6 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. ED781 Sendai General Shinkansen Depot 20080726: DAJF· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. ED789 Sendai 19850313: 出々 吾壱 at Japanese Wikipedia· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. ED78 1 Hitachi Mito Factory 20170603: DAJF· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. ED78 1 Rifu Station 20020825: DAJF· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5. JNR ed78 4+ef71 pc: spaceaero2· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 6. JNR ED78-1: Rsa· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Class ED78 (ED78形) was a Bo-2-Bo wheel arrangement AC electric locomotive type operated in Japan from 1968 until the 1990s. 14 locomotives were built by Hitachi between 1967 and 1980.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 59 years ago, in 1967.
- 1.9 MW is about 22 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 14 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 17.9 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 33 years (1967–2000).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1967–1980
- in service from
- 1967
- retired
- 2000
- status
- retired
- number built
- 14
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Hitachi
- operators
- Japanese National Railways, East Japan Railway Company
- top speed
- —
- power
- 1.9 MW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 20 kV AC at 60 Hz overhead wire
- wheel arrangement
- Bo'2Bo'
- length
- 17.9 m
- weight
- 81.5 t
- Dutch name
- JNR ED78
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q11421818, Wikipedia: JNR Class ED78 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.