Background and overview
JR West developed pre-production type of new generation intercity dual voltage AC/DC electric multiple unit (EMU) trainset, 681 series having rapidity and comfort, in order to enhance the competitiveness of "Raicho" intercity services running on the Hokuriku line between Osaka and Toyama against high-speed bus services and cars using express way in 1992. They feature married 3-car unit system consisting of a motored vehicles having a traction system, a trailer vehicle having extra-high voltage electric equipments and a current pickup, and a trailer vehicle having an auxiliary power supply and a motor driven air compressor. 681 series sets are long 9-car formation, consisting of 3 powered cars and 6 trailer cars, to keep the same capacity as 485 series used on "Raicho" services. 6-car set and 3-car set will be available in the future in case of introducing coupling and splitting sets operation.
Car body
They have 2915mm wide body. Their body design incorporates lightweight
shaped steel and pressed forming beam to realize a light weight body, employing
weatherproof steel sheet (Steel Plate Atmospheric), hot-rolled atmospheric
corrosion resisting steels for welded structure (Steel Marine Atmospheric)
for their body skin, and stainless plate for their roof. Their roof features
polyurethane waterproof coating for anti-corrosion improvement. Their floor
level is made 75mm lower than that of 485 series to reduce the level difference
against the platforms and for the door step to be discontinued. The end
section of the trains is entirely streamlined with no gangway, employing
a wide curved windscreen and a storage type front tight coupler. They are
equipped with two 700mm wide single-leaf sliding doors for class moha681-0
and class saha680-0 or one door for the other vehicles and the horizontal
band fixed windows on each side of their body. Their door operating equipment,
TK103A, is fitted above the door header of the sliding door. Roller-binding
train-type indicators and LED destination indicators are fitted on each
side of their body. 681 series employ split air conditioners, WAU302, rated
at 36000kcal/h. Two indoor units are fitted on their floor and one outdoor
unit is fitted under their roof in order to realize a low centre of gravity.
Cover plates are fitted between equipments fitted under their floor to
reduce the waving for preventing snow and ice from sticking thereon. Their
livery is white with the gray and blue waistline band running the length
of each car below the windows.
Bogies
Motored bogies are WDT300 and trailer bogies are WTR3000, featuring bolster-less secondary air suspension, axle arm type journal box supporting system, and the Z link traction device. These bogies adopt the yaw dampers and anti-rolling stabilizer to ensure smooth ride characteristics even at 160km/h. Every bogie employs the hydraulic pressure facing caliper wheel disk brake device.
Traction unit and ancillary equipments
All motored vehicles are equipped with the Variable-frequency drive (VFD)
traction system, WPC3, featuring GTO thyristor which controls four high
power AC asynchronous traction motors, WMT101, with a power output of 190kW
on axle basis. Trailer intermediate vehicles are equipped with a light
weight traction transformer, WTM25, and a traction rectifier, WRS100, featuring
cascaded connecting full thyristor bridge under their floor and a cross-arm
type current pickup, WPS27C on their roof. The gear ratio is 5.22 to get
high acceleration performance at the range of middle and high speed and
the maximum service speed at 160km/h. 681 series feature the electric command
pneumatic brake with regenerative brake, employing anti-slip control by
axle-driven tachometer generator fitted to each axle in order to achieve
brake performance efficiently even at 130km/h.
End cars and trailer intermediate car, class saha681, are equipped with
a motor driven air compressor, WMH3096-WTC1500A or WRC1600X, and an auxiliary
power unit, WSC22 with a power output of 150kVA featuring power transistor,
under their floor.
Accommodation
All seats are adjustable reclining. 1st class vehicles have 2+1 abreast
seating with 1160mm seating pitch and standard class vehicles have 2+2
abreast seating with 970mm seating pitch. LCD TV sets for video programme
are provided at each seat of the 1st class. A LED display for providing
passenger information is fitted above the door between a vestibule and
a passenger saloon. Class saha681-100 and moha681-100 are equipped with
a western style toilet, a flushing urinal, and a washroom. Each toilet
has a chemical holding tank. Class saha680-200 is equipped with a universal
access toilet and a multi-purpose room. A conductor room is located in
class moha681-100 and a small refreshment counter is located in class saha680-200.
Operations
Pre-production set of 681 series underwent extensive high speed traveling test on the Kosei line and at the Hokuriku tunnel between Tsuruga and Minami-Imajyo to confirm their basic performance before entering the revenue services in 1992.
Modification and refurbishment
Pre-production type of 681 series were modified to full production standard and classified into -1000 series due to mass production type of 681 series delivering in 1995.
Their set was changed. A 1st class vehicle was coupled at Osaka end and
trailer intermediate vehicles were located at car No. 6 and 7 in order
to realize 6-car set and 3-car set in the future, in case of introducing
coupling and splitting sets operation.
Trailer bogies were changed into full production type of WTR300 employing double disk brake device and single tread brake device, and featuring the single link traction device. Motored bogies were modified including improved anti-rolling stabilizer and a prepare for introducing full standard traction motors, WMT103, and classified into WDT900.
Kuro680 and kuha681 were fitted with additional toilets.
Their livery was changed having white body, gray wide band around side
windows, and blue narrow band under side windows.
A 681-1000 series set was used on the train not to be split or coupled sets because they don't consist of the mixture of 6-car set and 3-car set together but 9-car set. At the occasion to introduce new generation intercity dual voltage AC/DC electric multiple unit (EMU) trainset, 683 series, JR west split 681-1000 series into a 6-car set and a 3-car set in order to use them more efficiently than before in 2001.
Trailer intermediate cars, saha681-1101 and saha680-1001, were remodeled
into trailer end cars by jointing the cab section with a gangway at front
and employed the automatic jumper coupler to ease pushup operations. The
shape of the cab section is same as that of 683 series but they differ
from being constructed by steel. Since kuha681-1501 remodeled from saha681-1101
lost toilets due to this remodeling, additional toilets were fitted to
kuha680-1501 remodeled from saha680-1001. A toilet located in kuha680-1001
vehicle was changed into the universal access toilet, and kuha680-1001
was classified into kuha680-1201. A small refreshment counter located in
saha680-1201 was changed into a catering room and a conductor room, and
saha680-1201 was reclassified into saha680-1301. A conductor room located
in moha681-1201 was changed into a part of passenger saloon and a vestibule
and moha681-1201 was reclassified into moha681-1051.
Their traction motors were changed into WMT105 with a power output of 245kW,
being employed for 683 series.
Withdrawal
Although 681-1000 series had been used on "Thunder Bird" intercity services together with 681-0 series and various 683 series, a 3-car set was withdrawn in 2015. A 6-car set was also withdrawn excepting kuro681-1000 vehicle in 2017. |
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