Painting Patterns from the Ministry of Railways to JNR Privatization (1) Locomotives
Hello everyone.
I sometimes wanted to return to the question I had when I first started my research: "What is the total number of painting patterns for JNR/JR rolling stock?" So, to organize my thoughts, I would like to publish the content I examined in the past.
There are likely "omissions" or "errors," so I would be very grateful if you could point them out.
1: Steam locomotive standard color: Black, start date unknown~
2: DC electric locomotive old standard color: Grape No. 1, start date unknown~discontinued June 1959
3: EF58 31 test paint: Blue No. 3 + Yellow-orange, March 1954~disappeared 1956
4: EF58 16 test paint: Blue No. 3 + Yellow No. 1, March 1954~disappeared 1956
5: Diesel locomotive old standard color: Grape No. 2 + White → Yellow No. 1, discontinued 1963
6: EF58 18 test paint: Blue No. 3 + Yellow No. 1, August 1954~disappeared 1956
7: EH10 standard color: Black + Yellow No. 1, July 1954~disappeared February 1982
8: EF58 4 test paint: Pale Green No. 3 + Green No. 2 + Cream No. 2, March 1955~disappeared 1956
9: ED44 initial color: Red + White + Blue, 1955~disappeared 1966
10: ED45 1 initial color: Red + White, 1955~disappeared 1970
11: DF40 initial color: Light Blue + Yellow, from start of lease in 1956~October of the same year
12: "Blue General" (Ao-Daisho) paint: Pale Green No. 5 + Yellow No. 1 + Green No. 3, November 1956~discontinued around 1961
13: ED45 11, 21: Red + Yellow, December 1956~disappeared 1970
14: DD41 initial color: Ivory + Red, date unknown~disappeared upon purchase in November 1958
15: AC electric locomotive color: Red No. 2, July 1957~
16: DF90 initial color: Red + Cream, May 1958~disappeared before purchase in December 1961
17: DF41 color when leased by JNR: Dark Brown + Red-brown + White, 1959~date unknown
18: DC electric locomotive standard color: Grape No. 2, June 1959~
19: DF91 (first generation): Only during the trial period in August 1959
20: ED46 initial color: Light Red, August 1959~disappeared shortly after (November 1959?)
21: AC/DC electric locomotive color: Red No. 13, November 1959~
22: EF58 limited express color: Blue No. 15 + Cream No. 1,
From around summer 1960~discontinued with the revision of painting regulations in January 1965
23: DD91: Cream + Red, 1962~disappeared upon return in 1965
24: DF93: Cream + Green + Red, 1962~disappeared upon return in March 1964
25: Diesel locomotive standard color: Vermilion No. 4 + Gray No. 1 + White, March 1963~
26: DC electric locomotive (other than EF58) limited express color: Blue No. 15 + Cream No. 1
October 1963~
27: Shinkansen diesel locomotive standard color:
Blue No. 20 → Blue No. 15 [after December 1967] + Yellow No. 5, August 1964~
28: DC electric locomotive (ED60 and later) standard color: Blue No. 15 + Cream No. 1
January 1965~
29: EF58 61 "Tame-iro" (dark reddish-purple): Tame-iro, March 1966~
30: EF67 standard color: Red No. 11 + Yellow No. 5, March 1982~
*The above is what I understood as of March 2023, when the document was created.
Below, I will add the patterns that were missing.
31: C59 67 Hiroshima Factory cab modification test car color 1: Brown, around 1954
32: C59 79 Hiroshima Factory cab modification test car color 2: Deep Green, around 1954
33: EH10 15 high-speed test machine color: Grape No. 2 + Yellow No. 1, around December 1955
34: DF41 (at time of new construction): White + Silver + Red, around 1958
35: DF41 (before return): Dark Brown + Red-brown + Yellow, around 1962
36: EF30 1 (at time of new construction): Stainless steel + Red, around 1960
37: DF91 (second generation) Kintaro paint: Vermilion No. 4 + Gray No. 1 + White,
1963~disappeared around 1965
38: DF90: Diesel railcar standard color: Vermilion No. 4 + Gray No. 1 + White,
1964~disappeared 1971
39: DD13 3 test paint: Vermilion No. 4 + White, around January 1955
40: DF50 13 diesel locomotive standard color test paint: Vermilion No. 4 + Gray No. 1 + White + Black, around March 1963 (differs in that the skirt is painted black and the handrails are painted vermilion)
41: DD13 63 Kokura Factory shunter color 1: Red No. 2, around September 1984
42: DD13 67 Kokura Factory shunter color 2: Vermilion No. 4 + Gray-green No. 3 + Gray-green No. 2 + White
around September 1984
43: DD16 36 Omiya Factory shunter color 1: Vermilion No. 4 + Gray No. 1, around September 1984
*Simplified paint excluding the white of the diesel railcar standard color
44: DD16 20 Omiya Factory shunter color 2: Blue No. 20 + Cream No. 1, around September 1984
45: DD13 41 Naebo Factory shunter color: Green + White, around 1980
46: EC40 color at time of import: Gray + Red, 1911~date unknown/present (appearance during preservation)
47: EF64 66, DD51 592, etc. Euroliner designated machine color: Red No. 7 + Gold,
Light Bluish Gray + Ultramarine, August 1985~2005
48: EF65 123 Yuyu Salon Okayama designated machine (first generation): Red No. 7 + Gold, November 1986~before March 1994
49: EF60 19 Yasuragi designated machine color: Cream No. 10 + Blue No. 20 + Red No. 11
1986~1988 / 1989~2007
50: ED75 711, etc. Orient Saloon designated machine color: Bon Maroon + Gold, January 1987~2005
51: EF65 1019, EF81 95 Super Express Rainbow designated machine color
Cherry Red + White, March 1987~September 2025
52: DE10 1014, etc. Island Express Shikoku designated machine color,
March 1987~1999
53: ED76 78, DE10 1131 Panorama Liner Southern Cross designated machine color
54: DE10 1755 Ariake towing machine: Cream No. 4 + Red No. 2 (JNR limited express color), March 1987~1994
55: EF64 1001 Kutsurogi designated machine: Grape No. 2 + White, March 1987~2017
*It is thought that there were cases where the bodies of shunters nationwide were repainted in orange, deep green, or brown. However, since I have not been able to sufficiently verify these, I have decided not to introduce them as patterns here. Also, I will omit the painting of imported steam locomotives from the Meiji to Taisho eras and the painting of the Imperial train locomotives here. (I think it would be interesting to follow those as well, but since there is a lack of materials for verification, I feel I cannot write about them definitively.)
November 16, 2025 First Edition Published