The JNR Class ED41 was a Japanese DC Abt rack rail boxcab electric locomotive operated by the Japanese National Railways from 1926 to 1951.
History[]
The ED41 was an early type of electric locomotive used on the Japanese National Railways. Two locomotives were produced for the JNR, with Brown Boveri producing the electrical equipment for the locomotives and the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works the mechanical equipment. The locomotives, initially named the Class 10040, were put into service in 1926 on the Shin'etsu Main Line which at the time featured a rack rail system on one portion of the line.
The locomotives were stationed at the Yokogawa Depot (now the Usui Pass Railway Heritage Park). They were operated most commonly between Yokogawa and Karuizawa, with additional efforts over time made to increase passenger capacity. The class was renamed to the Class ED41 with a rule enacted in October 1928 to standardize locomotive naming. Both locomotives were taken out of service in 1951 due to aging. No Class ED41 locomotives have been preserved.
Design[]
The ED41 featured a boxcab design.
Specifications[]
The ED41 feature resistor-controlled traction motors and a steel body construction. Three MT21 traction motors can be found on the train; one to control the driving wheels and the other the rack system. As with many of JNR's rack rail electric locomotives it features a jackshaft.
The ED41 featured both a pantograph and collector shoes to allow them to collect power from both overhead and from a third rail.