The (and the earlier 481 and 483 series variants) is a Japanese
limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type introduced in 1964 by
Japanese National Railways
The abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pref ...
(JNR), and subsequently operated by the
East Japan Railway Company (JR East),
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
(JR-West), and
Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Approximately 1,500 vehicles were built,
although by April 2016, JR East is the only operator still using this type.
Variants
* 481 series: Dual-voltage (1,500 V DC / 20 kV AC (60 Hz), introduced 1964
* 483 series: Dual-voltage (1,500 V DC / 20 kV AC (50 Hz), introduced 1965
* 485 series: Dual-voltage (1,500 V DC / 20 kV AC (50 Hz/60 Hz), introduced 1968
481 series
The 481 series trains were introduced in 1964 for use on
Hokuriku Line
The Hokuriku Main Line ( ja, 北陸本線, ) is a 176.6 kilometer railway line owned by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) connecting the Maibara Station in Maibara, Shiga, with the Naoetsu Station in Joetsu, Niigata. The section betwee ...
limited services, and were capable of operating under 1,500 V DC or 20 kV AC (60 Hz) overhead wire power supplies.
These train were subsequently operated by
JR-West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and i ...
and
JR Kyushu
The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima St ...
.
File:JNR-KURO481-1.jpg, A 481 series trainset on a ''Midori
Midori (みどり, ミドリ, , , ) is the Japanese word for "green" and may refer to:
Places
* Midori, Gunma
* Midori-ku, Chiba
* Midori-ku, Nagoya
* Midori-ku, Sagamihara
* Midori-ku, Saitama
* Midori-ku, Yokohama
People Given name
* M ...
'' service circa 1982
File:JNR saro481-1051.jpg, 481 series Green car SaRo 481–1051 in 1985
File:JNR sashi481-52.jpg, 481 series restaurant car SaShi 481–52 in 1985
Interior
File:JNR sashi481-40- syanai.jpg, Interior of SaShi 481-40 restaurant car in 1985
483 series
The 483 series trains were introduced in 1965 for use on
Tohoku Main Line limited express services, and were capable of operating under 1,500 V DC or 20 kV AC (50 Hz) overhead wire power supplies.
The non-powered trailer cars used in these sets were classified 481 series.
485 series
Variants
* 485 series (original) (from 1968)
* 485–200 series (from 1972)
* 485–300 series (from 1974)
* 485–1000 series (from 1975)
* 485–1500 series (from 1974)
* 485–3000 series (converted from former 485–1000 series trains between 1996 and 2001)
*
Joyful Train
is the name given to railway rolling stock or train sets operated by the JR Group in Japan primarily for charters, special events, tourist excursions, and other similar purposes.
History
The "Joyful Train" concept can be traced back to 1960, whe ...
variants
The 485 series trains were introduced in 1968. These trains were capable of operating under 1,500 V DC or 20 kV AC (50/60 Hz) overhead wire power supplies.
The original design was closely based on the bonnet-style
181 series
The (and the earlier 151 and 161 series variants) was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) type operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR).
Variants
* 151 series
* 161 series
* 181 series
The 151 series trains were introd ...
EMU, with the primary difference being ceilings that were higher. However, trains produced from 1972 onwards, starting with the 485–200 series, featured a new design with a cab adapted from the
583 series
The were limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train types introduced in 1967 by Japanese National Railways and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) on the through services expr ...
sleeper expresses, which became the standard on nearly all subsequent JNR limited-express EMUs.
The 485–200 series trains had gangway doors at the cab ends to allow trains to be operated in multiple, but the 485–300 series trains introduced from 1974 had no gangways.
The 485–1500 series trains were built in 1974 for use in Hokkaido.
The 485–1000 series trains built from 1975 onward incorporated design improvements from the DC-only
183-1000 series trains.
Operations
485 series trains were also used on the ''
Raichō
The was a limited express train operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between and in Japan until March 2011, using portions of the Tōkaidō Main Line, Kosei Line, and Hokuriku Main Line.
The characters 雷 鳥 literally ...
'' and ''Super Raichō'' services from 1968 until the service ended in March 2011. These trains sometimes utilized a panoramic cab car (numbered KuRo 481–2000) which was a "
Green Car".
The ''
Inaho'' and ''
Hokuetsu'' services have used 485 and 485–3000 series trains since 1969.
The ''
Hitachi'' service used 485 series trainsets from 1969 to 1998, when it was replaced by ''Super Hitachi'' and ''Fresh Hitachi'' services.
The ''
Tsugaru Tsugaru (津軽) may refer to:
* Tsugaru, Aomori, a city of Aomori Prefecture, Japan
* Tsugaru Peninsula
* Tsugaru Strait, between Honshū and Hokkaidō
** Tsugaru Kaikyō Ferry, a ferry crossing this strait
* Tsugaru-jamisen, a traditional style of ...
'' service has used 485–3000 series trains since 2002, when the service started.
The ''
Nikkō
is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,239 in 36,531 households, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a popular destination for Japanese and ...
'' service used a dedicated 6-car 485 series set from March 2006 until 4 June 2011, which was occasionally substituted by a reserve
189 series set nicknamed ''Ayano''. It was replaced by two 6-car
253 series sets from 4 June 2011.
The ''
Noto
Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and i ...
'' has used a single 6-car 485 series train since March 2010, replacing the previous
489 series
The was a limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in March 1972 by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in Japan, and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) until 20 ...
train.
Currently owned by
JR East and formerly by
JR-West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and i ...
and
JR Kyushu
The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan and the JR Kyushu Jet Ferry Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima St ...
, they also operated in the
JR Hokkaido
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to using its official abbreviation of . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a sm ...
area on regular ''
Hakuchō'' services, and in
JR Central and
JR Shikoku
The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Japan. The company has ...
areas providing extra services. The last original JNR-style trainset (Sendai-based set A1+A2) operated by JR East was withdrawn in June 2016 after a series of special farewell ''Hibari'', ''Aizu'', and ''Tsubasa'' runs on 18 and 19 June.
Limited express
File:WestJapanRailwayCompanyType485.jpg, A 485 series train with panoramic cab car (KuRo 481–2000) on a ''Raichō'' service in December 2006
File:JR West 485 superraicho 3.jpg, A JR-West ''Super Raichō'' KuMoHa 485-200 coach
File:JRkyushu485Kirishima.jpg, A JR Kyushu 485–200 series on a ''Kirishima'' service in July 2009
File:JRW 485 series konko extra train kurashiki.jpg, A JR-West 485–300 series in October 2009
File:4851am.jpg, A 485–1000 series set in August 2003
File:JNR 485 katsuta color K60.jpg, A JR East 485–1500 series in November 2007
File:485 G58 Nikko omiya.JPG, A 485 series train on ''Nikkō
is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,239 in 36,531 households, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a popular destination for Japanese and ...
'' service in May 2011
File:485系3000番台.jpg, A Niigata-based 485–3000 series refurbished train on a Rapid service in September 2018
File:Limited express hakucho 485-3000 bandai.JPG, An Aomori-based 485–3000 series refurbished train on a ''Hakucho'' service in March 2016
Joyful Train sets
File:JRE-485-yu-K30.JPG, ''Resort Express Yū'', May 2006
File:JRE485 Utage Higashi-Koganei 20130621.jpg, ''Utage'', June 2013
File:JRE485 Hana Higashi-Koganei 20130606.jpg, ''Hana'', June 2013
File:JReast485 New Nanohana-131019.jpg, ''New Nanohana'', October 2013
File:Model 485 of YAMANAMI.jpg, ''Yamanami'', April 2007
File:JRE-485-Seseragi.jpg, ''Seseragi'', May 2009
File:Series485-NoDoKa.jpg, ''No.Do.Ka'', December 2016
File:JRE 485 Irodori 20100724.jpg, ''Irodori'', July 2010
File:JRE-Series485-Yamadori.jpg, ''Resort Yamadori'', May 2017
File:Series485-Zipangu Koriyama.jpg, ''Zipangu'', April 2017
Formations
485-3000 series
, only two 485–3000 series refurbished sets remain in service, based at Niigata Depot for use on limited-stop "Rapid" services between and on the
Nihonkai Hisui Line
The (ETR) is a Japanese third-sector railway operating company established in 2010 to operate passenger railway services on the sections of the JR East Shinetsu Main Line and JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Niigata Prefecture when they were ...
.
The six-car sets are formed as follows, with car 1 at the Itoigawa end.
The last 485–3000 series-operated rapid trains were discontinued.
* Car 1 includes "Green car" (first class) seating.
* Cars 2 and 4 each have two
pantographs.
Preserved examples
, five 485 series cars are preserved, as follows.
* KuHa 481 26: Preserved at the
Railway Museum
A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives ( steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment. They may also operate historic ...
in
Saitama, Saitama.
* KuHa 481 246: Preserved at the Kyushu Railway History Museum in
Kitakyushu. (front end section only)
* KuHa 481 256: Preserved at the JR Kyushu Kokura Depot in
Kitakyushu since October 2016.
* KuHa 481 603: Preserved at the Kyushu Railway History Museum in Kitakyushu.
* MoHa 484 61: Preserved at the Railway Museum in Saitama, Saitama.
File:Railway Museum in Saitama, Japan (3600592549).jpg, KuHa 481 26 preserved at the Railway Museum in Saitama
File:Kyushu Railway History Museum Cut body place.jpg, The cab end of KuHa 481 246 (left) preserved at the Kyushu Railway History Museum in Kitakyushu
File:Kuha481-603.JPG, KuHa 481 603 preserved at the Kyushu Railway History Museum in Kitakyushu
See also
*
489 series
The was a limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in March 1972 by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in Japan, and later operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR-West) until 20 ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
{{JR Kyushu rolling stock
Electric multiple units of Japan
East Japan Railway Company
20 kV AC multiple units
West Japan Railway Company
Kyushu Railway Company
Hitachi multiple units
Train-related introductions in 1964
Kinki Sharyo multiple units
Tokyu Car multiple units
Kawasaki multiple units
Nippon Sharyo multiple units
1500 V DC multiple units of Japan