JNR Class EF18

JNR Class EF18
EF18 34 in 1975
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Tokyo Shibaura Denki
Constructed	1951
Number built	3
Classification	2-C+C-2
Dimensions	19,900 mm × 2,800 mm × 3,942 mm
Gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Current collector	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC
Traction system	Resistor control
Service information
In service	May 1951 – 1979
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	EF18 32 – EF18 34
Scrapped	1979
Preservation information
Preserved	None
Number scrapped	3

The JNR Class EF18 was a Japanese DC electric locomotive operated by the Japanese National Railways from May 1951 to 1979.

History

The EF18s were created from three partially-completed EF58 locomotives, numbered 32 through 34. The three locomotives, produced at Tokyo Shibaura Denki's Fuchū plant in 1949, were nearing completion but their commissioning was put on hold due to the Dodge Line coming into effect. The three locomotives were then left as dead stock and were then rebuilt as freight locomotives, with their designations changed to reflect the mechanical changes done to the locomotives.

The three EF18s entered service in May 1951. The locomotives were mainly used to haul freight trains on the Tōkaidō Main Line, but they also did switching work in Shizuoka Prefecture and were also rented out to depots and areas lacking motive power. The locomotives were retired in 1979 and towed to Hamamatsu Works for scrapping.

No Class EF18 locomotives have been preserved. There may have been efforts to convert the three EF18s into EF58s but none came to fruition.

Design

The EF18s featured the box-shaped bodies of the original batch of Class EF58 locomotives.

Specifications

The EF18s feature resistor-controlled traction motors and a steel body construction.

Compared to the EF58s they were based on the EF18s featured some significant mechanical differences, such as a low-speed gear ratio in an attempt to increase tractive effort; due to the large number of front wheels the driving wheels's weight was insufficient to increase the tractive effort, so dead weight was added to compensate and as such the axle load was increased.

The train body was also reinforced, with ventilation holes cut to cool the electrical equipment. The front deck was also extended significantly compared to the EF58s.