fall inside a hole

EF66 (1976)

First written March 24, 2024

The EF66 is a fast electric freight locomotive capable of hauling 1,300 tons of freight at up to 110 km/hr. 55 locomotives were built between 1968 and 1975 with a further 33 later type 100 locomotives built between 1989 and 1991. The last original series EF-66 locomotive left JR Freight service in 2022 while most of the later 100 series trains are still in service with JR Freight.

Round-Trip EF66 (1976-1992)

The first Plarail EF-66 trains were the Round-Trip locomotives with reversing gearboxes first released in 1976. A few different set and individual release variants exist. Newer EF66 toolings continue to be based on these old friction-drive EF-66s. These EF-66s continued to be produced until late 1992 when the chassis was converted to use a regular old-power gearbox for 1993, still manufactured in Japan until 1995 as one of the latest old power and Japan-made trains.

These reversing EF-66s are some of my absolute favorite Plarail trains of all time. I love the Round-Trip series and wish it was easier to get more of the pieces, engines, and sets. They look wonderful scuttling around transporting logs or shunting in a yard. The export toy line Tomy Train in the late 1980s to mid 1990s used Plarail track and some related standards but with reversing engines with magnetic couplings, which is also a pretty cool system.

EF-66 Electric Locomotive (1993)

On July 25th, 1993 individual EF-66s with traditional single-direction old-power gearboxes began being produced in Japan and sold in the later style of sixth generation box type.

These engines were some of the last old-power trains to remain in production and also some of the last Plarail still being made in Japan - This one dates to March 1995, only a few months before the new power Thailand-manufactured version hit production. After taking these photographs, I replaced the original traction tires with nice fresh ones that gripped the original dry-rotted gearbox output tires alright.

EF-66 Electric Locomotive (1995)

In 1995 the unidirectional EF-66 tooling was moved to Thailand and finally converted for new power. The roof tooling was changed to no longer use the clip-in style pantographs to accommodate the power switch, and the new ones are a light blue. You can even see were the rear pantograph still has part of the tooling flattened out to leave the power switch open. New-power EF-66s in the same color scheme as the classic reversing locomotive would remain in the normal lineup until the brand refresh in 2003.

This new power EF-66 was manufactured in July 1995. The chassis no longer has the front-mounted power switch, of course, and the Japan text has been updated to Thailand.

Here are examples of the three different styles of individual EF-66 released in the 1990s... a 1992 Round-Trip EF-66 and 1995 old and new power single-direction locomotives.

During this period Tomy also began to experiment more with offering different realistic color variants and running numbers. In 2001 an EF-66 in an updated white and light blue freight livery was included in the Railway Yard Set Full of Freight Cars and in later 2001 the First Try Set Dark Blue included an updated and more detailed blue EF-66 with the running number EF 66 11. Both of these engines use the "curvy logo" chassis and the version of the body shell molding with EF66 in the noses like the period individual release.

Mail Train (Adventure Asphalt Island) (1999)

One of the four initial Adventure Asphalt Island tie-in products released was a red EF66 with Post Office lettering and a red mail car released as the Mail Train Set (郵便電車セット). The two pieces of mail inside are both molded in white plastic.

K-03 EF66 type 11 (2003)

In 2003 when the range was refreshed and updated across the board the regular individual release new power EF-66 was replaced by the K-03 EF66 type 11, which is an updated and more detailed EF-66 similar to the 2001 First Try Set EF-66. Indeed, they both have the running number EF6611.

My K-03 EF66 type 11 was manufactured in June 2004. It has some playwear - some of the window lining is rubbing off, and there is some plastic stress visible from the outside of the shell.

The noses on the refreshed 2003 EF66 tooling are flat so that different running number stickers could be applied for different releases instead of always just saying EF66. The new version also now wears the JR logo. This new individual release has the new squared off Tomy logo chassis with more support around the battery contacts. I quite like both this release and the First Try set version.

In late 2003 the K-08 EF66 type 12 was released in a freight livery similar to the 2001 Freight Yard Set EF66 but with a realistic running number and some other details. The EF66 also reappeared in three-packs in 2003 for the updated S-39 Blue Train, replacing the EF65 in the original Blue Train.