Ina Electric Railway Class DeKi 1

Ina Electric Railway Class DeKi 1
Ohmi Railway ED31 3 in August 2023
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Ishikawajima Shipyard, Shibaura Seisakushō
Constructed	1923
Number built	6
Classification	B-B
Dimensions	11,760 mm × 2,540 mm × 4,242 mm
Gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Current collector	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC (initially 1,200 V DC)
Traction system	Resistor control
Service information
In service	1923 – 2011
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	1 – 6, then ED31 1 – ED31 6
Scrapped	2017
Preservation information
Preserved	3
Number scrapped	3

The Ina Electric Railway Class DeKi 1 is a Japanese DC electric locomotive operated by the Ina Electric Railway and later other railway companies from 1923 to 2011.

History

The Class DeKi 1 is an early electric locomotive used in Japan. Six locomotives were manufactured for the Ina Electric Railway in 1923, numbered 1 thrugh 6; the locomotives's electrical equipment was manufactured by Shibaura Seisakushō and their mechanical equipment by the Ishikawajima Shipyard (now IHI). Throughout their entire career the locomotives were stationed at Ina-Matsushima and operated on the Iida Line.

With the Ina Electric Railway's nationalization in 1943, the locomotives were acquired by the Japanese National Railways; they initially operated with no changes in numbers or classification, though they did receive voltage-boosting modifications to allow them to handle the 1,500 V DC current of the JNR as opposed to the 1,200 V DC current of the Ina Electric Railway. They were reclassified as the JNR Class ED31 with vehicle naming regulations coming into force in 1952 and renumbered ED31 1 through ED31 6. Withdrawals from service began in 1955, with all locomotives withdrawn by the next year.

All six locomotives were later resold to various private railways; ED31 1 and ED31 2 were resold to the Seibu Railway, ED31 3 through ED31 5 were resold to the Ohmi Railway while ED31 6 was resold to the Jōshin Electric Railway, where it was extensively modified. ED31 1 and ED31 2 would be reclassified as the Seibu Class 1, renumbered 1 and 2 and used for switching duties; they were later reold to the Ohmi Railway (a subsidiary of the Seibu Railway) in 1960, with their original numbers of ED31 1 and ED31 2 restored. ED31 5 was withdrawn from the register in 1990, while ED31 1 and 2 were withdrawn on 1 July 2004. ED31 3 and 4 were used to pull event trains and perform switching duties but were removed from the register in 2011, with ED31 4 being out of service for some years due to a mechanical malfunction.

All five Ohmi locomotives would later be preserved at the Ohmi Railway Museum at Yokaichi Station; ED31 1, 2 and 5 were removed and scrapped in December 2017 due to deterioration. ED31 4 was scheduled to be scrapped as well, but a successful crowdfunding campaign took place to preserve the locomotive. ED31 3 was removed from Ohmi Railway's premises on 17 January 2020 and is now preserved at Toshiba's Fuchū Plant in Tokyo, the successor company to Shibaura Seisakushō.

Specifications

The Class DeKi 1 used a nose suspension drive system. MT4 traction motors are used on the locomotives.

Preservation

The following Class DeKi 1 locomotives have been preserved:

Number	Manufacturer	Equipment manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Location	Notes
ED31 3	Ishikawajima Shipyard	Shibaura Seisakushō	August 1923	1 March 1955 (JNR) 2011 (Ohmi)	Toshiba Fuchū Plant, Tokyo, Japan	Stored on siding next to EF65 535; can be seen from Musashino Line
ED31 4				1 September 1956 (JNR) 2011 (Ohmi)	The Omi Sake Brewery, Shiga, Japan	Displayed outdoors on small platform
ED31 6			1923	1956 (JNR) 1994 (Jōshin)	Takasaki Station, Gunma, Japan	Can be viewed from Jōshin Electric Railway platforms; heavily modified from original locomotive

The following Class DeKi 1 locomotives were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:

Number	Manufacturer	Equipment manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Location	Notes
ED31 1	Ishikawajima Shipyard	Shibaura Seisakushō	1923	1956 (JNR) 1 July 2004 (Ohmi)	Ohmi Railway Museum, Shiga, Japan	Displayed outdoors; scrapped December 2017 due to deterioration, museum closed November 2018
ED31 2
ED31 5				1956 (JNR) 1990 (Ohmi)

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