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| JRF's oil transportation train pulled by the EL Class EH200 |
I recently visited Tachikawa City in Tokyo Metropolis, as something came up. After finishing my meeting, I stopped by JR East Tachikawa station in the evening to see trains arriving at and leaving the station on my way back home. I came across a freight train pulled by an electric locomotive (EL) in the station yard. It was an oil transportation train on the JR East Chuo line. The EL was the Class EH200 operated by JR Freight.
The Class EH200 was commissioned in 2001 to replace the old EL, Class EF64. 25 units in total were built by Toshiba from 2001 to 2011. It's operated on the 1,067mm gauge tracks with a 1,500 V DC electric system. Being coupled two units, the UIC indication of a wheel arrangement for the EH200 is (Bo - Bo) + (Bo - Bo). It has eight 565 kW induction motors with an IGBT - VVVF inverter (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor - variable frequency drive) control system.
Oil transportation is one of Class EH200's important assignments. The EH200 is suitable for tracks in the mountainous area, as it's a powerful EL. Pulling the Class TaKi1000 oil tank cars, its maximum speed is 95 kilometers per hour on the steep tracks of the Chuo Line. The nickname is "Blue Thunder", which was chosen by the public. It's named after its body color and high performance.
The train pulled by the Class EH200 soon left Tachikawa station, and headed west to deliver petrol to the inland areas.
Side view of the EL JRF Class EH200