The JNR Class ED75 is a Japanese AC electric locomotive operated by the Japanese National Railways and its successor companies since 1963.
History[]
The ED75 was designed as a versatile AC electric locomotive for use on the JNR. The locomotive was introduced with the electrification of a portion of the Jōban Line. The locomotives were intended to be used on a wide variety of operations.
From 1963 to 1976, 302 locomotives were manufactured based on the ED74. The locomotives were initially located at Katsuta for use on the Tōhoku Main Line pulling freight and passenger trains before they were moved to a wide variety of locations, such as as far as Hokkaido, being intended and designed to be a versatile locomotive. When the JNR was privatized and split in 1987, JR East and JR Freight took ownership of the remaining locomotives. A number of withdrawn ED75s were restored to the fleet roster to cope with JR Freight's increasing transport volumes.
With the introduction of the EF81 as the de facto freight locomotive and the modern EH500, withdrawals of the class started in earnest in 1997. Five locomotives remain in service, all with JR East; JR Freight retired their locomotives with the 17 March 2012 timetable revision. Two other locomotives have been preserved. This is the only AC electric locomotive operated by a JR-affiliated company other than JR Freight.
Design[]
The ED75s featured large box-shaped bodies with dual large circular headlights mounted on the top of the cars.
Specifications[]
The ED75s used a nose suspension drive system with MT52 traction motors; the use of the nose suspension drive was due to maintenance problems involving the Quill drive, so all locomotives after the earlier EF70 would use the nose suspension drive. This however came at the cost of keeping the rated rotation speed of the traction motors low.
Preservation[]
The following Class ED75 locomotives have been preserved:
Number | Manufacturer | Equipment manufacturer | Date manufactured | Date retired | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ED75 501 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Mitsubishi Electric | 30 September 1966 | 24 October 1986 | Otaru City General Museum, Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan | Only ED75-500 built, displayed outdoors; PCB-related equipment removed August 2023 |
ED75 775 | Toshiba | Toshiba | 16 October 1975 | 10 July 2007 | The Railway Museum, Saitama, Japan | Displayed indoors |
The following Class ED75 locomotives were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:
Number | Manufacturer | Equipment manufacturer | Date manufactured | Date retired | Last location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ED75 1 | Hitachi | Hitachi | 30 December 1963 | 7 February 1987 | Sendai General Shinkansen Depot, Sendai, Japan | Displayed outdoors; scrapped September 2019 with a number of other preserved locomotives |
ED75 39 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | Mitsubishi Electric | 27 April 1965 | 2 March 1987 | Takasaki Rolling Stock Depot, Gunma, Japan | Displayed outdoors; scrapped 1998 |