Background and overview
JR Central developed 311 series suburban DC electric multiple unit (EMU) trains to deliver for special rapid services started for the new opening of Kanayama station in Nagoya city in 1989. 5 four-car sets consisted with 2 powered vehicles and 2 trailer vehicles were delivered.
Car body
They have 2966mm wide body, incorporating light weight stainless construction. Their bodies are unpainted and have the orange waistline and headline bands running through the length of each car below and above the windows. Cab ends have wide curved windscreens to improve front visibility and are covered by a Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP) panel with 100mm extended body to emphasize round front shape. They are equipped with three 1300mm wide double-leaf automatic sliding doors on each side of the vehicles. Door operating equipments, TK111, are fitted above the upper groove of the sliding doors. 2 pairs of drop windows and 2 door case windows are fitted between doors and a drop window and a door case window are fitted at each end of the body. Two air conditioners, C-AU711D, rated at 18,000kcal/h/unit are fitted on their roof, 2 forced draught ventilators for class kumoha311 or 3 for the others are also fitted on their roof. They feature a low roof section where the current collector is fitted to reduce upper structure clearance for current pickup. Loudspeakers fitted on each side of the body in order to provide guidance broadcast for passengers waiting at a station. Traditional train-type and destination rollsigns are fitted on the front and side of their body. End cars are equipped with the automatic jumper coupler to ease rush-up operations.
Bogies
Their bogies are C-DT56/C-TR241 featuring bolster-less air suspension and corn-shaped multilayered rubber spring, preparing anti-yaw dampers in order to ensure smooth ride characteristics even at high speed. Traction device of the bogie is changed from multilayered rubber spring to Z link. These bogies adopt the yaw dampers to ensure smooth ride characteristics even at 120km/h.
Traction unit and ancillary equipments
Eight series-wound brushed DC traction motors, C-MT61A, with a power output
of 120kW and an internal cooling fan for noise reduction are controlled
by armature-resistance traction control system, CS57A, featuring field
added excitation control. Class kumoha311 vehicles are equipped with a
diamond-shaped current pickup, C-PS24A. Class moha310 vehicles are equipped
with an auxiliary power unit, C-SC25, which is with a power output of 130kVA
and features a DC-DC converter supplying 600VDC, and a motor driven air
compressor, MH3075-C2000M. The brake system is the electric command pneumatic
brake with pressure intensifying braking over 110km/h to shorten braking
distance.
Accommodation
Seating accommodation consists of switchable transverse seating with 910mm seating pitch. They adopt roller blinds for window covering. The air conditioning duct is fitted above the ceiling in order to improve interior design and the outlets of cool air are slit shape. Straps are fitted at only the doorway. A LED display for providing passenger information is fitted on the end wall. Trailer end cars, Kuha310, are equipped with a Japanese style toilet employing a chemical holding tank. A payphone paid by only magnetic pre-paid card is fitted outside wall of the toilet.
Additional delivery
JR Central also additionally delivered 8 four-car sets of 311 series EMU in 1989. This batch differs from former batch of 311 series in having loudspeakers fitted inside air conditioners.
Additional 2 four-car sets were also delivered in 1990. This batch features that some drop windows located toward the centre and the end of the body are changed into fixed windows.
Modification
The air conditioners of end cars were changed into C-AU713 in order to improve cooling capacity.
The prominent anti-fall plates excepting the front ends were began to be
fitted from 2001. Some transverse seating of class Kuha310 was changed
to the wheelchair space in 2003. The current pickup was displaced with
the single-arm type current pickup, C-PS27A, from 2006.
Operations
311 series entered special rapid services linking Gamagori and Ohgaki in July, 1989. Special rapid services were extended to Toyohashi in 1990. However, 311 series started to be mainly used on the ordinary services between Hamamatsu and Maibara after 313 series EMU were delivered in 1999. Their operation area was shortened to between Toyohashi and Maibara and 2 four-car sets were withdrawn in 2022. |
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