The , branded "Super Rail Cargo", is a freight
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 operated by
Japan Freight Railway
, or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station.
The Japan Railways Group was f ...
(JR Freight) in Japan. It entered service in 2004 with the objective of reducing emissions and carrying general freight for small package forwarders (such as special delivery services). The M250 series is JR Freight's first container train with
distributed traction
In rail transport, distributed power (DP) is a generic term referring to the physical distribution—at intermediate points throughout the length of a train—of separate motive power groups. Such "groups" may be single units or multiple consist ...
. It is manufactured by
Nippon Sharyo,
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
Toshiba
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...
.
Background
In 2004, freight trains between
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
and
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
on the
Tokaido Main Line carried about 2.8 million tons of freight,
which is 13% of the total annual transportation volume of
JR Freight
, or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station.
The Japan Railways Group was foun ...
. However, because trucks are required for transporting goods between the customer and the station, trains are often not competitive for transporting small amounts of goods over medium distances.
However, JR Freight has been making efforts to shift freight transport from road to rail,
and in 1999 it began to consider specializing in small-lot freight transportation.
At that time, the fastest
locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
-hauled freight trains connected Tokyo and Osaka in 6 hours and 40 minutes, which did not meet the demands of
courier
A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...
freight carriers. Therefore, JR Freight aimed to reduce the time on that route to about 6 hours.
As a result of these considerations, a plan to increase speeds of freight trains was announced. This plan proposed using
distributed power
In rail transport, distributed power (DP) is a generic term referring to the physical distribution—at intermediate points throughout the length of a train—of separate motive power groups. Such "groups" may be single units or multiple consist ...
to increase acceleration and deceleration as well as reduce
axle load
An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, bearing ...
s.
It also aimed to accelerate transfers of
intermodal container
An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, is a large standardized shipping container, designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different Mode of transport, modes of trans ...
s.
To ensure safety and reliability, principles already in use for passenger transport were to be used wherever possible.
The M250 series was developed and designed according to this policy.
Vehicle description
This section describes the specifications at the time of the train's appearance.
Formation
The M250 series is a 16-car train consisting of four different types of vehicles.
In the M250 designation, "M" stands for "multiple unit", the leading "2" designates a vehicle using
induction motor
An induction motor or asynchronous motor is an AC electric motor in which the electric current in the rotor needed to produce torque is obtained by electromagnetic induction from the magnetic field of the stator winding. An induction mot ...
s for
direct current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...
lines, and the "50" means that this vehicle has a maximum speed of over 110km/h.
Mc250
This
Driving power car is used at both ends of the train and can carry one 31-foot container. The vehicle mass is 38.5t when empty and 50t when fully loaded.
M251
This
power car
In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle:
*a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, multiple unit or tram, often as the lead vehicle;
*a vehicle equipped ...
can also carry one 31-foot container. The vehicle mass is 38.5t when empty and 50t when fully loaded.
T260
This
trailer is equipped with a train monitoring system. It can carry two 31-foot containers. The vehicle mass is 21t when empty and 40t when fully loaded.
T261
This trailer is not equipped with a train monitoring system. Its mass and capacity are identical to that of the T260.
A complete train is formed from two sets of a Mc250 and a M251 each at the ends of the train, with six sets of one T260 and one T261 trailer each in between.
Body
In parcel delivery, loads have relatively low mass in relation to its volume. In order to increase the available space for the containers as much as possible, the height of the
vehicle frame
A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism.
Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a ...
had to be kept to 1,000mm above the top of the rails.
On the other hand, there needed to be sufficient room for the traction motors and gears, which were adapted from other vehicles.
Therefore, the powered vehicles have their frame at 1,103mm above the top of the rails at the ends,
and at 1,000mm in the central section of the vehicle. The trailers have their frame at 1,000mm above the top of rail over their entire length.
The electric vehicles have crew and equipment rooms above the
bogies
A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...
at both ends.
The front windows are as large as possible to ensure optimal visibility.
These rooms have doors on the left and right sides, and a gangway connects the power cars.
On the T260 trailers, ladders and handrails are provided at the end of the vehicle.
Cab
For the first time in a JR Freight vehicle, brake and power are controlled by a single lever on the left-hand side.
The M250 series is equipped with a monitoring device which allows monitoring the state of the vehicle and various equipment.
The central device for this system is mounted on the Mc250 cars at the end of the train, and slave units are installed on the M251 motor cars and the T260 trailers.
The T260 trailer's unit is also responsible for monitoring the T261 trailer adjacent to it.
Information gathered by this system is shown on a display in the cab.
When a failure occurs, the details and appropriate actions are shown on the same display, and the vehicle state is recorded so it can be analyzed later.
Drive system
The main motors are FMT130-type
squirrel cage rotor asynchronous motors rated for 220kW each, one of which is installed on each axle of the motor cars.
Each motor is controlled by one
VVVF inverter built by
Toshiba
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...
.
The
gear ratio
A gear train is a mechanical system formed by mounting gears on a frame so the teeth of the gears engage.
Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of engaging gears roll on each other without slipping, providing a smooth transmission ...
is 97:16, or 6.06.
Other equipment
A FPS130 single-arm
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 ...
is installed on each electric vehicle.
They are installed at the front of the Mc250 vehicle, and at the rear of the M251 vehicle, to ensure to biggest possible distance between them.
An
automatic coupler is installed on the Mc251 driving motor cars so the train can be towed by a regular locomotive.
Operation
Sagawa Express began operating one train as a reserved "Special high speed freight train" between
Tokyo Freight Terminal and
Ajikawaguchi Station
is a train station on the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Sakurajima Line (JR Yumesaki Line) in Konohana-ku, Osaka, Konohana-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
Layout
The station has an island platform serving two tracks.
1940 fire
O ...
(Osaka) on 13 March 2004. The containers are owned by Sagawa Galaxy Highways. Running with increasing frequency, it later became a regularly scheduled train (but with service suspended on Sundays and holidays).
Awards
The M250 series won the 2004 Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation Eco-Products award for Eco-Service and the 2005 Japan Railfan Club
Blue Ribbon Award, making it the first non-passenger vehicle to win since the
JNR Class EF66
The is a six-axle, three-bogied (Bo′Bo′Bo′) DC electric locomotive designed for fast freight used by Japanese National Railways (JNR) and later operated by its descendants JR West and JR Freight. , 39 locomotives remained in service, all ...
in 1969.
See also
*
CargoSprinter
The CargoSprinter is a freight multiple unit designed to transport freight or equipment. The CargoSprinter was designed by Windhoff GmbH (Germany) in the mid-1990s.
Initially seven vehicles were built for Deutsche Bahn. Four were built by Win ...
, a German freight diesel multiple unit
References
*
External links
* , Profile on Kawasaki Heavy Industries website
{{DEFAULTSORT:M250 Series
Electric multiple units of Japan
Non-passenger multiple units
Train-related introductions in 2004
Kawasaki multiple units
Nippon Sharyo multiple units
1500 V DC multiple units of Japan