The JNR Class EF66 is a Japanese DC electric locomotive operated by the Japanese National Railways and its successor companies since 1968.
History[]
The EF66 was developed specifically to haul freight trains at a faster speed than usual to compete with truck services. An initial prototype, designated the Class EF90, was produced by Kawasaki Sharyō in September 1966; numbered EF90 1, its rated output of 3,900 kW was the highest power output for any vehicle at the time. Full-scale production began in 1968 and service began that year. The EF66s were mostly used to haul heavy freight trains at high-speed but also the occasional passenger train.
In 1968, with the full-scale production of the EF66 locomotives, EF90 1 was renumbered to EF66 901. The locomotives were mostly stationed at Suita Rolling Stock Depot but some were later moved to Hiroshima and Shimonoseki Rolling Stock Depots. When the Japanese National Railways were privatized in 1987 and split into seven different companies, JR Freight and JR West assumed ownership of the Class EF66 locomotives. In 1989, JR Freight commissioned the production of 33 additional Class EF66 locomotives, numbered in the -100 subseries; these feature a number of design changes compared to the original Class EF66 locomotives, both mechanically and visually, and were the first freight locomotives produced for JR Freight since EF64 1053 was completed in October 1982. Prototype locomotive EF66 901 was withdrawn from service in December 1996 and stored at Suita Rolling Stock Depot before being scrapped in 2001.
Despite its age, the EF66 remains in active service. JR Freight is the sole operator of the EF66 locomotives, with JR West having retired their fleet on 20 September 2010. EF66 27 was the last of the original batch of EF66 locomotives to remain in service, being withdrawn from regular service in March 2022. Three EF66 locomotives have been preserved, including lead member EF66 1. The front sections of three additional locomotives have also been preserved. The Class EF66 is the recipient of the 1969 Blue Ribbon Award, the only non-articulated freight locomotive to be so awarded.
Design[]
The EF66s featured large box-shaped bodies with large vertical rectangular headlights.
Specifications[]
The EF66s used a nose suspension drive as opposed to the Quill drive of more recent locomotives; 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. MT56 traction motors were used on the locomotives.
Preservation[]
The following Class EF66 locomotives have been preserved:
| Number | Manufacturer | Equipment manufacturer | Date manufactured | Date retired | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EF66 1 | Kisha Seizō | Tōyō Denki | 26 July 1968 | 17 August 2008 | Hiroshima Rolling Stock Depot, Hiroshima, Japan | Available for viewing on depot open days; occasionally used as training vehicle |
| EF66 11 | Kawasaki Heavy Industries | Kawasaki Denki | 12 August 1968 | 6 August 2007 | The Railway Museum, Saitama, Japan | Displayed indoors |
| EF66 35 | Tōyō Denki | 13 September 1974 | 2015 | Kyoto Railway Museum, Kyoto, Japan | Displayed indoors; formerly located at Modern Transportation Museum until its closure | |
| EF66 10 | Kawasaki Denki | 5 August 1968 | 31 March 2010 | Front portion only; displayed indoors next to 221 series simulator | ||
| EF66 45 | Fuji Electric | 21 August 1974 | 9 September 2010 | Hoshiai Ganka, Saitama, Japan Diorama Kyoto JAPAN, Kyoto, Japan |
Front portion only; both cab ends displayed in different locations | |
| EF66 49 | 28 September 1974 | Diorama Kyoto JAPAN, Kyoto, Japan | Front portion only; displayed indoors next to front end of EF66 45 |
Gallery[]
