JNR Class EF81

The JNR Class EF81 is a Japanese dual-current electric locomotive operated by the Japanese National Railways and its successor companies since 1968.
==History==
The EF81 was developed specifically as a dual-current development of existing JNR electric locomotives. Developed for use on the Sea of Japan coastal route, a total of 156 locomotives were manufactured from 1968 to 1979 by Hitachi and Mitsubishi in four different batches. A number of specifications changed during development.
The locomotives, when initially put into service, were mainly used for long-distance passenger trains, and would later come to replace existing electric locomotives on those lines such as the EF58, EF70, ED71 and ED75. Due to its versatility, the EF81 would become the main locomotive used to haul long distance passenger trains and sleeper trains. The EF81 would come to be most famous for pulling the Twilight Express service, being painted in an emerald green paintscheme with yellow accents to match the passenger cars they pulled; they were also painted in a number of other paintschemes.
When the JNR was privatized and split into seven different companies in 1987, JR East, West, Kyushu and Freight took ownership of the 156 EF81s; JR East took ownership of 78 locomotives, JR Freight 56, JR West 16 and JR Kyushu 6. An additional eight locomotives were built from 1989 to 1992, bringing the total up to 164 locomotives. Withdrawals of the class commenced in 1992.
Despite its age, the EF81 remains in active service; JR Freight, JR East and JR West all operate EF81s, with JR East operating the most with 11 locomotives. Five locomotives have been preserved.
==Design==
The EF81s featured large box-shaped bodies with two circular headlights mounted on top. The locomotives feature an expanded equipment bay due to dual-voltage equipment.
EF81 451 and 452 feature the same basic design but with lower-mounted rectangular headlight fixtures.
==Specifications==
The EF81s used a nose suspension drive as opposed to the Quill drive of more recent locomotives; the use of the nose suspension drive was due to maintenance problems involving the Quill drive, so all locomotives after the earlier EF70 would use the nose suspension drive. This however came at the cost of keeping the rated rotation speed of the traction motors low. MT52 traction motors were used on the locomotives.
==Preservation==
The following Class EF81 locomotives have been preserved:
Number 	Manufacturer 	Equipment manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired 	Location 	Notes
EF81 1 	Hitachi 	Hitachi 	21 December 1968 	31 March 2004	Toyama Locomotive Depot, Toyama, Japan 	Stored on siding
EF81 63 	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Mitsubishi Electric 	28 June 1972 	1 August 1993	JR Freight Central Training Center, Tokyo, Japan 	Painted in JR Freight paintscheme; used for training purposes, rarely open for public viewing
EF81 103	Hitachi 	Hitachi 	21 May 1974 	30 April 2015	Kyoto Railway Museum, Kyoto, Japan 	Painted in Twilight Express livery
EF81 138	Hitachi 	Hitachi 	21 May 1974 	30 April 2015	The Hirosawa City Rail Park, Ibaraki, Japan 	Displayed near various other locomotives and trainsets
EF81 10 	Hitachi 	Hitachi 	27 June 1969 	2012 	Hoshiai Ganka, Saitama, JapanHakuba Mini Train Park, Nagano, Japan	Cab ends only; both preserved in different locations
The following Class EF81 locomotives were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:
Number 	Manufacturer 	Equipment manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired 	Last location 	Notes
EF81 5 	Hitachi 	Hitachi 	2 June 1969 	30 March 2007	Hiroshima Rolling Stock Depot, Hiroshima, Japan 	Painted in "test" paint scheme; scrapped December 2009
EF81 24	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries	Mitsubishi Electric 	21 August 1969 	1 June 2007 	Ōmiya General Rolling Stock Center, Saitama, Japan	Scrapped at unknown date
==Gallery==
EF81 451 2023.jpg|EF81 451 in November 2023
File:JNR EF81 103 2023.jpg
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Electric locomotives
Category:B-B-B locomotives
Category:Narrow-gauge
Category:Narrow-gauge locomotives
Category:Hitachi locomotives
Category:Mitsubishi locomotives
Category:Japanese locomotives