Pre-production vehicle (-900 subclass)
Background and overview
The fleet developed for hauling unelectrified main line passenger and freight trains, Class DD51 diesel-hydraulic locomotive, having their limited performance of the maximum service speed of 95km/h and an insufficient power output of 2200PS caused the difficulty of making the harmonized train schedule with high-speed passenger trains. Particularly freight trains linking Goryoukaku and Sapporo hauled by pairs of DD51 locomotives were serious bottleneck. Thus, JR Freight started to develop the high-power diesel-electric locomotive having higher maximum service speed of 110km/h and higher acceleration performance in 1990. Eventually, JR Freight had developed a pre-production type of Bo-Bo-Bo wheel arrangement diesel-electric locomotive, class DF200-900, in 1992.

Car body
Its body features double ended boxcab style constructed by steel. The outside plates of their bodies feature weatherproof high-tension steel sheet for anti-corrosion improvement. Its roof plate is detachable for mounting/dismounting equipments fitted inside its body. The both ends are no gangwayed, feature dogleg streamline shape, and have four rectangle shaped headlights above its windscreens and two tail lights in left and right below its windscreens. Hinged doors for the train crew are located at the right front and toward middle of the vehicle. Airtightness and heating capacity are reinforced for the cold resistant.
Inside of the vehicle is divided into 3 rooms. A room at the centre is equipped with radiators to cool the coolant of the prime mover. Two rooms located at the both end of the centre room are equipped with a prime mover, a traction alternator, a traction system, and an auxiliary power supply unit. Thus, two heat exhaust fans are fitted on the roof at the center of the body. Two rectangular louver windows for the ventilation are fitted on the outside wall and two vertically long louver windows for radiators are fitted between louver windows for the ventilation. It is also equipped with fuel tanks, air reservoir tanks, and braking resistors with snow guard shutters for prevention from snow entering under the floor. Its livery is light and dark grey with scarlet accent. The obstacle deflector is painted in red. "INVERTER HIGH TECH LOCO" logos are applied on the side of their body.

Bogies
Bogies are FDT100 for outer and FDT101 for centre. Their bogies feature bolster-less secondary air suspension, axle arm type journal box supporting system, and the Z link traction device with low centre pivot. These bogies adopt the yaw dampers to ensure smooth ride characteristics even at 110km/h. An air suspension cover is fitted for antifreezing. Their brake rigging is single tread brake device having brake shoe made of sintered alloy. Their drive unit features single reduction axle-hung. A roller bearing is employed for motor suspension bearing of the nose suspended motor in order to improve meshing precision, provide maintenance free, and prevent galling.

Traction unit and auxiliary equipments
A DF200-901 locomotive is equipped with two light weight and high power water-cooled four-cycle V12-cylinder direct injection diesel engine, 12V396TE14 of MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, Germany, employing intercooler and supercharger to realize a power output of 1700PS. This diesel engine feature two cooling engine water circuits which consists of the main circuit to provide high combustion efficiency and the intercooler circuit cooling intake gas to achieve rated power in order to enhance its power output. This engine also has one supercharger running from low-rotation region and the other one running only in high-rotation region to ensure a favorable combustion.
A DF200-901 locomotive is also equipped with two revolving field type brush-less alternators, FDM301, which are developed by Toshiba and feature self-ventilation cooling, with a power output of 1550kVA. Three-phase alternating current supplied from alternators is rectified with the diode to supply to the variable frequency drive traction system. Nose-suspended traction motors, FMT100, with a power output of 320kW are controlled by the traction system, FMPU100, on axle basis, employing three Gate Turn Off (GTO) thyristors.
Its independent brake which makes brake applications on the head-of-train locomotive employs the electric commanding brake with the rheostatic brake. On the other hand, Automatic brake which provides service and emergency braking control for the entire train is controlled by the pressure reduction of the brake pipe depending on the notch command signal.

Full Production vehicle (-0 subtype)
Background and overview
In 1994, JR Freight delivered three full-production type of DF200-0 after the pre-production locomotive underwent extensive test running.

Car body
There are some noticeable differences over class DF200-900. Two of headlights fitted above the windscreen are moved on the side of taillamps. JRF logos coloured in reddish purple are applied on the side of their body substituted for "INVERTER HIGH TECH LOCO" logos.

Additional delivery
Additional nine DF200-0 locomotives were delivered over the period from 1996 until 1998. The obstacle deflector of vehicles built in 1998 were painted in gray. JRF logos were also changed into white.

Extensive test and revenue services
Pre-production vehicle, DF200-901, underwent performance testing namely running stability, tractive performance, brake performance, and inductive interference over the period from March 1992 until mid-May 1992 and late July 1992 until mid-August 1992. In addition, it also underwent wintertime brake test in January 1993. Finally, DE200-901 entered revenue services of freight train between Sapporo and Goryokaku which was renamed Hakodate freight terminal on March 12, 2011. Freight services to Obihiro commenced, after full production locomotives, DF200-0, were delivered in 1994. Freight services hauled by DF200 were extended to Kushiro on the Nemuro line and Kita-Asahikawa on the Souya line in 2008. Finally, they replaced DD51 diesel hydraulic locomotives used on the freight services between Shin-Asahikawa and Kitami, Sekihoku line in 2014.
DF200-0 diesel electric locomotives are now used on the freight services of the Muroran, Hakodate, Nemuro, and Sekihoku lines. DF200-901 is now used on shunting inside Hakodate freight terminal.