JNR Class ED79

The JNR Class ED79 was a Japanese AC electric locomotive operated by the Japanese National Railways and its various successors from 1971 to March 2016.
==History==
The ED79 was designed for use on the Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line with the opening of the Seikan Tunnel. This was the last electric locomotive developed by the JNR.
From 1971 to 1979, 34 ED75 locomotives were rebuilt to become ED79 locomotives; the rebuilds were performed at JNR's Tsuchizaki and Ōmiya Works. These were intended to replace the ED75 locomotives themselves on these services and would be used to pull freight and passenger trains. When the JNR was privatized and split in 1987, JR Hokkaido assumed ownership of the ED79s. An additional ten locomotives were built by Toshiba in 1989 for JR Freight to accommodate the increase number of freight trains on the Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line.
In the 21st century, the locomotives were used to pull freight trains and sleeper trains, most notably the Cassiopeia. Their operating range was extended a few times with timetable revisions. JR Freight withdrew their locomotives in April 2015, while JR Hokkaido withdrew their locomotives after pulling a the final Hamanasu service on 21 March 2016. The Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line would be abolished five days later, being integrated into the Hokkaido Shinkansen with its opening on 26 March 2016.
No ED79s have been preserved.
==Design==
The ED79s featured large box-shaped bodies with a slight rake with dual large circular headlights mounted on the top of the cars in two recesses.
==Specifications==
The ED79s used a nose suspension drive system with MT52 traction motors; 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.
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Electric locomotives
Category:B-B locomotives
Category:Narrow-gauge
Category:Narrow-gauge locomotives
Category:Toshiba locomotives
Category:Japanese locomotives
Category:Scrapped electric locomotives
Category:Naebo Works locomotives
Category:Ōmiya Works locomotives
Category:Tsuchizaki Works locomotives