The EH200 class of electric locomotives are Bo-Bo+Bo-Bo wheel arrangement

Wheel arrangement

In rail transport, a wheel arrangement is a system of classifying the way in which wheels are distributed beneath a locomotive.. Several notations exist to describe the wheel assemblies of a locomotive by type, position, and connections, with the adopted notations varying by country...

 two-unit DC

Direct current

Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...

 freight locomotives operated by JR Freight in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

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The locomotives are built at the Tōshiba

Toshiba

is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...

 factory in Fuchū, Tokyo

Fuchu, Tokyo

is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 255,394 and a population density of 8,700 persons per km². The total area was 29.34 km²...

. They are all based at Takasaki depot, and are primarily used on oil tank trains north of Tōkyō and on the steeply-graded Chūō Main Line

Chuo Main Line

The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faster, while the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the fastest rail...

 and Shinonoi Line

Shinonoi Line

The is a rail line in Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company, it runs from Shinonoi Station in Nagano, Nagano Prefecture to Shiojiri Station in Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture.The line is a corridor between the Shinetsu Main Line and the Chūō Main Line...

, replacing pairs of EF64

JNR Class EF64

-History:The class was designed to replace the ageing EF16 class locomotives used on the steeply-graded Ōu and Chūō mainlines in the early 1960s.Two prototype locomotives, EF64 1 and 2, were delivered in 1964, built by Tōshiba and Kawasaki Sharyō respectively. The basic body design was based on...

s.

As of 1 April 2009, the fleet totalled 21 locomotives (EH200-901 and EH200-1 to EH200-20). Three EH200 locomotives are scheduled to be delivered during fiscal 2009, with two more scheduled for fiscal 2010.

EH200-901 prototype

The pre-production prototype, EH200-901, was delivered to Takasaki depot in 2001, and entered revenue service in October 2002 following extensive testing.

EH200-0 full-production version

Following evaluation of the prototype version, the first full-production locomotive, EH200-1, was delivered to Takasaki in March 2003. A number of minor improvements were incorporated, with the main external differences from the prototype being as follows.

• Elimination of centre pillar in the cab windscreens
• Redesigned windscreen wipers
• "Blue Thunder" logo on bodyside
• Reduced size white "JRF" logo on bodyside

Models

The EH200 is available in model form in N gauge from Kato

Kato Precision Railroad Models

Kato Precision Railroad Models is a Japanese manufacturer of model railroad equipment in N and HO scales...

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