JNR Class EF57
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| Power type | Electric |
|---|---|
| Builder | Hitachi |
| Build date | 1939-1943 |
| UIC classification | 2Co-Co2 |
| Gauge | 1,067 mm |
| Wheel diameter | 1,250 mm (driving wheels) |
| Length | 19,920 mm |
| Width | 2,810 mm |
| Height | 4,091 mm |
| Locomotive weight | 110.82 tons |
| Electric system(s) | 1,500 V DC |
| Traction motors | DC |
| Top speed | 95 km/h |
| Power output | 1,560 kW |
| Tractive effort | 9,500 kg |
| Career | JNR |
| Number in class | 172 |
| Disposition | All withdrawn |
The EF57 class of 2Co-Co2 wheel arrangement locomotives was a development of the previous EF56 class. The 15 EF57s were built between 1939 and 1943 by Hitachi.
Introduced on Tōkaidō Line passenger services, they were seen at the head of expresses such as the Tsubame, complete with train headboard mounted precariously on the front of the cab decks. With the introduction of the newer semi-streamlined EF58s on Tōkaidō Line services, the EF57s were transferred to the Tōhoku Main Line. At the same time, their steam-heating boilers were removed and replaced by electric-heating generators.
The class remained in use on long-distance express trains on the Tōhoku Main Line until the 1970s. Only one member of the class is preserved: EF57 7 in a park in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture.
[edit] Models
An N gauge model of the EF57 was made by Micro Ace in 2000 (A1503, EF57-5), and the same loco was included in the 10/43 series Hakkōda express set (A1560) released in 2006, albeit in the later electric heat style (with cabside indicator lights). The Kato catalogue also includes an N-gauge EF57 model (#3003), although this is no longer in production.
[edit] References
- いのうえ・こういち (Kōichi Inoue) "国鉄機関車事典" (JNR Locomotive Guide), Man to Man Books, 1999
