0 Series Shinkansen

0 Series Shinkansen
Set R61 in December 2008
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kinki Sharyo, Kisha Seizō, Nippon Sharyo, Tokyu Car Corporation
Designer(s)	Tadanao Miki
Type of locomotive	Electric multiple unit
Constructed	1964 – 1986
Number built	3,216 cars (224 sets)
Dimensions	25,150 mm (end car only) x 3,383 mm x 4,490 mm
Gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm)
Power supply	Pantograph
Electric system(s)	25 kV AC (60 Hz)
Traction system	Low pressure tap control
Service information
In service	1 October 1964 – 14 December 2008
Formation	4, 6, 8, 12 or 16 cars per set
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	H1 – H96, K1 – K47, K51 – K54, K56, K58 – K59, K65, K75 – K78, K82 – K83, K85 – K88, K90, N1 – N96, NH1 – NH40, NH43, NH46, NH48 – NH49, NH54, NH61, NH67, NH82, NH88, NH97, NH99, Q1 – Q6, R1 – R31, R51 – R54, R61 – R68, S1 – S47, S73 – S78, S80 – S81, S86, S88, S93 – S95, S98, SK2, SK4 – SK14, SK16 – SK21, SK25 – SK27, SK32 – SK33, SK44, SK46, SK57 – SK58, SK70, SK78 – SK79, SK82 – SK85, SK87, SK89 – SK93, SK96 – SK97, SK99, T11 – T16, Y1, Y15, Y22 – Y24, Y28 – Y29, Y36, Y45, Y73, Y80, YK2 – YK4, YK6 – YK9, YK11 – YK16, YK18, YK20 – YK22, YK24, YK26 – YK45, YK49, YK57 – YK58, YK70, YK81, YK87, YK89 – YK93, YK99
Scrapped	1977 – 2008
Preservation information
Preserved	25 cars
Number scrapped	3,191 cars

The 0 Series Shinkansen is a high-speed electric multiple unit operated by the Japanese National Railways and its successor companies from October 1964 to December 2008. These were the first Shinkansen sets to operate in revenue service and are considered an iconic vehicle in Japan's railway history.

History

Based on the prototype Class 1000 sets, the 0 Series Shinkansen entered service on 1 October 1964 with the opening of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen. The sets were originally unclassified; they were retrospectively named as the 0 Series later as there was no need to distinguish classes of trains on the Shinkansen at the time. These trainsets were the first Japanese trains to be built as standard gauge (4 ft 8½ in [1,435 mm]), however, Japan's previously built networks were built as narrow gauge (3 ft 6 in [1,067 mm]) lines.

Built between March 1964 and April 1986 in 38 batches, a total of 3,216 cars were built by six manufacturers, constituting the highest production numbers of any Shinkansen train within Japan. Formed in 12-car sets, H2 (later H26) pulled the inaugural Shinkansen service bound for Shin-Osaka at 6:00 AM JST on 1 October 1964; over time however the composition of the sets would change to as long as 16 cars and as short as 4 cars to cope with demand, although by the end of their service lives all trains that remained in service were in 6-car formations. The trains were assigned to the Kodama and Hikari services. Viewed by the public as an outstanding design, the 0 Series Shinkansen sets won the 1965 Blue Ribbon Award.

Withdrawals of the class began in 1977, with the first batch of cars retired that year and scrapped at Hamamatsu Works. When the JNR was privatized in 1987, JR Central and JR West, two of the JNR's successor companies, were assigned ownership of the 0 Series sets. JR Central began scrapping their 0 Series sets in 1988, with JR West following suit the next year. JR Central retired their 0 Series sets on 8 September 1999, with sets Y_K8, Y_K29 and Y_K41 operating special Kodama services. In their final years in service, the 0 Series sets were mainly used on Kodama services between Shin-Osaka and Hakata on the San'yō Shinkansen, as well as some Hakata-Minami Line services; initially scheduled to be withdrawn in 2006, they were ultimately withdrawn from regular service on 30 November 2008. By then, only three sets, R61, R67 and R68, were in operation.

Following this, a number of special Hikari runs were held using the 0 Series Shinkansen. The final Hikari service using a 0 Series set was a Hikari 347 service, run using 0 Series set R61; the set pulled into Hakata Station at 6:01 pm JST on 14 December 2008 to much fanfare, bringing the 0 Series's 44 year service life to a close.

A total of 25 cars have been preserved, making this the most well-represented member of retired Shinkansen classes.

Design

Designed by former military officer turned industrial designer Tadanao Miki, the 0 Series trainsets feature large circular headlights and a their white bodies with a blue stripe on both sides at window height and a blue stripe on their side skirts; the trains's fleet numbers are pasted on the bottom of their windows and on the side of the driver's doors. Their most notable design trait is a large bulging nose, a design which would later evolve to become the sharper-pointed bullet nose design on later Shinkansen trains. This same basic design would be used on the 200 Series Shinkansen sets used around the east of Japan.

The sets were given a livery change from May 2002, being given dark gray side stripes with "fresh green" highlights. The remaining three sets were repainted back into their original liveries by June 2008.

Fleet numbers

• 12-car H/K/N/R/S sets
• 12-car H/K/N/R/S/T Kodama sets
• 16-car H/K/N/R/S Hikari sets
• 16-car K Kodama sets
• 16-car H Hikari restaurant car sets
• 16-car N_H Hikari sets
• 16-car Y_K sets
• 12-car S_K sets
• 4-car Q sets
• 6-car R sets

Fleet numbers were initially assigned based on the set's place of manufacture; N for Nippon Sharyo, K for Kisha Seizō, R for Kawasaki Heavy Industries (R = "river", river in Japanese = "kawa"), S for Kinki Sharyo, H for Hitachi and T for Tokyu Car Corporation. This system was ditched in 1972 following reorganization of many of the trains, resulting in their fleet numbers having no correlation to the sets's manufacturer. As a result, a three-tier system was implemented, using three letters: H for Hikari sets, K for 16-car Kodama sets and S for 12-car Kodama sets.

In 1976, small-windowed Hikari sets were introduced and designated N sets; sets with cab cars given small windows as a retrofit were designated N_H sets. In 1980, all Kodama sets were made 12-cars in length and were designated S and S_K sets as a result. 6-car R sets were introduced on the Kodama service in 1985; initially only one set was produced but twenty more were procured due to high demand. Due to a further uptick in demand, all S and S_K sets were lengthened to 16 cars and redesignated Y and Y_K sets; these retired in September 1999, while the N_H sets were retired in December 1999. 4-car Q sets were introduced in 1997 for use on Kodama shuttle services between Hakata and Kokura or Hiroshima, along with some Hakata-Minami Line duties; these were short-lived and were all retired by September 2001.

Eight further R sets were configured using surplus train cars for use on West Hikari services, and remained in service until the 0 Series's retirement in December 2008.

Specifications

The bodies of the sets were constructed of steel. The trains used brushed DC motors with a secondary tap changer drive. The sets were 133.2 in (3,383 mm) wide and 177 in (4,490 mm) high. The end cars were 990 in (25,150 mm) in length, and the intermediate cars were slightly shorter at 980 in (25,000 mm). A single set could hold between 368 and 1,340 people depending on the number of cars. The pantograph carried 25 kV, AC power at 60 Hz. Top speed was 220 km/h (140 mph).

Preservation

The following 0 Series Shinkansen cars have been preserved:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location	Notes
21-1	Nippon Sharyo	March 1964	March 1977	Class 1000 "C", N1, H1	Kyoto Railway Museum, Kyoto, Japan	Ex-pre-production set H1, formerly displayed at the Modern Transportation Museum until its closure in 2014; designated an Important Historical Material of Science and Technology in 2009
22-1
16-1
35-1		July 1964		N2, H2		Ex-first production set H2
21-2					The Railway Museum, Saitama, Japan	Ex-first production set H2, originally located at the JR Kansai Railway Academy in Osaka before being moved in 2009
21-25	Hitachi	April 1964	March 1978	H1, H25		Cab only, originally located at the Transportation Museum in Tokyo before its closure
21-86	Kinki Sharyo	December 1971	November 1991	S46, K46, K17, S88	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan	Restored to appearance with fleet number K17
36-84	Hitachi	March 1975	December 1999	H84, NH18, NH54, NH32		Ex-NH32, last operational NH set; coupled to 21-86
37-2523		July 1983	September 1999	K82, SK91, YK91, YK41, YK8		Ex-YK8, last set in service with JR Central
16-2034	Nippon Sharyo	March 1986		SK26, YK26, YK8
22-75	Kisha Seizō	August 1969	March 1985	K15, K18	Ōme Railway Park, Tokyo, Japan	Painted in JR East green for a time; park temporarily closed from 2023 to end-2025
21-100	Hitachi	September 1973	October 1991	H15, Y45	Tsutsjigaoka Park, Tokyo, Japan	Formerly used as a library reading room until 2020, poor cosmetic condition; crowdfunding currently under way to cosmetically restore car
21-2023	Tokyu Car Corporation	January 1985	June 1998	YK22	J-TREC, Yokohama, Japan	Cab only; formerly displayed at the Sakuma Rail Park in Hamamatsu, Japan
21-59	Kisha Seizō	March 1968	February 1982	K11	Shintorimachi Park, Shizuoka, Japan	Park touted as the first park to display a Shinkansen car; other parts from Shinkansen sets, such as couplers and a DT13 bogie are on display near the car
22-2029	Nippon Sharyo	March 1986	September 1999	SK26, YK26, YK8	Nippon Sharyo Memorial Car Square, Toyokawa, Japan	Ex-YK8, last set in service with JR Central, not open for public viewing
22-1003	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	November 1976	November 1994	N97, NH97	Namikawa Railway Heritage Park, Kyoto, Japan	Cab only, displayed near DD51 1040
22-2	Nippon Sharyo	July 1964	March 1977	N2, H2	JR West Staff Training Center, Osaka, Japan	Ex-first production set H2, initially stationed at the Kansai Railway Academy; last reliably sighted 1994
22-7007		March 1985	December 2008	SK17, NH88, R15, R68	Kento Library, Osaka, Japan	Ex-22-2022, later 22-7036, originally intended to be displayed at a planned railway museum incorporating the former Suita Depot, museum ultimately never built; later stored outdoors with tarp covering locomotive before moving to library in 2020
21-73	Kisha Seizō	July 1969	October 1984	K16	Shinkansen Park, Osaka, Japan	Other cab car from set preserved in Okinawa until 1998
21-7008	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	June 1983	December 2008	NH7, R27, R61	Kawasaki Heavy Industries Hyōgo Factory, Hyōgo, Japan	Ex-21-2012, later 21-7034, ex-R61, last operational set; displayed next to KuHa 181-1
21-7038		February 1985	March 2006	SK14, R6, R18	Kawasaki Good Times World, Kobe Maritime Museum, Kobe, Japan	Ex-21-2026; front third only, only surviving car featuring interior refurbishments
21-141	Hitachi	June 1976	February 2000	H94, R52, Q2	The Railway History Park, Ehime, Shikoku, Japan	Front third only, other cab car from set preserved in York, England
22-77		September 1969	March 1990	H15, K20, R21	Satsuki Kindergarten, Fukuoka, Kyushu, Japan	Used as staff room and library
22-141	Hitachi	June 1976	February 2000	H94, R52, Q2	National Railway Museum, York, England	Gift from JR West, donated in 2001
21-5035	Tokyu Car Corporation	June 1978	March 2004	NH21, R1, R6	Tainan HSR Station, Tainan, Taiwan	Ex-21-1032; initially used a structure gauging car used during the construction of the Taiwan High Speed Rail system until 2008; displayed at Tainan Station since December 2023

The following 0 Series Shinkansen cars were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:

Car number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Last location	Notes
21-37	Kinki Sharyo	February 1965	1979	S7, H33	Chūō Railway Academy, Tokyo, Japan	Left unused when academy closed in 1987, scrapped some time after
22-37
35-73
26-73
22-73	Kisha Seizō	July 1969	October 1984	K16	Okinawa Convention Center, Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan	Scrapped December 1998 due to severe salt corrosion
22-56		August 1967	February 1982	K34	Wine Country, Nakagawa, Hokkaido, Japan	First displayed at Midorigaoka Park, then moved to Taishō Station circa 1990; moved to Wine Country guesthouse circa 1996/1997 with first third sectioned, removed 2015 and scrapped
22-86	Kinki Sharyo	December 1971	November 1991	S46, K46, K17, S88	JR Central Hamamatsu Works, Hamamatsu, Japan	Stored at Hamamatsu Works since 1991, scrapped 2014
22-1047	Tokyu Car Corporation	January 1980	December 2000	K77, SK10, R26, Q3	Hakata Shinkansen Depot, Hakata, Japan	Used for training purposes, mocked up to resemble Class 1000 Shinkansen set B for film shoot in June 2014, modifications later removed; scrapped February 2024

Gallery

• Gallery

Trivia

• Tadanao Miki, the designer of the 0 Series sets, was noted for his involvement in the design of the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka kamikaze aircraft during World War II. Following the war, Miki is said to have regretted the violence brought about by his inventions and sought to use his design skills for peace.
• 22-1047 was mocked up to resemble Class 1000 Shinkansen set B for Tsutamachi no Shinkansen, a TV program chronicling the Shinkansen network's beginnings. Cosmetic modifications were done with the help of "multiple companies". The car was seen moving through the help of green screen effects and the use of a diesel locomotive pushing the car from behind.

References

• Wikipedia.org
• Book: The Complete Book of Locomotives by Colin Garratt published by Hermes House. ISBN: 978-1-84477-022-9.