The Eidan 1500N and 1500NN series were Japanese city commuter electric multiple units operated by the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (a predecessor company to what is now Tokyo Metro) from April 1968 to July 1993.
History[]
The 1500N cars sets were manufactured as part of a plan to improve rolling stock quality on the Ginza Line, introducing the new 2000 series sets to act as the standard rolling stock for the line, equipped with many modern features, while withdrawing existing early rolling stock which had been in service since the earliest days of the Ginza Line such as the 1000 and 100 series, while converting other early rolling stock, such as the 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500 (no relation apart from similar designation), 1600, 1700 and 1800 series for use as intermediate cars, most of these (bar the 1400 series) having their motors and electrical equipment removed.
Between April and May 1968, a total of sixty 1500N series cars were manufactured by five different manufacturers, numbered 1501 to 1560; unlike most other series, all 1500N series cars were designed specifically for use as powered intermediate cars, with no headlights or similar equipment for use to lead a train. The 1500N series sets were classified as such as apparently TRTA (Eidan) policy at the time was to renumber the models into two types, one for leading cars and another for intermediate cars, with the designation resulting from said policy. Operation began on 19 April 1968; cars were typically coupled in two-car blocks and formed into six-car sets, usually sandwiched between 2000 series cars. The introduction of the 1500N series sets allowed ten 2000 series cars to be freed up for use on the Marunouchi Line's Hōnanchō Branch Line to replace the ten 100 series cars in use on that line.
Eight additional cars, numbered 1561 to 1568 and classified in the 1500NN series (alternatively 1500N2 or 1500HS series), were manufactured from September to October 1981 by Kinki Sharyo; these were intended to replace eight cars which had been moved for use on the Hōnanchō Branch Line to increase capacity on that line rather than for a capacity increase on the Ginza Line, standardizing all sets on the Hōnanchō Branch Line to three cars in length. These were the last steel cars manufactured for the TRTA and the last cars to use a general design language dating back to the opening of the Ginza Line in 1927.
Car number stickers were added to the cars in 1983 with the introduction of the 01 series sets. With further additions of 01 series sets, most older rolling stock types were withdrawn and scrapped, although the 1500N series cars remained in use due to their Cardan drive shafts similar to the 2000 series; however with the intent to standardize rolling stock on the line to the 01 series sets, all 1500N and 1500NN series cars, which were never fully equipped with air conditioning (the 1500NNs could not be converted to use air conditioning), were withdrawn on 30 July 1993.
No 1500N or 1500NN series cars have been preserved. It was initially planned to have some 1500N series cars resold to the Hitachi Electric Railway and rebuilt to have cabs on both ends but this did not come to fruition, with 2000 series cars being resold instead.
Specifications[]
Construction is of steel. The trains use Hitachi-manufactured underbody electronics and control systems.
References[]
| Tokyo Metro rolling stock | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Ginza Line | 1000 (gen 2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marunouchi Line | 2000 (gen 2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hibiya Line | 13000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tōzai Line | 05 • 05N • 07 • 15000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chiyoda Line | 05 • 16000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yūrakuchō Line | 10000 • 17000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hanzōmon Line | 08 • 8000 • 18000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Namboku Line | 9000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fukutoshin Line | 10000 • 17000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Withdrawn | Ginza Line | 01 • 100 • 1000 (gen 1) • 1100 • 1200 • 1300 • 1400 • 1500 • 1500N • 1500NN • 1600 • 1700 • 1800 • 1900 • 2000 (gen 1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marunouchi Line | 02 • 500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hibiya Line | 03 • 3000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tōzai Line | 5000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chiyoda Line | 06 • 5000 • 6000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yūrakuchō Line | 07 • 7000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fukutoshin Line | 7000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Proposed | Ginza Line | 200 | ||||||||||||||||||||||