The JR Freight Class HD300 is a hybrid locomotive operated by the Japan Freight Railway Company since July 2011.
History[]
The HD300 is a hybrid locomotive designed by JR Freight to replace the aging DE10 locomotives. These are JR Freight's first and only hybrid locomotives.
Designed with the brief of an "environmentally-friendly and clean locomotive", the first locomotive, HD300-901, was completed in March 2010; it entered service in July 2011, acting as a switcher locomotive. Full-production models began construction in January 2012 and entered service on 8 February 2012.
As of 2023 thirty-nine locomotives are in service.
Specifications[]
The HD300s use Toshiba IGBT variable frequency drive driving permanent magnetic synchronous motors. The locomotives feature a backup Cummins FDMF9Z prime mover and GS Yuasa lithium-ion battery racks.
In comparison to the DE10s, the HD300s are designed to reduce emissions by at least 30% to 40% and noise levels by at least 10 dB.