33 series

33 series
KuMoNi 13007 (ex-MoHa 34007) in December 1984
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Kawasaki Sharyō, Kisha Seizō, Niigata Tekkō, Nippon Sharyo
Type of locomotive	Electric multiple unit
Constructed	1932 – 1933
Number built	28 cars
Dimensions	17,000 mm × Unknown × Unknown
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Power supply	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC
Traction system	Resistor control
Traction system model	CS5
Service information
In service	1932 – 1982
Formation	Single car, 3 or 4 cars per set
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	Various
Scrapped	1965 – 1983
Preservation information
Preserved	None
Number scrapped	28 cars

The 33 series was a Japanese commuter electric multiple unit operated by the Japanese National Railways from 1932 to 1982.

Description

The 33 series was an early electric multiple unit used in Japan. The class was essentially a version of the 40 series cars manufactured around the same time but with a shorter car length for use in the Tokyo metropolitan area. A total of 28 cars were manufactured by four companies from 1932 to 1933; they were classified the MoHa 33 and MoHa 34 series respectively.

The cars were mainly deployed on the Yamanote Line when they entered service; the 33 series was essentially a "transitional" series of rolling stock as the 40 series cars began to be introduced in the Tokyo metropolitan region in 1933 and as a result only 28 cars were manufactured. Four cars, MoHa 33016, MoHa 34009, MoHa 34019 and MoHa 34023, were destroyed during World War II, while numerous other modifications were conducted on the cars, such as having fifteen cars total rebuilt into freight-only tractor units numbered in the MoNi 53 series (later KuMoNi 13 series).

Many cars were renumbered following naming regulations introduced on 1 June 1959, being renumbered in the MoHa 11, MoHa 12 and MoHa 13 series among others. The last remaining 33 series cars were withdrawn in 1982, with KuMoHa 12001 being used as a switcher at Numazu Depot until that time. Two KuMoNi 13 series cars, KuMoNi 13007 and 13011, were the last to be withdrawn in 1986. No 33 series cars or derivatives are known to have been preserved.

Specifications

The 33 series cars were essentially a derivative of the 40 series with a shorter car length. It used a CS5 traction system controller, an improved version of Shibaura Seisakushō RPC101 controller, which was itself a copy of a General Electric PC controller.

There were a number of significant design changes made to the rolling stock over its production run.