JNR Class ED78

The JNR Class ED78 is a Japanese AC electric locomotive operated by the Japanese National Railways and its successor the East Japan Railway Company from 1967 to 2000.
==History==
The ED78 was designed as an AC locomotive capable of scaling the 33‰ gradients of the Usui Pass.
An initial prototype, classified the Class ED94 and numbered ED94 1, was built in 1965 by Hitachi. Full-production locomotives were manufactured from 1968 to 1970; a total of thirteen locomotives were manufactured. All full-production locomotives were also manufactured by Hitachi. ED94 1 was modified to full-production standards in 1968 and renumbered ED78 901 as a result. When introduced, the locomotives were used on the Ōu Main Line to pull passenger trains between Fukushima and Yamagata, with notable services including the Akebono sleeper train. They were typically double-headed with a EF71 locomotive.
On most services, the locomotives would co-operate with EF71s. When the JNR was privatized and split in 1987, JR East assumed ownership of the ED78s; at this point, twelve locomotives were in service. The locomotives were relocated from Fukushima to Sendai in 1993, where they were used on the Senzan Line; despite the track being strengthened to allow the ED75s to be used on the line, they are unable to pull freight trains due to the graded sections of the line and as such the ED78s remained in use. With the abolishment of freight services on the line, all ED78s were withdrawn from service in 1998, with the exception of ED78 12 and ED78 13 which were used for "leaf cleaning operations" until they were withdrawn in 2000.
ED78 1, located at Hitachi's Mito Plant, is the only preserved ED78; ED78 901 was also preserved in the past but has since been scrapped. 
==Design==
The ED78s 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 ED78s 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.
==Preservation==
The following Class ED78 locomotives have been preserved:
Number	Manufacturer	Equipment manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired 	Location 	Notes
ED78 1	Hitachi 	Hitachi 	29 May 1968 	7 February 1987	Hitachi Mito Plant, Ibaraki, Japan	Displayed under shelter; not open for public viewing
The following Class ED16 locomotives were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:
Number 	Manufacturer	Equipment manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired 	Last location 	Notes
ED78 901	Hitachi 	Hitachi 	28 February 1967 	31 March 1986	Suita Locomotive Depot, Osaka, Japan	Ex-ED94 1, stored in roundhouse; scrapped 1998 with demolition of roundhouse
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Electric locomotives
Category:B-2-B locomotives
Category:Narrow-gauge
Category:Narrow-gauge locomotives
Category:Hitachi locomotives
Category:Japanese locomotives
Category:Sole survivor