Background and overview
Japanese National Railways (JNR) concerned that electrified lines extending to the 25‰ gradient section will cause the higher proportion of powered vehicles of EMU trains employing traction motors with a power output of 100kW to reinforce the substations and to induce the serious financial problems. In addition, JNR developed a high-power traction motor, MT54, to realize that the ratio of motored vehicle to trailer vehicle is 1:1 even for the use on graded mountain routes. Thus, JNR developed 115-0 series suburban DC electric multiple unit (EMU) trains employing high power traction motors, MT54 and the traction system featuring holding breaking and free selectable speed control in 1963. 569 vehicles were built over the period from January 1963 until July 1971.
Car body
They have 2900mm wide body. Their body design incorporates lightweight
shaped steel and pressed forming beam to realize a light weight body. Their
skin features cold-rolled steel and their roof panel features hot-rolled
steel. Their cab end is gangwayed, having a gangway door and curved surface
windscreens on the front. A destination roll sign is fitted above the gangway
door. Two headlights are fitted each side of the gangway, and two taillights
are fitted below the headlights. They are equipped with three 1300mm wide
double-leaf automatic sliding doors. 1075mm wide double-hung side windows,
both the upper and lower sashes of which move up, and door case windows
are fitted between the doors, and 515mm and 1075mm wide double-hung windows
and a smaller door case window are fitted at the end of the body. Door
operating equipments, TK8, allowing hand operation to prevent the passenger's
room from being cold in winter are fitted on the door header of the sliding
doors. Class moha115 vehicles are equipped with 7 forced draught ventilators
on their roof and the others 6 on their roof. Their livery is green with
orange wide band around side windows.
Bogies
Motored bogies are DT21B, and trailer bogies are TR62, employing swing hanger construction, coil springs as bolster spring, and pedestal type journal supporting system. The parallel cardan drive with hollow shaft is applied for the power transmission device. The gear ratio is 4.82. Motored bogies employ the double tread brake rigging and trailer bogies employ the disk brake rigging.
Traction unit and ancillary equipments
Eight series-wound brushed DC traction motors, MT54, with a power output
of 120kW are controlled by the armature-resistance traction control system,
CS15A, fitted to powered intermediate vehicles, class moha115. CS15A features
holding breaking and free selectable speed control. Class moha114 vehicles
are equipped with a motor generator, MH97-DM61, with a power output of
20kVA and two motor driven air compressors, MH80A-C1000 under the floor.
Class moha114 vehicles are also equipped with a current pickup, PS16, on
the roof. They adopt electromagnetic straight air brake with the rheostatic
brake.
Accommodation
They have mixture of longitudinal bench seating and transverse seating bays with 1420mm seating pitch. Longitudinal bench seating is located at beside doors. The backrest of transverse seating bay has a hand-grab and straps are fitted above the longitudinal seating. They are equipped with 6 fans on the ceiling. In the case of the end vehicle is coupled at the middle of the train as an intermediate vehicle, the cab of the driver's side is closed by the door located between the cab and the passenger saloon, and the co-driver's side is opened as a part of passenger saloon. Class kuha115 vehicles are equipped with a Japanese style toilet at the rear of the body.
Additional delivery
The front ventilator of the Trailer end vehicles built from April 1964 is changed into a box-shaped ventilator for improved ventilation for the driver's cab. The traction system of the vehicles built from November 1965 is changed into CS15B employing improved wiring material. The compressors which class moha114 is equipped with are changed into a motor driven air compressor, MH113A-C2000M. New variant vehicles, the powered end vehicle, class kumoha115, and trailer intermediate vehicle, class saha115, are involved for vehicles built from September 1966 for Chuo-East line in order to make 3-car sets used on Fuji Kyuko railway. In addition, new variant powered intermediate vehicle, class moha114-800, featuring the low roof section where the current pickup is fitted, to widen the upper clearance for current pickup was developed, since a cross section of tunnels on the Chuo East line is small. Vehicles built for the Chuo East line are applied livery which is blue with cream wide band around side windows.
Class kumoha115-0
They are powered end vehicles having a cab section at the front of class moha115. Louvers to cool the traction motors located at the front are fitted above the door case windows, because they have no place to fit with louvers to cool the traction motors at the front end of the vehicle. They are equipped with powered bogies, DT21B, and a traction system under the floor.
Class moha114-800
They have a 155mm lower roof section where the current pickup is fitted, having axial fans for ventilation.
Class saha115-0
They are trailer intermediate vehicles having a Japanese style toilet at the rear of class moha115. They are equipped with trailer bogies, TR62.
The traction system of the vehicles built from March 1967 was changed into
CS15C having improved reliability by adopting over current relays, etc.
Vehicles built from December 1968 feature the improved traction motor,
MT54B, having high rigidity air inlet to cool the motor and featuring improved
air tightness, and an improved traction system, CS15E, having a load compensating
device and a current limit booster circuit. The material of sliding doors
was changed into stainless steel to improve corrosion resistant. Furthermore,
the pneumatic horns located beside headlights are equipped with the shutter
for the protection against snow. The traction system of the vehicles built
from July 1971 was changed into CS15F having improved reliability by adopting
contactless relays, etc.
Modification and refurbishment
Japanese National Railways
Class kumoha115-500
JNR fitted class moha1150 with an additional cab section at the front of body to make 2-car sets for the start of electrified Echigo and Yahiko lines in 1984 over the period from September 1983 until March of the following year and classified them into class kumoha115-500.
Class kumoha114-500
JNR fitted class moha114-0 vehicles with an additional cab section at the rear to make 2-car sets for the start of electrified Echigo and Yahiko lines in 1984 over the period from September 1983 until March of the following year and classified them into class kumoha114-500.
Class kumoha114-500
JNR fitted class moha114-0 vehicles with an additional cab section at the rear to make 2-car sets for the start of electrified Echigo and Yahiko lines in 1984 over the period from September 1983 until March of the following year and classified them into class kumoha114-500.
Class kuha115-600 (kuha115-601 to -606, and -620 to -622)
JNR incorporated the trailer end vehicles of 113-0 series into 115-0 series with the master controller replacement and the door operating equipments replacement with TK8A for hand operation and classified them into class kuha115-600. A motor driven air compressor, MH80A-C1000, is remained under the floor. They are equipped with globe ventilators carried from class kuha111.
Class kuha115-600 (kuha115-601 to -606)
JNR fitted class saha115-0 vehicles with an additional cab section at the front over the period from November 1989 until March 1985 and classified them into class kuha115-600. Kuha115-610 is modified to be also equipped with an air conditioner, AU75C.
Class kuha115-650
JNR fitted class moha114-0 vehicles with an additional cab section at the front and a Japanese toilet at the rear, removed a current pickup, a motor generator, and a motor driven air compressor over the period from November 1983 until January of the following year, and classified them into class kuha115-650. They are equipped with trailer bogies, DT21T, transplanted from moha115-0 or moha114-0 and modified powered bogies into trailer bogies.
Modification with AU75 air conditioning
JNR fitted 115-0 series with an air conditioner, AU75C, rated at 42000 kcal/h from 1975. An existing motor generator, MH97-DM61 which class moha114 vehicles were equipped for electric control was replaced with a motor generator, MH135-DM92, with a power output of 160kVA. A window fitted on the wall behind the control desk was closed to be fitted with air conditioner control switches. The jumper coupler of vehicles was replaced. They were also equipped with destination rollsigns on the side of the body.
Modification with AU13E air conditioning
JNR fitted some kuha115 vehicles used in Hiroshima area with AU13E air conditioners carried from scrapped 153 series EMU. Vehicles modified in 1984 are equipped with 4 ACs and 1985 6 ACs.
JR East
Modification to be fitted with the air conditioners
After the splitting of former JNR into the new privatized JR companies in 1987, JR East received a lot of unairconditioned 115-0 series vehicles. For this reason, JR East additionally fit these unairconditioned vehicles with two new developed air conditioners, AU712, rated at 21000kcal/h on the roof over the period from 1988 until 1994. For the first time, these air conditioners receive electricity from a motor generator moha114 vehicles existing in the train set was equipped. From 1989, an auxiliary power supply, SC24, with a power output of 18kVA was fitted each air conditioner fitted vehicle to supply electricity to the air conditioners which each vehicle was equipped. Electric fans still were remained under the ceiling.
Refurbishment Programme
The refurbishment programme was commenced for some vehicle received from JNR in order to extend their life. This programme includes introducing polyurethane resin-based roofing material, the replacement of body skin, introducing continuous welds to join the underframe and the body skin, removing all exterior painting for repainting, changing the floor material into the metal, and the replacement the sliding doors with ones made by stainless steel. In addition, this programme includes the entire replacement of interior decorative panels, seat fabric replacement, and the luggage racks replacement with new ones made by aluminum alloy and stainless steel.
Reinforcement of the cab end
Since a train crew was killed in a level crossing on the Narita line in September 1992, for the protection against level crossing collision accident, JR East fitted the cab end which of the vehicles not having reinforced protection given by JNR with the unpainted stainless plate with anti-climbers and a same-coloured band with their livery is fitted below the headlights. Head lights were changed into sealed beam light bulbs. The stainless plate was painted at the general inspection.
Current pickup replacement
The current pickup of 115-0 series used on Chio East line was replaced with a single-arm current pickup, PS35B, in 1998.
JR Central
115-5000 series
After the splitting of former JNR into the new privatized JR companies in 1987, JR Central received a lot of unairconditioned vehicles of 115-0 series. For this reason, JR Central additionally fitted 48 these unairconditioned vehicles with two new developed air conditioners, C-AU711B, rated at 18000kcal/h on the roof over the period from December 1990 until March of the following year and classified them into -5000 subseries.
JR West
Class kumoha115-550
JR West modified class moha115-0 powered intermediate vehicles into powered end vehicles, class kumoha115-550 to make 2-car sets by fitting with the cab section transplanted from scrapped trailer end vehicles, kuha115-0, at the front of class moha115-0 for the optimization of the transportation capacity over the period from February 1989 until June, and classified them into class kumnoha115-550.
Class kumoha114-550
JR West modified class moha114-0 powered intermediate vehicles into powered end vehicles, class kumoha114-550 to make 2-car sets by fitting with the cab section transplanted from scrapped trailer end vehicles, kuha115-0, at the rear of class moha114-0 for the optimization of the transportation capacity over the period from February 1989 until June, and classified them into class kumnoha115-550.
Modification to be fitted with the air conditioners
After the splitting of former JNR into the new privatized JR companies in 1987, JR West received a lot of unairconditioned vehicles of 115-0 series. For this reason, JR West developed low-cost air conditioner, WAU101, rated at 11000 kcal/h and fitted class kuha115-600 or kuha115-650 with them in 1987, JR West additionally equipped 2 unairconditioned kuha115-600 vehicles with three new developed air conditioners, WAU102, rated at 12000kcal/h on the roof in 1989. Electric fans still were remained under the ceiling.
Refurbishment programme N/refurbishment programme NA
In addition to special maintenance work focused on retaining the function the vehicles, refurbishment programme N to improve outdated accommodation was applied for nine 115-0 series vehicles, or refurbishment programme NA to improve accommodation of vehicles applied special maintenance work was applied for nine 115-0 series vehicles. Some accommodation improvements were included for these works. The fabric of seating was changed into red. Some parts of the luggage rack were replaced with those made by stainless steel, and the others were plated in silver coloured. The decorative end panels were replaced with brown coloured and the decorative wainscot panels were replaced with peptone brown-coloured plates. Additional fluorescent lights were fitted to improve the illuminance in the passenger room.
Operations
115-0 series entered revenue services on Tohoku and Takasaki line in 1963. They subsequently entered the local services on Chuo East. Shinonoi, Shinetsu, Echigo, Yahiko, Gotemba, Sanyo, and Hakubi lines.
At the splitting of JNR into privatized JR companies, JR East, JR Central and JR West received 115-0 series vehicles. Vehicles owned by JR East had been displaced with 211 series, E231 series, and E129 series EMUs gradually. Eventually, they had been withdrawn completely in 2015. Vehicles owned by JR Central had been displaced with 211-5000 series, 211-6000 series and 313-3000 series gradually. At last, they had been withdrawn completely in 2007. Vehicles owned by JR West had been displaced with 221 series, 223 series, and 227 series. Finally, they had been withdrawn completely in 2016. |
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