381 series

381 series
F2 in September 2023
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo
Type of locomotive	Electric multiple unit
Constructed	1973 – 1982
Number built	277 cars
Dimensions	839 in (21,300 mm) × 114 in (2,900 mm) × 133 – 156 in (3,385 – 3,960 mm)
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Power supply	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC
Traction system	Resistor control
Service information
In service	10 July 1973 – 15 June 2024 (regular service)
Formation	3, 4, 6, 7 or 9 cars per set
Number in service	62 cars
Fleet numbers	FE41, FE61 – FE67, FE611, FE621, FE631, FE641, FE651, FE661, FE671, HD331 – HD337, HD601 – HD605, HD631 – HD633, F1 – F2, E1 – E9
Preservation information
Preserved	1 car
Number scrapped	214 cars

The 381 series is a tilting Japanese limited express electric multiple unit operated by the Japanese National Railways and its various successor companies from July 1973 to June 2024 in regular service.

History

The 381 series was designed in 1973 and put into service from 10 July 1973 on the Shinano Limited Express service. The 381 series cars are based on the prototype 591 series set, and was the first tilting train to enter regular public service in the world. Originally used by JNR, ownership of the sets was transferred to JR Central and JR West after JNR was privatized.

Due to their age, their obsolescence has shown and they are being replaced by newer trains. JR Central's fleet was completely retired on 6 May 2008 and they have been completely replaced by 383 series cars on Shinano services. The JR West sets were famously used on the Kuroshio, Kounotori and Yakumo services, but are now only used on the Yakumo services after they were replaced by 287 and 289 series sets on the Kuroshio and Kounotori services, when the 381 series sets were retired on those services on 31 October 2015. The remaining sets are slated to be replaced by 273 series sets starting 2024; they were withdrawn from regular service from 15 June 2024.

Design

The 381 series uses a traditional design directly based on the later-design 485 or 489 series sets; the design is also somewhat based on the 591 series sets. Some sets, most notably the Shinano and Kuroshio sets, had panoramic cab cars which allowed passengers to have a commanding view of the tracks ahead, in addition to seeing what the driver was doing inside the cab.

Specifications

Construction is of steel. Cars are 21 meters long. Traction motors were resistor controlled, which was standard for the time. The sets use a very simple inertial tilting system consisting of a few roller shafts which allows the sets to tilt up to five degrees around curves.

As mentioned earlier, the 381 series trains are the first ever tilting multiple units to enter regular public service, however, it is not the first tilting train; that honor goes to the prototype ETR Y 0160 single-car train.

Preservation

The following 381 series cars have been preserved:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location	Notes
KuHa 381-1	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	May 1973	December 1998	D9, P3	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan	Ex-first production set, formerly stored at Mino-Ōta Depot

The following 381 series cars were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Last location	Notes
KuRo 381-11	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	December 1974	December 1998	P1, P3	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan	Panoramic car, formerly stored at Mino-Ōta Depot; removed in June 2019 due to difficulty in maintaining vehicle, scrapped October 2019
MoHa 380-1		May 1973		D5, P3	Mino-Ōta Rolling Stock Depot, Gifu, Japan	Intermediate car, ex-first production set; removed in 2013 and scrapped
MoHa 381-1
KuRo 381-1104		May 1978	March 2017	HB301, FE41	Suita General Rolling Stock Center, Osaka, Japan	Ex-KuRo 381-104; scrapped September 2019

Gallery

FE67 on a Kounotori service in October 2015

HD601 on a Kuroshio service in October 2015

References

• Wikipedia.org