KiHa 37 series

KiHa 37 series
Consist led by KiHa 37 1002 in February 2010
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Fuji Heavy Industries, Niigata Tekkō
Type of locomotive	Diesel multiple unit
Constructed	1983
Number built	5 cars
Dimensions	20,000 mm × 2,800 mm × Unknown
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Prime mover	DMF13S prime mover
Service information
In service	14 February 1983 – 1 December 2012
Formation	Single car
Number in service	None (3 on other railroads)
Fleet numbers	KiHa 37 1 – KiHa 37 2, KiHa 37 1001 – KiHa 37 1003
Scrapped	2009
Preservation information
Preserved	N/A
Number scrapped	2 cars

The KiHa 37 series is a low-capacity commuter diesel multiple unit operated initially by the Japanese National Railways and later the East and West Japan Railway Company from February 1983 to December 2012, mainly on rural lines.

History

The KiHa 37 series cars were developed in the early 1980s by building upon the KiHa 40 series and improving on them. The KiHa 40 series cars were designed for long-distance operations in cold regions on branch lines; while a very good design in its own right, with even commuters liking the cars due to their comfortable rides, the JNR felt that the KiHa 40 series cars were too powerful for services on local rural lines, and the engines used there did not really show much improvement in terms of performance for heavier cars. As such, JNR wanted a railcar which could provide adequate performance on local lines, with lesser maintenance required for the cars.

Five prototype cars were manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries and Niigata Tekkō in 1983. However, with the abolition of JNR's specified local lines, many KiHa 40 and KiHa 58 series cars became surplus, and as such there was no opportunity or need to manufacture mass production cars; as a result the only KiHa 37 series cars that were produced were the five prototype cars. Future cars however like the KiHa 38, KiHa 54 and KiHa 185 series cars were developed based on the requirements set out originally. Cars 1 and 1001 were assigned to JNR's Osaka Branch while the remaining three were assigned to JNR's Chiba Branch; the Chiba cars entered service on 14 February 1983 while the Osaka cars entered service a week later.

When the JNR was privatized, the various cars had their ownership transferred to JR West and East depending on where the cars were located pre-privatization. The JR West cars were mainly used on the Kakogawa, Takasago, Miki, Hōjō and Kajiya Lines; these were withdrawn from regular service in October 2003 and held in reserve before subsequently being withdrawn entirely and then scrapped in January 2009. The JR East cars were mainly used on the Kururi Line, and remained in service until 1 December 2012 when they were replaced by the KiHa E130-100 series cars on that line and retired; these were also used on the Kihara Line before the Isumi Railway took over operations on that line. The three cars were then transferred to the Mizushima Rinkai Railway, where they entered service in 2014 and remain so to this day.

Design

The KiHa 37 series use a squared-off design similar to many other railcars of the time, featuring dual top-mounted headlights. JR West cars were painted entirely in Vermillion No.5 "persimmon", while JR East's cars were painted in a unique Kururi Line livery with a white base coat and blue, yellow and green accents; their original livery was a Cream No.1 "light yellow-brown" base coat with Blue No.15 "ink blue" accents.

Specifications

Construction is of steel. The cars feature bench seating and can be found with or without toilets. The cars were designed as such different cab or seating types and the presence or absence of toilets could be selected in any combination with minor design changes. The KiHa 37 series cars are equipped with a 207 HP (210 PS) DMF13S prime mover. The windows are of a two-tiered design which can open and also feature roll curtains on each window.