400 Series Shinkansen

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox train

The Template:Nihongo was a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) between 1992 and 2010 on Tsubasa services on Japan's first mini-shinkansen line, the Yamagata Shinkansen branch from the main Tohoku Shinkansen.

The fleet of 400 series trains was leased by JR East from the owning company, Template:Nihongo, a third-sector company jointly owned by JR East and Yamagata Prefecture.<ref name="railfan584">Template:Cite journal</ref>

They were originally six-car sets, but a seventh car (type 429) was added in 1995 to each set due to the popularity of the new Tsubasa services.

Pre-series set

The pre-series set, S4, was delivered in October 1990, and shown off to the press on 26 October 1990. This was a six-car set arranged as shown below with all cars motored.<ref name="railfan357">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Car No. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Numbering 401-1 402-1 403-1 404-1 405-1 406-1
Seating capacity 20 67 60 68 64 56

The unit featured three different types of bolster less bogies: DT9028 on cars 1 and 3, DT9029 on cars 2 and 4, and DT9030 on cars 5 and 6. The Green car seats featured seat-back TV screens, a feature not used on the subsequent production sets.<ref name="railfan357"/>

Test running began on the Ōu Main Line between Template:STN and Template:STN on 14 November 1990. From 23 January 1991, test running began in conjunction with a newly converted 200 series 8-car K set on the Tōhoku Shinkansen between Template:STN and Template:STN. On 26 March 1991, the 400 series set S4 established a new Japanese speed record of Template:Convert on the Jōetsu Shinkansen in the Yuzawa Tunnel between Template:STN and Template:STN. On 19 September 1991, the train set a new speed record of Template:Convert on the same stretch of track.<ref name="yamanouchi2002">Template:Cite book</ref>

Test running continued into 1992, with set S4 reaching Tokyo for the first time on 20 May 1992. The pre-series set was then modified to bring it up to production batch standards, becoming set L1 on 29 June 1992.<ref name="yamanouchi2002"/>

History

File:JR East shinkansen 400 tsubasa 6cars.jpg
A six-car 400 series set in original colour scheme

Introduction

The fleet of twelve six-car sets entered service on the new Tsubasa shinkansen services from 1 July 1992.<ref name="shinkansen2011"/> The six-car sets were all lengthened to seven cars due to the popularity of the Tsubasa services that they ran. This change occurred between November and December 1995 with the addition of a new type 429 trailer car as car 15.<ref name="shinkansen2011"/>

Withdrawal

Withdrawals started in December 2008, with the first set, L1.<ref name="shinkansen2011"/> The entire fleet was scheduled to be withdrawn by summer 2009 and replaced by new E3-2000 series trains.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> However, one set, L3, remained in service until 18 April 2010, with the date chosen to mark 18 years of service.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> This last 400 series Shinkansen was coupled to an E4 series during its last run.

Preservation

The first eleven sets to be withdrawn were all cut up at Sendai General Depot, but one car (Green car 411-3) of the last set to be withdrawn, L3, was stored at the former Fukushima depot before being moved to Omiya in Saitama Prefecture in December 2017 where it is preserved at the Railway Museum.<ref name="rmnews20171204">Template:Cite web</ref>

Formation

The production 400 series sets were configured as shown below following the addition of a trailer car (car 15) in late 1995.<ref name="Shinkansen Databook 2011">Template:Cite book</ref>

Car No. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Designation Msc M' M M' T M M'c
Numbering 411 426-200 425 426 429 425 422
Seating capacity 20 67 60 68 64 64 56
Facilities WC, wheelchair space Cardphone WC, cardphone Luggage space WC, luggage space WC, cardphone Luggage space

Cars 1 and 2 were built by Tokyu Car Corporation, cars 3 to 4 were built by Hitachi, and cars 5 to 6 were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.<ref name="Shinkansen Databook 2011"/> Cars 12 and 14 were equipped with pantographs.<ref name="jrr2007"/>

Fleet details

Set No. Manufacturer<ref name="Shinkansen Databook 2011"/> Delivered 7th car added Refurbished DS-ATC added Withdrawn Remarks
L1 Tokyu Car, Hitachi, Kawasaki HI 1 November 1990 14 November 1995 3 March 2000 27 July 2005 1 January 2009<ref name="railfan579">Template:Cite journal</ref> Originally pre-series set S4, converted 29 June 1992.
L2 Kawasaki HI 17 January 1992 20 November 1995 14 September 2001 7 October 2005 23 January 2009<ref name="railfan579"/>
L3 28 January 1992 2 December 1995 11 June 2001 12 September 2005 18 April 2010 Last set to be withdrawn. Car 411-3 preserved at the Railway Museum.
L4 6 March 1992 12 December 1995 16 December 1999 28 May 2005 18 September 2009<ref name="railfan584"/> First set to be refurbished and repainted.
L5 23 March 1992 10 December 1995 28 July 2000 26 November 2005 21 April 2009<ref name="dj305">Template:Cite journal</ref>
L6 2 April 1992 8 December 1995 16 October 2001 24 December 2005 26 May 2009<ref name="dj305"/>
L7 13 April 1992 6 December 1995 19 September 2000 2 November 2005 15 May 2009<ref name="dj305"/>
L8 1 May 1992 4 December 1995 19 June 2000 24 June 2005 3 April 2009<ref name="dj305"/>
L9 11 May 1992 20 December 1995 14 April 2000 22 March 2006 21 February 2009<ref name="railfan579"/> Car 15 built by Hitachi.
L10 29 May 1992 14 December 1995 30 March 2001 28 February 2006 7 August 2009<ref name="railfan584"/>
L11 12 June 1992 16 December 1995 19 February 2001 6 February 2006 20 June 2009<ref name="dj305"/>
L12 25 June 1992 18 December 1995 29 May 2000 27 April 2005 19 March 2009<ref name="railfan579"/>

Source:<ref name="jrr2007">Template:Cite book</ref>

Exterior

File:400 L11 Sendai General Depot 19970727.jpg
Set L11 in original livery in July 1997

In terms of style, the 400 series were originally painted a medium silver grey with a darker roof and area around the cab windows and underframe. However they were refurbished and repainted between 1999 and 2001, with a higher area of dark bluish-grey on the underside, coming up almost to the side windows, and separated from the silver grey with a green stripe. The dark grey on the roof and around the cab windows was removed.

File:400 L1 Tsubasa 127 Omiya 20020622.jpg
Set L1 at Omiya Station in June 2002, showing the door steps extended

Clearances were significantly reduced compared to previous Shinkansen lines, and thus the 400 series units were much narrower than previous Shinkansen trains. At shinkansen stations (i.e. high-speed line stations), steps extended from beneath the doors to bridge the gap between the trains and platforms.

Interior

Green car (first class) accommodations had 2+1 abreast seating, unlike the E3 series trains which replaced them, which featured 2+2 seating in both standard class and Green cars. Seat pitch was Template:Convert in Green class (car 11), Template:Convert in reserved-seating cars (12 to 15), and Template:Convert in non-reserved cars (16 and 17).<ref name="shinkansen2011">Template:Cite book</ref>

When the fleet received life-extension refurbishment between 1999 and 2001, the interiors were also refurbished with new seats moquette. The reserved seating cars received red moquette, while the non-reserved seating cars received turquoise moquette.<ref name="shinkansen2011"/>

See also

References

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