KiHa 85 series

KiHa 85 series
A KiHa 85 series set on a Wide View Nanki service in June 2023
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Fuji Heavy Industries, Niigata Tekkō, Nippon Sharyo
Type of locomotive	Diesel multiple unit
Constructed	1989 – 2003
Number built	81 cars
Dimensions	Unknown
Gauge	3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
Prime mover	Cummins C-DMF14HZ prime mover
Service information
In service	18 February 1989 – 9 July 2023
Formation	4 or 5 cars per set
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	KiHa 85-1 – KiHa 85-14, KiHa 85-101 – KiHa 85-119, KiHa 85-201 – KiHa 85-209, KiHa 85-1101 – KiHa 85-1106, KiHa 85-1108 – KiHa 85-1119, KiHa 85-1209, KiHa 84-1 – KiHa 84-14, KiHa 84-201 – KiHa 84-205, KiHa 84-301 – KiHa 84-305, KiRoHa 84-1 – KiRoHa 84-10, KiRo 85-1 – KiRo 85-5
Scrapped	1997, 2022 – 2023
Preservation information
Preserved	1 car
Number scrapped	76 cars

The KiHa 85 series is a Japanese limited express diesel multiple unit operated by the Central Japan Railway Company from February 1989 to July 2023, mainly on Nanki and Hida services.

History

The sets were introduced on 18 February 1989 on Hida services to replace the aging KiHa 80 series cars. More sets were built over the next few years until 2003 and put into service progressively.

Eighty cars were produced; they were based out of Nagoya Rolling Stock Center. They were normally used on Wide View Hida and Wide View Nanki services. The sets used to operate in tandem with the Meitetsu KiHa 8500 series sets on Kita Alps services until the services were discontinued in 2001.

Following the introduction of the HC85 series hybrid diesel railcars, the KiHa 85 series cars were withdrawn from regular service on the Hida and Nanki services; the KiHa 85 series were withdrawn from the Hida service on 17 March 2023 and from the Nanki service on 30 June 2023. A four-car set consisting of KiHa 85-1, KiHa 85-101, KiHa 84-1 and KiRoHa 84-1 were used for a special Thank You KiHa 85 series Hida service on 17 March 2023, while a six-car set consisting of KiRo 85-4, KiHa 84-204, KiHa 84-303, KiHa 85-1209, KiHa 84-203 and KiRo 85-3 was used for a Thank You KiHa 85 series Nanki service on 25 June 2023. The final run for the KiHa 85 series cars was a special chartered service on 9 July 2023, following which the KiHa 85 series cars were officially withdrawn; the formation consisted of KiRo 85-4, KiHa 84-302, KiHa 85-208, KiHa 85-1117, KiHa 85-1209, KiHa 85-1109, KiHa 85-1110, KiHa 85-305, KiHa 84-305 and KiRo 85-3, with the services prior to that consisting of the two five-car halves each performing one service on 8 and 9 July respectively before combining for the final service.

Following their withdrawal from service, four cars, KiHa 85-3, KiHa 85-6, KiHa 85-7 and KiHa 85-12, were transferred to the Kitakinki Tango Railway in 2023; two cars are intended for service while the other two cars act as parts donors. These entered service on 16 March 2024. KiHa 85-1 is stored out of public view at Mino-Ōta Rolling Stock Depot, awaiting possible future preservation; all other cars were scrapped by December 2023.

Design

The KiHa 85 series sports a rather modern look for DMUs of the time; this design language was not exactly carried over to newer DMUs ordered by JR Central. The cars have two end-car designs; a panoramic cab end and a gangwayed cab end.

Specifications

The sets are built by Fuji Heavy Industries, Niigata Tekkō and Nippon Sharyo and use unpainted stainless steel bodies. The sets use two C-DMF14HZ six-cylinder prime movers per car; the C-DMF14HZ prime movers are in fact normal DMF14HZB prime movers manufactured under license by Cummins.

The KiHa 85 series sets are notable as being the first JR train to use imported prime movers as opposed to domestically-produced prime movers; in this case, the prime movers are produced by Cummins, as mentioned above.

If required the KiHa 85 series sets can be broken up into single cars.

Incidents

On 25 June 1997, a KiHa 85 series set on the Hida No. 15 service was struck by falling rocks; the front two cars derailed, with the first car being completely wrecked by the rocks while the second car rolled over. The car wrecked by the rocks, KiHa 85-107, was scrapped due to the incident; a new car, KiHa 85-119, was later manufactured the same year to replace this car.

Preservation

The following KiHa 85 series cars have been preserved:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location	Notes
KiHa 85-1	Nippon Sharyo	December 1988	March 2023	N/A	Mino-Ōta Rolling Stock Depot, Gifu, Japan	Not accessible to public, stored out of public view; used on Thank You KiHa 85 series Hida service in March 2023

Gallery

Gangwayed end