E351 series

E351 series
S23 and S3 in April 2018
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Hitachi, Nippon Sharyo
Type of locomotive	Electric multiple unit
Constructed	1993 – 1996
Number built	60 cars
Dimensions	815 – 854 in (20,700 – 21,680 mm) × 112 in (2,843.2 mm) × 154 in (3,905 mm)
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Power supply	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC
Traction system	Variable frequency (GTO, IGBT)
Service information
In service	23 December 1993 – 7 April 2018
Formation	4 or 8 cars per set
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	S1 – S5, S21 – S25
Scrapped	2017 – 2018
Preservation information
Preserved	None
Number scrapped	60 cars

The E351 series was a tilting Japanese limited express electric multiple unit operated by the East Japan Railway Company from December 1993 to April 2018.

History

The E351 series was designed in 1993 to replace aging 183 and 189 series cars in addition to speeding up the Azusa service on the Chūō Main Line. The first cars entered service on 23 December 1993.

Five eight-car sets, numbered S1 to S5, and five four-car sets, numbered S21 to S25, were produced. Normally, the eight-car sets and four-car sets were coupled together to form a twelve-car consist. All sets were based at Matsumoto Depot.

The entire E351 series fleet was replaced by newer E353 series sets introduced in 2017 on Super Azusa services on 17 March 2018 with the introduction of the revised timetable. The last sets in service, S3 and S23, performed a special final run service on 7 April 2018, after which, the E351 series were withdrawn from service.

Despite its status of being synonymous with a limited express vehicle used on the Chūō Main Line, no E351 series cars have been preserved; all sets were scrapped by June 2018. In previous press releases, JR East stated that they had planned to scrap the remaining sets due to aging as well as the difficulty of maintaining the sets due to their tilting mechanisms.

The E351 series is notable as being the first train operated by the then-new JR Group to use the "E" prefix before its designation signifying that it is used by JR East; this trend of adding the "E" prefix before the train's designation has since continued and is still being used today.

Design

The E351 series used a traditional design with a white body and lavender accents. The Azusa logo and wordmark could be seen splashed on the sides of the cars. Each set had both non-gangwayed and a gangwayed cab car which had vastly different appearances.

Specifications

Construction was of steel. Cars varied in length from 20.7 to 21.68 meters long. Traction motors were variable frequency drives manufactured by Hitachi, although the sets had been manufactured with two types of traction systems; pre-mass production cars had gate turn-off thyristor drives while mass-production cars had insulated gate bipolar transistor drives. The GTO inverters made a distinctive wailing noise as the train accelerated from idle, while the IGBT drives made a shrill sound that later stepped up in pitch. Both drives were manufactured by Hitachi, as mentioned above. The trains used a pendular tilting system which allowed them to maintain high speeds of the highly curved sections on the Chūō Main Line.

A notable trait of the E351 series was their lack of physical end-of-train lights on non-gangwayed cab cars. Instead, two red ovals would be projected at the bottom of the LED screen which adorned the front of the non-gangwayed cab cars; gangwayed cab cars had physical end-of-train lights. This trait is shared with the 651 series' cab cars; the E351 series sets were the last sets to have this trait and this trait has not been repeated since.

The E351 series sets were equipped with a musical horn that was a little bit out of the ordinary when it came to JR East's limited express fleet. The musical horn was usually blasted when a set was about to depart. This musical horn has only been used on two of JR East's limited express train sets, the other being the 255 series.

Gallery

Gangwayed end

End-of-train lights

S2 and S22 on a Super Azusa service in March 2017; note the tilt of the trailing cars

References

• Wikipedia.org