Railway, the locomotives were used to pull both freight and passenger trains; they were well-liked by engineers, with enthusiasts deeming it and the Aichi Electric Railway Class DeKi 400 locomotives the best electric locomotives of the period. The Hanwa Electric Railway was merged with the Nankai Electric Railway on 1 November 1940; the line would later become the Nankai Yamanote Line. In 1942, a request was put in by Nankai to have three more locomotives, numbered RoKo 1004 through 1006, built; this request was rejected. In June 1944, one additional locomotive, RoKo 1004, was completed. Soon after RoKo 1004's completion, another request was made to have three more locomotives built soon after, numbered RoKo 1005 through 1007; this too was rejected. The Yamanote Line was nationalized on 1 May 1944 and became the Hanwa Line, with the four locomotives coming under the jurisdiction of the Japanese National Railways; they would initially operate with no changes in number. With the enactment of vehicle naming regulations in 1952, the four locomotives were reclassified as the JNR Class ED38 and renumbered ED38 1 through ED38 4.

Following the war, the locomotives were sent to Tokyo, where they frequently broke down due to equipment overuse. Locomotives like the EF15, EF52 and the ED20 were sent to replace the locomotives, but these proved ineffective; the locomotives were replaced with the introduction of the ED60s. With the ED60s now carrying out the ED38's duties, the locomotives were resold to other railways and withdrawn from JNR service; ED38 4 would be loaned to the Sangi Railway in September 1959 to carry cement for the construction of the Kurobe Dam. ED38 4 was returned to the JNR in December 1959 and struck off the register on 21 December 1959; the locomotive could not be sold and was scrapped in 1961.

The remaining three locomotives were withdrawn from JNR service in 1960. ED38 2 was resold to the Ōigawa Railway and renumbered ED105 while ED38 1 and 3 were resold to the Chichibu Railway. ED105 would later be resold to the Chichibu Railway, where it was restored back to its JNR number. ED38 2 was withdrawn in 1974; it would soon after become a parts donor locomotive for ED38 1 and 3 with spare parts for the locomotive becoming more difficult to obtain. ED38 2 would be withdrawn on 31 January 1980 and scrapped. Around this time the other two locomotives were put out of service due to the introduction of newer electric locomotives; ED38 3 was withdrawn on 14 March 1981 and subsequently scrapped. ED38 1, the last remaining locomotive, was officially withdrawn in 1988 having not operated for a few years and placed into storage; after being in storage for some years, the locomotive was restored and placed in the Chichibu Railway Car Park near Mitsumineguchi Station, but was removed in March 2019 due to the revamping of the area as the SL Tenshadai Park and scrapped.

No ED38s have been preserved.

Specifications[]

The Class RoKo 1000 used a nose suspension drive system. TDK-556-A traction motors were used on the locomotives.

Preservation[]

The following Class RoKo 1000 locomotives were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:

Number Manufacturer Equipment manufacturer Date manufactured Date retired Last location Notes
ED38 1 Nippon Sharyo Tōyō Denki 1930 1960 (JNR)
1988 (Chichibu)
Chichibu Railway Car Park, Saitama, Japan Ex-Hanwa RoKo 1001, displayed outdoors; removed and scrapped 2019

Template:ChichibuMotivePower Template:OigawaMotivePower

JR Group motive power
JNR Diesel prototype DB10DC10DC11DD10
4-axle diesel DD11DD12DD13DD14DD15DD16DD17DD20DD21DD40DD41DD42DD50DD51DD53DD54DD90DD91DD92DD93
5-axle diesel DE10DE11DE15DE50
6-axle diesel DF40DF41DF50DF90DF91 (gen 1)DF91 (gen 2)DF92DF93
Shinkansen 911912
Narrow-gauge diesel Ke DB10Ke DB11
Early 2/4-axle freight electric AB10EB10ED10ED11ED12ED13ED14ED15ED16ED17ED18 (gen 1)ED18 (gen 2)ED19ED23ED24
Early 4-axle passenger electric ED50ED51ED52ED53ED54ED55ED56ED57
Early 6-axle freight electric EF10EF11EF12EF13EF14EF15EF16EF18
Early 6-axle passenger electric EF20EF50EF51EF52EF53EF54EF55EF56EF57EF58EF59HEF10HEF50
Early 8-axle electric EH10EH50HEH50HEH150
Early Abt rack rail electric EC40ED40ED41ED42
Acquired from private railways ED20ED21ED22ED25 (gen 1)ED25 (gen 2)ED26 (gen 1)ED26 (gen 2)ED27 (gen 1)ED27 (gen 2)ED28 (gen 1)ED28 (gen 2)ED29 (gen 1)ED29 (gen 2)ED30 (gen 1)ED31ED32ED33ED34ED35ED36ED37ED38Ke ED10DeKi 1RoKo 1DeKi 501RoKo 1000
DC 4-axle ED60ED61ED62ED63ED95
AC 4-axle ED44ED45ED70ED71ED72ED73ED74ED75ED76ED77ED78ED79ED90ED91ED93ED94
DC 6-axle EF60EF61EF62EF63EF64EF65EF66EF67EF90
AC 6-axle EF70EF71
Dual-current ED30 (gen 2)ED46ED92EF30EF80EF81
Other AH100
JR Group Dual-current electric ED500EF500EF510EH500
DC electric EF200EF210EH200
DC EMU M250
AC electric EH800
Diesel DD18DD19DB500DD200DF200ENR-1000
Hybrid HD300
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