KiHa 183 series

KiHa 183 series
A KiHa 183 series set on a Taisetsu service in November 2017
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Fuji Heavy Industries, Hitachi, Niigata Tekkō
Type of locomotive	Diesel multiple unit
Constructed	1979 – 1991
Number built	169 cars
Dimensions	21,300 mm × 2,903 mm × 4,080 – 4,090 mm
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Prime mover	DMF13HS, DMF13HZ, DMF15HSA, DML30HSI, DML30HSJ, DML30HZ, N-DMF13HZC or N-DMF18HZ prime mover
Service information
In service	10 February 1980 – 10 April 2023
Branding	HET 183 (some cars)
Formation	3 – 10 cars per set
Number in service	None (34 on other railways)
Fleet numbers	Kiha 183-1 – KiHa 183-20, KiHa 183-207 – KiHa 183-215, KiHa 183-217 – KiHa 183-220, KiHa 183-224 – KiHa 183-227, KiHa 183-405 – KiHa 183-406, KiHa 183-501 – KiHa 183-507, KiHa 183-901 – KiHa 183-904, KiHa 183-1501 – KiHa 183-1507, KiHa 183-1551 – KiHa 183-1566, KiHa 183-5001 – KiHa 183-5002, KiHa 183-5101 – KiHa 183-5102, KiHa 183-5201 – KiHa 183-5202, KiHa 183-6001, KiHa 183-6101, KiHa 183-8563 – KiHa 183-8566, KiHa 183-9560 – KiHa 183-9562, KiHa 182-1 – KiHa 182-48, KiHa 182-106 – KiHa 182-108, KiHa 182-404 – KiHa 182-406, KiHa 182-413, KiHa 182-501 – KiHa 182-514, KiHa 182-551 – KiHa 182-562, KiHa 182-901 – KiHa 182-906, KiHa 182-5001, KiHa 182-5101, KiHa 182-5201, KiHa 182-5251, KiHa 182-6001, KiHa 182-7551 – KiHa 182-7562, KiHa 184-1 – KiHa 184-11, KiHa 184-901, KiRo 182-1 – KiRo 182-10, KiRo 182-501 – KiRo 182-508, KiRo 182-901, KiRo 182-7551 – KiRoHa 182-2 – KiRoHa 182-4, KiRoHa 182-6, KiRoHa 182-10, KiRo 182-7553, KiSaHa 182-5201, KiSaRoHa 182-551 – KiSaRoHa 182-554, KiSaRoHa 182-5101
Preservation information
Preserved	2 cars
Number scrapped	133 cars

The KiHa 183 series and the related N183 and NN183 series, occasionally branded HET 183 (Hokkaido Express Train), are limited express diesel multiple units operated by the JNR and later JR Hokkaido and JR Kyushu from February 1980 to April 2023. These were the first dedicated limited express-type diesel sets that were used by the JNR in the Hokkaido region.

History

Built from 1979 to 1991 by a whole host of companies including Fuji Heavy Industries (now known as Subaru Corporation), Hitachi and Niigata Tekkō, the KiHa 183 series was the first diesel railcar that was designed for use in the Hokkaido region, with additional features added to the cars that allow them to withstand colder environments. The sets were also meant to replace the KiHa 80 series sets that were used on Hokkaido's lines for a long time and were deemed to be close to their life expiration.

The first set, a pre-production set, entered service on 10 February 1980 and was used on Ōzora, Hokkai, Okhotsk and Hokuto services on the Sekishō Line; more sets were built and introduced over the coming years. Over the next few years, improved sets known as the N183 and NN183 series sets were introduced as well, with different designs from the normal bonnet-nosed sets.

Withdrawals began in 2001, although a variety of KiHa 183 series cars have been converted to serve other purposes as well on the JR Hokkaido system. The KiHa 183 series sets were retired on 10 April 2023 after final runs were conducted. Prior to their retirement the sets were based at Hakodate, Kushiro, Naebo and Sapporo Depots.

A single purpose-built four-car KiHa 183 series set was manufactured by JR Kyushu's Kagoshima Works and Fuji Heavy Industries in 1988 and 1989, with one of the cars being produced in knockdown kit form at JR Kyushu's Kagoshima Works. The purpose-built set, designated the KiHa 183-1000 series, was based on the N183 series sets used by JR Hokkaido, and entered service on the Holland Village Express Joyful Train service on 13 March 1988.

Since entering service, the set has undergone refurbishment four times, being allocated to a different Joyful Train service each time; after its stint on the Holland Village Express service from 1988 to 1992, it then operated on the Yufuin No Mori II service (1992 – 1999), then the Siebold service (1999 – 2003), then the Yufu DX service (2004 – 2011), and finally the Aso Boy! service, which it has served since 2011. The set is currently based at Kumamoto Depot. For additional information on this set, see here.

Design

The cars had a very different style to various Japanese DMUs as manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries, Niigata Tekkō and similar companies. The body style of the sets was actually very heavily based on what was seen on the 781 series sets, in addition to incorporating various design elements of the 781 series sets into the bodies of the KiHa 183 series sets as well, such as a rounded profile to prevent snow adhesion. The N183 and NN183 series cars resemble the KiHa 185 series railcars a fair bit.

The KiHa 183-1000 series set, however, detracted from the normal look of the normal KiHa 183 series sets, and instead opted for a more refined appearance with a panoramic cab section. The KiHa 183-1000 series set has a unique double-headed coupler with both knuckle and Shibata-type couplers mounted on a rotating post.

Cab variations

There are four cab variations of the KiHa 183 series sets; one of which is the standard bonnet-nosed front end, another is used on some KiHa 183 series cars, another of which is the body style used on the N183 and NN183 series sets and the fourth is used on the purpose-built KiHa 183-1000 series set.

A KiHa NN183 series set on a Taisetsu service at Asahikawa Station in March 2017.

A KiHa 183 series set on an Okhotsk service between Ebetsu and Toyohoro Stations on the Hakodate Main Line in January 2009.

Export

19 cars were transferred to Myanmar in 2009 for use around Yangon; these were used until 2012 between Mandalay and Naypyidaw. JR Hokkaido would later announce that some 21 cars would be donated to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) for operation, with the State Railway of Thailand bearing shipping costs; due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other circumstances their delivery was delayed until 2021, until which point the cars were left at Muroran Port. The cars are used for sightseeing trains since 24 December 2022, with SRT stating that the cars could be used for "over 50 years".

JR Hokkaido announced the sale of 18 cars to Sierra Leone in 2023, as well as spare parts; an initial batch of seven cars were shipped from Hakodate Port in August, with the identity of the railway company who purchased the cars not made public. However, some time in September 2023, the Sierra Leonean government revoked permission for the cars for use on the railways; with the cars in transit the shipment was rerouted to the Democratic Republic of the Congo through SCTP, a state-owned Congolese company operating the various railways in Congo. The cars arrived at Matadi port on 13 December 2023; they will be used to rebuild the Matadi-Kinshasa Railway and enter service "post 2024".

The remaining eleven cars intended for Sierra Leone remained at Muroran Port would remain at the port for several months before they were purchased by Royal Railway Cambodia; the cars left Muroran Port on 15 April 2024 and arrived at Sihanoukville Port on 27 April 2024. After arrival the cars were regauged to 3 ft 3 3⁄8 in (1,000 mm) and their brake systems changed before test runs were conducted from early to late June 2024. They are expected to be used on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh-Poipet divisions of Royal Railway Cambodia.

Preservation

The following KiHa 183 series cars have been preserved:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location	Notes
KiHa 183-214	Niigata Tekkō	September 1982	March 2018	N/A	Abira D51 Road Station, Yūfutsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved through crowdfunding effort, displayed near D51 320; restored back to JNR colors
KiHa 183-220		May 1983			Abira Town Railway Museum, Yūfutsu, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved through crowdfunding effort, restored back to JNR colors; successful startup test conducted July 2020 by volunteers
KiHa 183-5001	Naebo Works	December 1988	November 2017		Arishima Takeo Memorial Hall, Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan	Preserved through crowdfunding effort

Specifications

Construction is of steel. Each car is 21.3 meters long, 2.903 meters wide and 4.09 meters high. The sets use a wide variety of prime movers for each of the various specifications of the cars, with some older cars having their older prime movers switched out for newer and more powerful ones.