#4785· JR Freight EF500
JR Freight Class EF500
🇯🇵 Japan ·built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries· from 1990· class of 1 Japanese electric locomotive
3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. JR Freight EF500: Taisyo at Japanese Wikipedia· CC BY 3.0
- 2. EF500-901 Hiroshima Works Open Day 20151024: kh ws· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 3. EF500-901 Hiroshima Works open day 200010: Taisyo· CC BY 3.0
what is it?
The Class EF500 (EF500形) is a withdrawn prototype Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement multi-voltage AC/DC electric locomotive formerly operated by JR Freight in Japan. Intended as a prototype for a new fleet of high-power electric locomotives to haul freight trains northward from Tokyo to Hokkaido, the sole member of the class, EF500-901, was built jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Electric, and delivered to Shin-Tsurumi Depot in August 1990. The design was broadly based on the Class EF200 locomotives built for Tokaido Main Line freight duties west of Tokyo.
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 36 years ago, in 1990.
- 6 MW is about 71 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- Weighs about as much as 17 African elephants (~6 t each).
- 20 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 12 years (1990–2002).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1990
- in service from
- 1990
- retired
- 2002
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 1
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- builders
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Electric
- operators
- Japan Freight Railway Company
- top speed
- 120 km/h
- power
- 6 MW
- gauge
- 1,067 mm Cape gauge
- electric system
- 20 kV AC at 50/60 Hz, overhead wire
- wheel arrangement
- Bo-Bo-Bo
- length
- 20 m
- weight
- 101 t
- Dutch name
- JR Freight EF500
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q6108867, Wikipedia: JR Freight Class EF500 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.