KiHa 01 series

KiHa 01 series
KiHa 03 series car 03 in January 2011
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Tokyu Car Corporation
Type of locomotive	Diesel multiple unit
Constructed	1954 – 1956
Number built	49 cars
Dimensions	429 in (10,900 mm) × Unknown × Unknown
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Prime mover	Hino DS22 prime mover
Service information
In service	1954 – 1968
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	01 1 – 01 4, 01 51 – 01 58, 02 1 – 02 17, 03 1 – 03 20
Preservation information
Preserved	1 car
Number scrapped	48 cars

KiHa 01 series is an umbrella term used to refer to the KiHa 01, 02 and 03 series Japanese small two-axle diesel railcars, also referred to as railbuses, operated by the Japanese National Railways from 1954 to 1968.

History

Inspired by the German concept of the railbus after visiting West Germany, then-president of the JNR Sōnosuke Nagasaki ordered the development of railbuses in Japan, keen to find out what performance the to-be-constructed railbuses would bring to the table. However, JNR's technical team was not so keen on the idea, thinking that the development of a railbus would be unnecessary and that large diesel railcars would be enough.

Despite this, forty-nine cars were manufactured by Tokyu Car Corporation (now J-TREC) from 1954 to 1956. The cars were originally intended to be used on the JR Hakuhō Line which was considered as an unnecessary line by the JNR at the time, with the intention being that the costs for production would be lowered with the KiHa 01 series cars having bigger and lower doors to take advantage of the low platform height.

However, with the Hakuhō Line being converted into a bus line in the coming years and the freight near the line being transported by Class DD11 diesels, the KiHa 01 series cars were unable to be used on said line. As a result, the door's dimensions were changed back to normal dimensions and the cars were hastily put into service on the Kihara Line (present-day Isumi Railway Isumi Line).

While the cars were effective at their intended role, many problems began to surface while the cars were in operation; the most apparent of which was that the cars were far too small to deal with rush hour-like crowds, only being able to seat 36 to 40 passengers at a time. In addition, as multiple-unit train control was not implemented on the cars to begin with in an effort to save costs, two drivers were required to drive both cars (one in each), increasing personnel expenses.

Even the ride experience itself was not free of issues; the cars were very jittery and noisy, with ride comfort being practically non-existent due to vibrations; the seats were not much different, as they were very cheaply made in another effort to reduce costs. As the cars were so small, a toilet could not be fitted, and as such, made the cars unsuitable for long-distance operations and were considered to not be sufficiently versatile in their intended role.

The final nail in the KiHa 01 series's coffin was their body structure; as the bodies of the cars was designed according to bus specifications, their intended service life was far shorter than what it should have been due to extremely rapid aging. Due to all of these issues, the cars were completely retired from service by 1968, with scrapping of the cars taking place shortly after. None were exported to outside countries or sold to private railways within Japan; no direct successor to the cars was ever manufactured, as it was felt that the railbus offered no distinct advantages over a normal bus.

Design

The cars have a slightly streamlined style and a single top-mounted headlight. The car bodies were designed by Fuji Heavy Industries (now known as Subaru Corporation).

Specifications

Construction is of steel. Each car is 10.9 meters long. The cars use Hino DS22 inline-six prime movers, although pre-production models would use the Hino DS21 inline-six prime mover instead. The DS22 prime movers produce 75 PS (74 HP, 55 kW) at 1,700 RPM and have a displacement of 7.0L (427 ci). The cars have a mechanical four-speed step shift manual transmission with a similar clutch to that of a bus. The cars were designed for cold-weather operations and were based in Hokkaido, with the KiHa 01 series cars having their cold-weather resistant equipment later removed and were later relegated to be used in other regions of Japan.

Preservation

The following KiHa 01 series cars have been preserved:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous number(s)	Location	Notes
KiHa 03 1	Tokyu Car Corporation	September 1956	July 1966	KiHa 10200 (1956)	Otaru City General Museum, Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan	First KiHa 03 series car; designated future railroad monument

The following KiHa 01 series cars were preserved but have since been scrapped:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous number(s)	Last location	Notes
KiHa 02 9	Tokyu Car Corporation	December 1955	September 1967	KiHa 10020 (1956)	Former Hizen-Ikeno Station, Nagasaki, Kyushu, Japan	Converted to children's library; scrapped circa 1983 due to rampant vandalism