Unit number 89 of the electric locomotive Class EF 58
When I joined the night museum event at the Railway Museum last month, I found an important exhibition in the museum. That was an electric locomotive (EL), unit number 89 of the Class EF58.
The Class EF58 was a direct current EL developed by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1946. A total of 172 units were built by Hitachi, Tokyo Shibaura Denki (present Toshiba) and the others from 1946 to 1958. Failures often occurred during the operation in the early period, but it started working well after a large technical improvement in 1952. The body length of EF58 is 19.9 meters, which is rather big. The gauge size is 1,067 millimeters and the electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead. The axis arrangement is 2-C-C-2 in JNR notation. The rated power output is 1,900 kW. The Class EF58 was commissioned as both freight and passenger trains.
All units of the Class EF58 have completed their operation by 2011 due to deterioration. Currently, only 5 units are preserved at museums and parks. Unit 58 (EF58 89) is preserved at Railway Museum in Saitama City. It was built by Hitachi in 1956 and belonged to Utsunomiya Depot in Tochigi Prefecture at first, but it was then transferred to Tabata Depot in Tokyo. After the retirement in 1999, EF58 89 was moved to Railway Museum in 2007 before the opening of the museum.
Class EF58 supported the reconstruction of post-WWII Japanese industries and societies. Arigatou (thank you) EF58. Please have a good rest.
The Class EF58 was a direct current EL developed by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1946. A total of 172 units were built by Hitachi, Tokyo Shibaura Denki (present Toshiba) and the others from 1946 to 1958. Failures often occurred during the operation in the early period, but it started working well after a large technical improvement in 1952. The body length of EF58 is 19.9 meters, which is rather big. The gauge size is 1,067 millimeters and the electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead. The axis arrangement is 2-C-C-2 in JNR notation. The rated power output is 1,900 kW. The Class EF58 was commissioned as both freight and passenger trains.
All units of the Class EF58 have completed their operation by 2011 due to deterioration. Currently, only 5 units are preserved at museums and parks. Unit 58 (EF58 89) is preserved at Railway Museum in Saitama City. It was built by Hitachi in 1956 and belonged to Utsunomiya Depot in Tochigi Prefecture at first, but it was then transferred to Tabata Depot in Tokyo. After the retirement in 1999, EF58 89 was moved to Railway Museum in 2007 before the opening of the museum.
Class EF58 supported the reconstruction of post-WWII Japanese industries and societies. Arigatou (thank you) EF58. Please have a good rest.
The product plaque of EF58 89 and the name of manufacturer "Hitachi"
Official guide of the Railway Museum:
Official guide of the electric locomotive Class EF58 (in Japanese):