The was a

limited express A limited express is a type of express train service. It refers to an express service that stops at a limited number of stops in comparison to other express services on the same or similar routes. Japan The term "limited express" is a common ...

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

(EMU) train type introduced in March 1972 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) in Japan, and later operated by

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

(JR East) and

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) until 2012.

Operations

The 489 series trains were developed from the earlier

485 series 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 (JNR), and subsequently operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), ...

specially for use on the '' Hakusan'' and '' Asama''

services operating over the steeply graded

Usui Pass The is a mountain pass that lies between Nagano and Gunma prefecture in Japan. It has served as one of the major transportation routes in central Japan since at least the eighth century. Road The pass on the ancient Tōsandō highway was des ...

(

Yokokawa Station is a railway station in the city of Annaka, Gunma, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Yokokawa Station is a terminal station for its segment of the Shinetsu Main Line, and is located 29.7 kilometers from the star ...

Karuizawa Station is a railway station in the town of Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan, operated jointly by the JR Group company East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the third-sector railway operator Shinano Railway. Lines Karuizawa Station is served by the JR ...

of old JNR

Shinetsu Main Line The Shinetsu Main Line ( ja, 信越本線, ) is a railway line, consisting of three geographically separated sections, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. It was originally one continuous line connecting and via . S ...

). They were designed to operate in multiple with the

JNR Class EF63 The is a class of 1,500 V DC electric locomotives formerly operating in Japan. History A total of 25 Class EF63 locomotives were built between 1962 and 1976 exclusively for use as bankers (U.S. "helpers" or "pushers") on the steeply-graded Usu ...

electric banking locomotives. File:489 asama.JPG, A 489 series EMU on an ''Asama'' service in August 1997 File:JRE-EF6316-JRW-EC489-Hakusan.jpg, A 489 series EMU hauled by EF63 banking locomotives on an ''Hakusan'' service in June 1997

Formations

The nine-car sets operated by JR-West and based at Kanazawa depot for use on ''

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 ...

'' and ''

Hakutaka The is a high-speed ''shinkansen'' train service jointly operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and West Japan Railway Company (JR West) between and on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line in Japan. The shinkansen service was introduced on ...

'' services were formed as shown below. Cars 2, 5, and 7 were each fitted with two lozenge-type pantographs.

History

Following the end of regular ''

'' express services in March 2010, the three remaining JR-West 489 series sets based at Kanazawa depot lost their regular duties, and two sets were withdrawn in June and August of the same year. The remaining set, H01, was used on a special "Arigato" ("Thankyou") run between Osaka and Kanazawa on 26 and 27 March 2011, after which it was stored at Kanazawa depot. Set H01 was officially withdrawn on 1 June 2012.

Preserved examples

* KuHa 489-1: Preserved at the

Kyoto Railway Museum The (formerly the until 2016) is a railway museum in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The original Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum opened in 1972, but was expanded and modernized in 2016, becoming the Kyoto Railway Museum. The museum is owned by We ...

in Kyoto since April 2016. * KuHa 489-501: Preserved in

Komatsu, Ishikawa is a city located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,509 in 42,664 households, and a population density of 290 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Komatsu is located in southwes ...

(since March 2013) File:2階から撮影した 489系トップナンバー京都鉄道博物館.jpg, KuHa 489-1 at the Kyoto Railway Museum in April 2016 File:Doihara-bonnet-square.JPG, KuHa 489-501 in Komatsu in August 2014

References

{{JR-West rolling stock Electric multiple units of Japan East Japan Railway Company West Japan Railway Company Train-related introductions in 1972 ja:国鉄485系電車#489系 1500 V DC multiple units of Japan 20 kV AC multiple units