OREANDA-NEWS. July 25, 2011. Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT / TSE:6501, "Hitachi") announced today that the ED15, the first electric locomotive produced entirely in Japan, has been certified by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers as a "Mechanical Engineering Heritage." The locomotive was manufactured by Hitachi, and is currently in storage at Hitachi's Mito Works.

"Mechanical Engineering Heritage" is a title that has been certified by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers since 2007 for objects in Japan that have historical significance from a mechanical or technological perspective. The goal of this program is to ensure the safe and careful storage of historically significant items related to machines and technology, and to succed this cultural heritage to the next generation.

  The ED15 was developed by Namihei Odaira, Hitachi's Founding President, who determined to produce a large electric locomotive without relying on any technologies from overseas. The mechanical components for the ED15 were manufactured at the Kasado Works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and electrical components were produced at the Hitachi Works in Ibaraki Prefecture. The locomotive was completed in 1924, following about two years' development period, and was delivered to the Japanese Government Railways (the name by which the Ministry of Railways was called at that time).

  Hitachi has grown to become a comprehensive railway system integrator, actively taking on the challenge of global markets by producing not only rolling stocks, but also electrical components for them, as well as signaling and train control systems, traffic management systems, seat reservation systems and so on. In the UK, Hitachi's rolling stocks have been adopted for "High Speed 1 (HS1)," England's first high-speed railway, which connects London with the Channel Tunnel at the Straits of Dover. These stocks have been in commercial operation since 2009. Hitachi will continue to contribute to railway operations in the UK and around the world leveraging the technologies that it has cultivated over many years.