DF200

[Peter Osborne]

Ive just watched a recently uploaded YouTube video of a narrated journey on a JR Central KiHa 85 from the pacific coast to Nagoya , towards the end of the journey the train passes a fuel depot with several Taki in green and grey livery but a train is waiting to enter the premises is headed by a DF200 Red Bear, I thought these locos were only used on Hokkaido? I’ve been out the rail scene for a while but I didn’t know they ran here, this gives me a reason for a KATO N loco now 🙂

[Kiha66]

I believe with the increasing retirement of JNR locomotives JRF has begun using them in Honshu.  From wikipedia:

"In 2016, DF200-123 was moved from Hokkaido to Suita Depot in Osaka,[4] where it underwent modifications and renumbering to DF200-223 before being returned to service on the Kansai Main Line in the Nagoya area.[2][5] This was followed by locomotives DF200-116 and DF200-120, which were similarly modified and renumbered DF200-216 and DF200-220 respectively in 2018."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JR_Freight_Class_DF200

[pbunter]

This matches my train spotting observations in 2018. I was in Nagoya in September and October and started noticing the DF200-200s pulling the Takis. I do not recall seeing any during my visit in 2017 (Oct - Dec).

 

- - - Paul

[Das Steinkopf]

A total of 8 DF200-100'S have been converted to the DF200-200 sub variant, these are DF200-201, 200-205, 200-206, 200-207, 200-216, 200-220, 200-222 and 200-223, all of these locomotives were moved down to Inazawa depot to replace the DD51-800's that are used on tanker traffic around Aichi prefecture as well as container trains on the Kansai mainline, apparently there are plans in the near future to replace them with a new class of locomotives of which at least 6 will be built.