Background and overview
1st class vehicles of DMU trains used on express services commenced the modifications to fit air conditioners in 1963, and 2nd class in 1968. Air conditioners of 1st class vehicles are powered by the power generator which can power the vehicle themselves and those of 2nd class vehicles are powered by the power generator which class kiha28 vehicles are equipped with and can power three vehicles including themselves. However, it slows down in speed that train sets traveling on the graded routes must include single-engined kiha28 vehicles. Therefore, vehicles having a powerful prime mover for preventing a drop in total output of the train set and a power generator were desired. Thereat, Japanese National Railways (JNR) developed class kiha65 having a powerful prime mover in 1969.
Car body
They have a 2903mm wide body constructed by steel, incorporate 1.6mm thick plate for the body skin and the roof and 3.2mm thick plate for the cab end section and the underframe featuring the structure that the exhaust pipe of the prime mover passes through the bolster beam and the centre sills at the ends of the body are fitted diagonally to reduce the stress on the bolster. The height of the body is lowered by 60mm that kiha58-0/-400 series to fit air conditioners, AU13, on the roof. The cab end is gangwayed, having a gangway door and 300mm higher mounted driver's cab from the floor for the protection against obstacles at the level crossing and curved windscreens for visibility improvement. A classification roll sign is fitted above the gangway door. Two headlights employing the sealed light bulb are fitted above the windscreens, and two taillights are fitted below the windscreens. They are equipped with two 700mm wide automatic folding stepped doors. 1080mm wide double-hung unit assembled side windows, the upper sash of which moves down and the lower moves up, are fitted between the doors. Door operating equipments, TK9A, are fitted on the door header of the folding doors. They vehicles are also equipped with seven air conditioners, AU13A, rated at 5,500kcal/h and electric powered exhaust fan units instead of the ventilators on the roof. In addition, they are equipped with an exhaust pipe of the prime mover inside the driver's cab and an exhaust pipe of the power generator inside the wall at the rear of the vehicle. They employed tight lock automatic couplers having the rubber draft gear, RD13. Their livery is cream with scarlet wide band around side windows, narrow scarlet skirting, and narrow scarlet gutter.
Bogies
The powered bogie is DT39 incorporating 2-axle drive, trailer bogie is
TR218. These bogies incorporate bolster anchors to realize a virtual centre
pivot for the traction device, parallel link journal box supporting system,
and air springs mounted to the body directly, because the propeller shaft
passing over the bogie transom causes the obstruction to mount the centre
pivot. The gear ratio of powered bogies is 2.995. The bogie apply employs
hydraulic pressure facing caliper wheel disk brake rigging.
Traction unit and ancillary equipments
They are powered by a four-cycle 180 V12-cylinder diesel prime mover, DML30HSC, with a power output of 500PS employing a turbocharger powered by the flow of exhaust gas. Their hydraulic transmission gear, DW4D, employs a three-member single-stage torque converter, a jaw clutch to select the direct stage manually, and the filling and draining of the hydrodynamic circuit. A power generator unit consisting of a diesel engine, 4VK, with a power output of 90PS and generator, DM83, with a power output of 70kVA is located beneath the floor to supply 3-phase 440VAC to 3 vehicles including itself. Each vehicle is equipped with a water-cooled air compressor, CW750D, powered by a prime mover. The brake system is the automatic electromagnetic air brake (DARE) which the relay valve is added to the DAE brake.
Accommodation
Passenger accommodation consists of 2-2 abreast transverse seating bays with 1580mm seating pitch. The backrest of transverse seating bay has a hand-grab. They have no toilet and no washroom because the underfloor having a prime mover and a power generator is too congested.
Additional delivery
Class kiha65-500 vehicles with the pneumatic horns having the shutter for the protection against snow, additional intakes for inlet air supplied to the prime mover located inside the body, and heating pipes for distributer valves and the doorways were delivered for cold regions from August 1969.
Vehicles build in 1970 onward employed the improved hydraulic transmission, DW4F, featuring the multi-plate wet clutch in place of the jaw clutch and the improved miniature snap-action switch used on the rotating speed ratio detector.
Vehicles built in 1972 onward employed improved bogies, DT39A/TR218A featuring the improved journal box link support pin and the oil damper applied for the bolster spring.
Modifications
JR Central
Class kiha65-3000
Kiha65 508 used on "Kasuga" express services received the accommodation modification with the replacement of the existing transverse seating bay by simplified reclining seating, D23, transplanted from scrapped 0 series Shinkansen trains in 1989 and was classified into class kiha65-5000. However, class kiha65 vehicles which were modified to raise service speed of "Mie" rapid services were classified into -5000 subclass. Thus, an existing class kiha65-5000 vehicle was reclassified into -3000 subclass.
Class kiha65-5000
Class kiha65 vehicles which were used "Mie" rapid services linking Nagoya and Toba received the modifications with change of the reduction drive gear ratio, employment of the load compensating device, and modified bogies, C-DT39C and C-TR218C, featuring the pedestal type journal supporting system and were classified into -5000 subclass. In addition, the accommodation was modified with the replacement of the existing transverse seating bay by simplified reclining seating, D23, transplanted from scrapped 0 series Shinkansen trains and the refurbishment of the wall and ceiling plate of the passenger room.
JR West
Accommodation modification
Kiha65-0 vehicles used on " Sakyu" express services received the accommodation modification with the replacement of the existing transverse seating bay by 2-2 abreast simplified reclining seating, D23, with 940mm seating pitch for the accommodation improvement over the period from July 1993 until May of the following year. In addition, this refurbishment also included the replacement of wall and ceiling panels. Furthermore, they also received the same the livery change into ivory with a violet narrow band and sky-blue skirting.
Operations
Class kiha65-0 vehicles were delivered to Takamatsu depot in Shikoku and Takeshita and Oita depots in Kyushu in 1969 to enter the express services operated in Shikoku and Kyushu regions. In addition, class kiha65-500 vehicles were also delivered to Matsumoto and Nagano depots to enter "Alps" and "Kiso" express services on the Chuo line. However, class kiha65-500 vehicles used on the Chuo line express services were displaced with 165 series EMU at the opening of the electrification of the Chuo line and the surplus kiha65-500 vehicles were relocated to Nagoya depot and some depots in west Japan and transferred to express services on the Kansai, San-in, and Takayama lines to name a few. Eventually, the number of express services had been significantly reduced in 1980's and some of them were transferred to the rural services.
At the splitting of JNR into the privatized JR companies, JR Central received 11 vehicles of class kiha65, JR West 17, JR Shikoku 40, and JR Kyushu 36 in 1987.
Although vehicles owned by JR Central had been used on "Kasuga" and "Mie" express services, they had been displaced with class kiha75 DMU and completely withdrawn.
Vehicles owned by JR West had been used on "Sakyu" express services, besides Joyful trains named "Yu-Topia" and "Edel Tango" to name a few. However, class kiha65-0 had been completely discontinued at the time "Sakyu" express services had been discontinued. "Daisen" and "Spur" overnight express services operated by joyful trains had been discontinued in 2005 and eventually they had also been scrapped completely in 2010.
Vehicles owned by JR Shikoku used on "Tosa" and other express services had been displaced with kiha185 series DMU with upgrading to intercity services and transferred to the rural services. However, the remaining vehicles had been displaced with class 1000 and 1500 DMU and completely scrapped in 2009.
Vehicles owned by JR Kyushu had been used on "Yufu", "Hinoyama", "Ebino", and "Kumagawa" express services. However, vehicles used on "Yufu" and "Hinoyama" express services had been replaced with kiha185 series DMU with upgrading to intercity services in 1992 and some of surplus vehicles were converted to "Seaside liner" rapid services on the Omura line. In addition, "Ebino" express services were downgraded to rapid services in 1995. Subsequently, vehicles used on "Seaside Liner" rapid services were replaced with kiha66 series DMU and kiha200 series DMU gotten surplus at the starting of the electrified Chikuho and Sasaguri lines and eventually were scrapped in 2001. Furthermore, "Kumagawa" express services had been replaced with kiha185 series DMU with upgrading to intercity services and withdrawn in 2004. Subsequently, remaining vehicles had been completely withdrawn in 2013. |
|
