10th Anniversary Mini Commentary "Mamechishiki 10!" (EF65 No. 1)

Before you go

In 1965, Japan National Railways built a new electric locomotive with no prototype: Unit 1 went straight into mass production. That was the EF65. By 1979, 308 had been built.

The EF65 was designed for freight on flat, DC-electrified lines. Its design started from the EF60, third batch, with a higher gear ratio and a newly designed controller, balancing speed and pulling power. That speed later found another job: the 500-series P type was fitted with the equipment to haul sleeping cars and became the locomotive of the Blue Trains, pulling 20-series sleepers through the night.

The locomotive in front of you is Unit 1, built in 1965 by Kawasaki Sharyo and Kawasaki Electric. It was long preserved at Miyahara and was moved to the Kyoto Railway Museum late at night on March 20, 2015. It now stands in Twilight Plaza with EF58 150 and Orone 24 No. 4.

The Kyoto Railway Museum opened on April 29, 2016, and 2026 is its 10th anniversary. The short talk series 'Mamechishiki 10!' is part of the anniversary program: each month, one exhibit gets a short commentary. The sixth session, in November, is about EF65 Unit 1, on November 8 and 23.