The 63 series is a Japanese city commuter electric multiple unit operated by the Japanese National Railways from June 1944 to 1963. An early commuter electric multiple unit, the 63 series was a wartime design intended to be cheap and easy to mass-produce in times of need.
Description[]
The 63 series was an early electric multiple unit used in Japan. Introduced in June 1944, the trains were intended as a means of transporting workers to factories to assist with Japan's war efforts, as well as a means of mass transportation during a period where supplies were scarce. From 1944 to 1945 very few of the trains were in production; after the conclusion of World War II production of the trains increased exponentially.
The first 63 series sets were deployed on the Yamanote Line on 5 June 1944. The loss of rail transport and rolling stock to supply steel for Japan's war efforts made the demand for rail transportation so great that 120 cars had to be supplied by the Ministry of Railways to other private railroads; the Tobu Railway received 40 cars, Tokyu Corporation received 20 cars to become what would eventually be the 1800 and 3000 series trains on the Odakyu Electric Railway and Sagami Railway after separation from Tokyu in 1947, the Nagoya Railroad received 20 cars, the Kinki-Nippon Railway received 20 cars to become what would eventually become the 1501 series when the Nankai Electric Railway separated from the Kinki-Nippon Railway in 1947 and the Sanyo Railway received 20 cars.
Being produced under duress, the 63 series sets featured substandard construction and their appearance was already beginning to look dated by the 1950s; it was quite clear that a successor model had to be developed. The sets were also notably prone to accidents; a number of major accidents occurring in the 1950s involved 63 series sets, which ranged from derailments to collisions. The 72 series, introduced in 1954, acted as the successor model to this series; while they shared the same basic design initially the 72 series sets were designed to a significantly higher quality and served as the model rolling stock for future developments such as the 101 and 103 series sets. The remaining 63 series cars would be rebuilt into 72 series cars until 1963.
Specifications[]
Built under duress, the 63 series cars were of a crude design intended to be mass-produced. The cars were initially made out of steel; postwar manufacture changed these materials to aluminum. The cars featured a 20 meter long body with four doors per side with wooden flooring, less seating, wooden roofs and a new three-piece side window where only the top and bottom frames could be opened.
The 63 series's bodies were prone to corrosion and their electrical equipment prone to short circuiting, which led to fires.
Incidents[]
From 1948 to 1953, many 63 series cars were damaged in postwar accidents such as rockfall damage, derailments or fires. The following are major accidents involving the 63 series sets in some way.
Mitaka incident[]
A four-car 63 series set was involved in the Mitaka incident. On 15 July 1949 at 9:23 pm, an unmanned 63 series set, led by MoHa 63019, rammed into Mitaka Station; its throttle handle was later discovered to have been tied down. Six people were crushed by the train and killed as a result while 20 others were injured. The motive of the incident remains a mystery, with the government indicting ten people, including the train's conductor, Keisuke Takeuchi, who was not on board the train when the accident occurred. It is claimed that Takeuchi planned and executed the incident on his own but this has not been proven. Takeuchi was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death but continued to maintain his innocence; he died in 1967 of a brain tumor while on death row. His son has in the present day attempted to seek a retrial on this case on multiple occasions but all attempts have been unsuccessful.
Sakuragichō train fire[]
A five-car 63 series set was involved in the Sakuragichō train fire. On 24 April 1951 at 1:38 pm, maintenance crews were replacing electrical insulators for the overhead wires when the hanging wire was cut by accident, allowing the contact wire to hang down. Four minutes later, a 63 series set approached from Yokohama Station and changed tracks but its pantograph got tangled in the hanging wire; the driver of the train attempted to lower the pantograph but instead caused the wire to fall sideways and hit leading car MoHa 63756, causing a short circuit leading to a fire. The 63 series, being of a wartime design, had numerous cost-cutting features, ultimately preventing the panicking passengers from escaping the now burning car; MoHa 63756 was consumed by the fire within ten minutes. The fire would also spread to the second car, SaHa 78144, while the train crew worked to disconnect the remaining cars to prevent any further damage. The incident resulted in 106 deaths and 92 injuries. The resulting investigation report led to the fireproofing of future cars manufactured for the JNR and caused the resignation of Hideo Shima, then the director of the JNR's rolling stock department, and Yukio Kageyama, then-president of the JNR; Shima would later be re-employed with the JNR to design and built what would become the Shinkansen.
Preservation[]
The following 63 series cars have been preserved:
Car number | Manufacturer | Date manufactured | Date retired | Previous sets | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MoHa 63638 | Kawasaki Sharyō | 1947 | 1994 | N/A | SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan | Ex-KuMoYa 90005, MoHa 72258; formerly stored at Hamamatsu Works |
JGR/JNR rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JGR | Wooden-bodied EMUs | Commuter: 963 • 6250 • 6260 • 6280 • 6285 • 6300 • 6310 • 6340 • 33400 • 33500 • 43200 • 63100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Steel-bodied EMUs | Commuter: 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 40 • 42 • 50 • 51 • 62 • 63 • 70 • 72 Express: 52 • 80 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Non-revenue EMUs | Non-revenue: 7 • 93 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
DMUs | Constant mesh gearbox: KiHa 01 • KiHa 04 • KiHa 07 • KiHa 5000 • KiHa 40000 Diesel-electric: KiHaNi 36450 • KiHa 43000 • KiHa 44000 Miscellaneous: KiSaHa 04 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Miscellaneous | Steam railcar: HoJi 6005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
JNR | AC EMUs | Shinkansen: 0 • 100 • 200 Non-revenue Shinkansen: 922 • 925 • 941 • 951 • 961 • 962 • 1000 Commuter: 711 • 713 • 715 • 717 Limited Express: 781 Non-revenue: 791 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
DC EMUs | Commuter: 101 • 103 • 105 • 111 • 113 • 115 • 117 • 119 • 121 • 123 • 201 • 203 • 205 • 207 • 211 • 213 • 301 Limited Express: 151 • 153 • 155 • 157 • 159 • 161 • 165 • 167 • 169 • 181 • 183 • 185 • 189 • 381 Conversions: 1 • 10 • 11 • 12 Non-revenue: 141 • 143 • 145 • 147 • 191 • 193 Proposed: 187 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Dual-current EMUs | Commuter: 413 • 415 • 417 • 419 Limited Express: 451 • 453 • 455 • 457 • 471 • 473 • 475 • 481 • 483 • 485 • 489 • 581 • 583 Non-revenue: 21 • 22 • 90 • 441 • 443 • 493 • 495 • 591 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
DMUs | Commuter: KiHa 08 • KiHa 10 • KiHa 15 • KiHa 20 • KiHa 31 • KiHa 32 • KiHa 35 • KiHa 37 • KiHa 38 • KiHa 40 • KiHa 45 • KiHa 54 • KiHa 66 Express: KiHa 55 • KiHa 56 • KiHa 57 • KiHa 58 • KiHa 60 • KiHa 65 • KiHa 90 Limited Express: KiHa 80 • KiHa 181 • KiHa 183 • KiHa 185 Non-revenue: KiYa 191 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
GTLs | Non-revenue: KiHa 391 |
JR rolling stock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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