JR Freight Class DB500

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Class DB500
Type and origin Power type Diesel-hydraulic Builder Hokuriku Heavy Industries Build date 2016
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4wDH  • UIC B Gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) Length 7,650 mm (25 ft 1+1⁄8 in) Width 2,824 mm (9 ft 3+1⁄8 in) Height 3,670 mm (12 ft 1⁄2 in) Axle load 13.45 t (13.24 long tons; 14.83 short tons) Loco weight 26.9 t (26.5 long tons; 29.7 short tons) Fuel type Diesel Engine type 4-cycle, straight-six engine, water-cooled Cylinders 6 Safety systems ATS-SF
Performance figures Maximum speed 25 km/h (15 mph) Power output 184 kW (247 hp) @2,000 rpm Tractive effort 66 kN (15,000 lbf)
Career Operators JR Freight Number in class 4 Numbers DB500-1 DB500-4 Delivered 2016 First run 4 March 2017 Disposition In service

The Class DB500 (DB500形) is a B wheel arrangement two-axle diesel-hydraulic locomotive type operated by Japan Freight Railway (JR Freight) on shunting duties in Japan since March 2017.^[1]

The Class DB500 was developed to replace ageing Class DE10 diesel-hydraulic locomotives used for shunting duties at smaller freight terminals such as Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture.^[1] The locomotive has a single water-cooled four-cycle straight six-cylinder diesel engine, with a power output of 184 kW (247 hp), sufficient to haul 500-tonne (490-long-ton; 550-short-ton) trains.^[1]

The Class DB500 entered service at Shimonoseki Freight Terminal from the start of the revised timetable on 4 March 2017.

The DB500 classification for this locomotive type is explained below.

• D: Diesel locomotive
• B: Two driving axles
• 500: Diesel-hydraulic locomotive

• DB500形液体式内燃機関車 続報 [Class DB500 diesel-hydraulic locomotive (Follow-up report)]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 57, no. 678. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. October 2017. p. 67.

• Hokuriku Heavy Industries website Archived 25 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in Japanese)