The was an experimental Japanese

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond l ...

train built to test the technology for future high-speed trains operating at speeds of up to following the opening of the

Tokaido Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 1964, ...

in 1964.

Formation

The Class 951 train was a two-car unit formed of cars numbered 951-1 and 951-2. Car 951-1 was built by Kawasaki Sharyo (present-day

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...

), and had a seating capacity of 40 with seats arranged 3+2 abreast. Car 951-2 was built by

Nippon Sharyo , formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車". It was a listed company on Nikkei 225 until 2 ...

, and had a seating capacity of 50, also with seats arranged 3+2 abreast. # 951-1 (Mc) # 951-2 (M'c) Both cars were fitted with a cross-arm type

pantograph A pantograph (, from their original use for copying writing) is a mechanical linkage connected in a manner based on parallelograms so that the movement of one pen, in tracing an image, produces identical movements in a second pen. If a line dr ...

at the inner end. Both were based on the PS200 type used on the 0 Series Shinkansen trains, but the pantograph on car 951-1 was designated PS9010K, and that on car 951-2 was designated PS-1010A. Normally, only the pantograph on car 951-2 was used.

History

The train was unveiled to the press on 26 March 1969, with formal test running commencing on the

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 1964, ...

from 2 July 1969. On 24 February 1972, the Class 951 recorded a world speed record of on the

Sanyo Shinkansen , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the Fortune Global 500, ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka, Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiari ...

between and , breaking the previous record of set by the

Class 1000 Shinkansen was the classification given to the two prototype Japanese Shinkansen trains built for high-speed testing ahead of the opening of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964. Formations Set A # 1001 (Mc) built by Kisha Seizo, seating capacity 56 (actua ...

. The train was formally withdrawn on 11 April 1980. Car 951-2 was transferred to the Railway Technical Research Institute in

Kokubunji, Tokyo file:Kondoato.JPG, 250px, Ruins of Musashi Kokubun-ji temple is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 126,791, and a population density of 11,000 persons per km ...

, where it was used for roller rig testing. Car 951-1 was donated to the nearby Hikari Plaza Community Centre in 1994, where it is open to the public. Car 951-2 was subsequently stored out of use inside the Railway Technical Research Institute, and was cut up in 2008.

References

External links

Kokubunji Hikari Plaza information
{{High-speed rail experimental Experimental and prototype high-speed trains

951 Year 951 ( CMLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Berengar II of Italy seizes Liguria, with help from the feudal lord Oberto I. He re ...