The is a Japanese

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

(DMU) train type introduced by the

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 1986. These were converted from ageing

KiHa 35 The , along with the similar KiHa 30 and KiHa 36 series, are Japanese diesel multiple unit (DMU) train types formerly operated by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) and JR Group of companies, and later operated by the private railway operator ...

's to meet modern standards as new rolling stock before the company was privatized in 1987. After JNR was privatized, all seven cars were transferred to

JR East 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 ...

. No KiHa 38s remain in service since they ceased operation on the

Kururi Line The is a railway line in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It connects Kisarazu Station in Kisarazu to Kazusa-Kameyama Station in Kimitsu. The railway route extends through three cities, Kimitsu ...

in December 2012, along with the last KiHa 30, which were also retired from JR East in the same year They were replaced by the new

KiHa E130 The is a class of diesel multiple unit (DMU) trains operated since January 2007 by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan. Variants * KiHa E130-0 series: Single-car and two-car units used on the Suigun Line since January 2007 * KiH ...

s on the same line. In 2014, five cars were transferred to

Myanmar Railways Rail transport in Myanmar consists of a railway network with 960 stations. The network, generally spanning north to south with branch lines to the east and west, is the second largest in Southeast Asia, and includes the Yangon Circular Railway ...

, and one car was transferred to

Mizushima Rinkai Railway The is a third-sector railway company based in Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan. The company took over operation of three former Kurashiki City Transportation Bureau lines in 1970. It mainly transports freight for the industrial area around the Port o ...

which entered service in May 2014.

Operations

JR East

* Hachiko Line *

Kawagoe Line The Kawagoe Line ( ja, 川越線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East), which connects the cities of Saitama, Kawagoe, and Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture. The main transfer stations on the line are , ...

, until 2012

Mizushima Rinkai Railway

Mizushima Main Line is a 11.2 km railway line owned by the Mizushima Rinkai Railway, serving Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The line branches southward from the San'yō Main Line, owned by JR West, at Kurashiki-shi Station, ending in the industrial district ...

, since 2014

Myanmar Railways

* Yangon Circular Line, since 2014 File:JRE-DC38-Hachiko.jpg, JR East KiHa 38-2 traversing the Hachiko Line between Kitafujioka and Gumma-Fujioka Station on 1988. File:JNR_Type_Kiha_38_DMU_064.JPG, Interior File:JRE-Kiha38 2-KururiLine.jpg, JR East KiHa 38 on the Kururi Line in 2012. File:Kururi line kiha30+kiha38.JPG, KiHa 38-1 coupled with KiHa 30-63 in classic two-toned JNR livery in July 2012.

Withdrawal and resale

Mizushima Rinkai Railway

In 2014, KiHa 38 1004 was transferred to the

and was renumbered to KiHa 38 103. It entered service on 12 May 2014. File:MR kiha38 104.JPG, Mizushima Rinkai Railway KiHa 38-104 (formerly KiHa 38-1003) traversing the Mizushima Main Line in 2014.

Myanmar Railways

Five former KiHa 38 railcars were shipped to Myanmar to be operated by

in August 2014. They entered service in 2014. The following cars were transferred to Myanmar:

Preserved examples

*KiHa 38 1: preserved at Isumi Poppo-no-oka. File:Popponooka JRE-Kiha38-1.jpg, KiHa 38 1 at ''Poppo no oka''

References

External links

JR East website
{{JR East EMU Diesel multiple units of Japan Japanese National Railways Train-related introductions in 1986 East Japan Railway Company Fuji rolling stock