651 series

The 651 series (651系) is an AC/DC dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) in Japan since March 1989.[1]

651 series
A 651-1000 series EMU on an Akagi service in March 2014
In service	1989–Present
Manufacturer	Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Built at	Hyogo
Constructed	1988–1992
Refurbished	October 2000–December 2002
Scrapped	2013–
Number built	99 vehicles (18 sets)
Number in service	95 vehicles (17 sets)
Number scrapped	4 vehicles (1 set)
Predecessor	485 series
Successor	E657 series
Formation	4/7 cars per trainset
Operator(s)	JR East
Depot(s)	Katsuta, Omiya, Kōzu
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel
Car length	21,500 mm (70 ft 6 in) (end cars), 21,100 mm (69 ft 3 in) intermediate cars[1]
Width	2,900 mm (9 ft 6 in)
Maximum speed	130 km/h (80 mph)[1]
Traction system	Resistor control + field system superimposed field excitation control
Acceleration	1.95 km/h/s
Deceleration	5.2 km/h/s
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC / 20 kV AC (50 Hz)
Current collection method	Overhead catenary
Bogies	DT56 (motor), T241 (trailer)
Safety system(s)	ATS-P, ATS-Ps
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

Trains originally operated as 7+4-car formations on Super Hitachi limited express services between Ueno in Tokyo and Sendai via the Jōban Line, but were withdrawn from regular scheduled services from the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013.[2] The majority of the fleet was subsequently modified to become the 651-1000 series, and re-employed on Akagi and Kusatsu limited express services from March 2014.

Variants

• 651-0 series: Original (nine 7-car and nine 4-car) AC/DC sets built from 1989
• 651-1000 series: 7-car and 4-car DC-only sets modified from 651-0 series between 2013 and 2014
• Izu Craile: Rebuilt 4-car resort trainset entering service in July 2016

Operations

As of 15 April 2019, a four-car 651-0 series set operates as a local service on a segment of Jōban Line between Iwaki and Tomioka, making 2 round trips a day. The 651-1000 series sets are used on Akagi, Swallow Akagi, and Kusatsu limited express services.[3]

Formations

651-0 series

A 4+7-car formation on a Super Hitachi service in January 2013

As of 1 October 2015, the fleet of original 651-0 series trainsets consists of three (out of the original nine) seven-car sets (K102, 103, 105) and five (out of the original nine) four-car sets (K201, 202, 204, 205, 205), based at Katsuta Depot.[4]

7-car sets

The seven-car sets, K101 to K109, are formed as follows, with four motored ("M") cars and three non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the Ueno (southern) end.[4]

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Designation	Tc2	M'2	M2	Ts	M'1	M1	Tc1
Numbering	KuHa 650	MoHa 650-100	MoHa 651-100	SaRo 651	MoHa 650	MoHa 651	KuHa 651

• Cars 2 and 5 are each fitted with one PS26 lozenge-type pantograph.[4]
• Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 have toilets.[4]

4-car sets

The four-car sets, K201 to K209, are formed as follows, with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 8 at the Ueno (southern) end.[4]

Car No.	8	9	10	11
Designation	Tc2	M'1	M1	Tc1
Numbering	KuHa 650	MoHa 650	MoHa 651	KuHa 651-100

• Car 9 is fitted with one PS26 lozenge-type pantograph.[4]
• Cars 8 and 10 have toilets.[4]

651-1000 series

651-1000 series set K106 (later OM203) on a Kusatsu service in March 2014

As of 1 October 2015, the fleet consists of six seven-car sets (numbered OM201 to OM206) and three four-car sets (numbered OM301 to OM303), all based at Omiya Depot.[4]

7-car sets

The seven-car sets, OM201 to OM206, are formed as follows, with four motored ("M") cars and three non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the Ueno (southern) end.[4][3]

Car No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Designation	Tc2	M'2	M2	Ts	M'1	M1	Tc1
Numbering	KuHa 650-1000	MoHa 650-1100	MoHa 651-1100	SaRo 651-1000	MoHa 650-1000	MoHa 651-1000	KuHa 651-1000
Seating capacity	52	64	58	36	68	64	56

• Cars 2 and 5 are each fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.[4]
• Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 have toilets.[4]

4-car sets

The four-car sets, OM301 to OM303, are formed as follows, with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 8 at the Ueno (southern) end.[4][3]

Car No.	8	9	10	11
Designation	Tc2	M'1	M1	Tc
Numbering	KuHa 650-1000	MoHa 650-1000	MoHa 651-1000	KuHa 651-1100
Seating capacity	52	68	64	56

• Car 9 is fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.[4]
• Cars 8 and 10 have toilets.[4]

Izu Craile 4-car set IR01

The Izu Craile set IR01 in August 2016

The converted four-car set IR01 (formerly OM301) is formed as follows, with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the southern end.[5]

Car No.	1	2	3	4
Designation	Tsc2	M'1	Ms1	Tsc
Numbering	KuRo 650-1007	MoHa 650-1007	MoRo 651-1007	KuRo 651-1101
Former number	KuHa 650-1007	MoHa 650-1007	MoHa 651-1007	KuHa 651-1101
Weight (t)	36.3	41.1	37.8	31.1
Seating capacity	24	-	22	52

Car 2 is fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.[5]

Interior

Internally, Green car (first class) accommodation is arranged 2+1 abreast with a seat pitch of 1,160 mm (46 in), and Standard class is arranged 2+2 abreast with a seat pitch of 970 mm (38 in).[1][6]

• 
  Green class seating
• 
  Interior view of standard class car

History

The 651 series trains were introduced on new Super Hitachi limited services between Ueno and Sendai on 11 March 1989,[1] and the trains received the 33rd Blue Ribbon Award presented annually in Japan since 1958 by the Japan Railfan Club.[7]

From 2 December 2000, the Green car (car 4) was made entirely non-smoking, and the internal partitions were removed between December 2000 and January 2001.[8] Three seats were added to the Green car in June 2004, increasing the seating capacity to 36.[8] All cars became no-smoking from the start of the revised timetable on 18 March 2007.[8] The refreshment vending machines were discontinued from 31 March 2008.[8]

From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, six pairs of 651 series trains were removed from service and put into storage, replaced by new 10-car E657 series EMUs on Super Hitachi services.[9] The entire fleet was replaced by the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013, but the sets were however retained for seasonal and additional workings.[2]

From 1 October 2013, one 11-car 651 series formation was brought back into service for use on two Fresh Hitachi services daily while the E657 series fleet undergoes modification work to add LED seat reservation status indicators above each seat.[10] This continued until March 2015.[10][4]

651-1000 series conversions

Between late 2013 and early 2014, a number of 651 series sets were modified and renumbered 651-1000 series for use on Akagi and Kusatsu limited express services from the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014, replacing ageing 185 series EMUs.[3][10] The modifications included disconnecting (but not removing) the original AC electrical equipment, replacing the original PS26 lozenge-type pantographs with the same PS33D single-arm pantographs used on E233 series suburban EMUs, and adding an orange bodyside stripe below the windows.[3] No changes were made to the interiors.[3]

Izu Craile resort train

Four-car set OM301 was rebuilt as a resort train set named Izu Craile (伊豆クレイル) between November 2015 and April 2016, and entered service on the Ito Line and a section of the Tokaido Line between Odawara and Atami from 16 July 2016.[5] [11] The name is a portmanteau formed from "Cresciuto" (Italian for "mature"), "train", and the suffix "-ile".[12] Car 1 has window-facing counter seats on the seaward side, car 2 has a bar counter and lounge, car 3 has semi-open compartments, and car 4 has conventional unidirectional 2+2-abreast seating. based at Kōzu Depot.[5] On January 30 2020, with the introduction of the E261 series on Saphir Odoriko services, JR East announced that the Izu Craile service would no longer be necessary, and that it would be retired. The train had its last run on June 28 2020. JR East is still considering whether to scrap the singular trainset used. [13][14]

Fleet details

Converted 651-1000 series set K109 (later OM203) on a driver-training run, January 2014

The delivery, refurbishment, and conversion dates for the fleet are as shown below. All sets were originally built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Hyogo.[3][15]

7-car sets

Set	Delivered	Refurbished	Renumbered	Date modified	Location modified
K101	20 December 1988	2 October 2001	OM201	12 March 2014	Koriyama
K102	11 January 1989	3 August 2001
K103	6 February 1989	23 July 2002
K104	15 February 1989	22 November 2000	OM202	5 March 2014	Omiya
K105	28 February 1989	16 February 2001
K106	28 December 1989	18 June 2002	OM203	24 January 2014	Koriyama
K107	19 February 1990	14 February 2002	OM204	14 November 2013	Koriyama
K108	3 March 1990	4 October 2000	OM205	6 December 2013	Koriyama
K109	26 January 1992	21 November 2001	OM206	7 October 2013	Koriyama

4-car sets

Four-car set K202 dumped next to Haranomachi Station since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami

Set	Delivered	Refurbished	Renumbered	Date modified	Location modified	Withdrawn
K201	6 February 1989	13 June 2001
K202	15 February 1989	3 March 2001
K203	28 February 1989	27 September 2002				11 September 2013[16]
K204	28 December 1989	20 March 2002
K205	1 February 1990	28 October 2002
K206	1 February 1990	24 October 2001	OM301	21 February 2014	Koriyama
			IR01	April 2016	Omiya
K207	19 February 1990	28 November 2002
K208	3 March 1990	13 December 2001	OM302	3 April 2014	Koriyama
K209	26 January 1992	26 December 2002	OM303	5 March 2014	Koriyama

References

1. JR全車輌ハンドブック2009 [JR Rolling Stock Handbook 2009]. Japan: Neko Publishing. 2009. pp. 187–188. ISBN 978-4-7770-0836-0.
2. 651系・E653系が定期運用から離脱 [651 series and E653 series removed from regular services]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 16 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
3. 651系1000番台 [651-1000 series]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). 54 (642): 82–84. October 2014.
4. JR電車編成表 2016冬 [JR EMU Formations - Winter 2016] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 18 November 2015. pp. 42, 65. ISBN 978-4-330-62315-3.
5. 651系「IZU CRAILE」 [651 series "Izu Craile"]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 56 no. 663. Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. July 2016. pp. 92–94.
6. 常磐線特急に新型車両を導入！ [New trains to be introduced on Jōban Line limited express services] (PDF). jreast.co.jp (in Japanese). East Japan Railway Company. 7 December 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
7. JR特急列車年鑑2013 [Limited Express Annual 2013]. Tokyo, Japan: Ikaros Publications Ltd. 20 December 2012. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-4-86320-654-0.
8. JR電車編成表 2009夏 [JR EMU Formations - Summer 2009]. Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. June 2009. p. 43. ISBN 978-4-330-06909-8.
9. "E657系投入にともなう651・E653系の動き" [651/E653 series changes following E657b series introduction]. Japan Railfan Magazine. 52 (613): 70–71. May 2012.
10. Matsumoto, Norihisa (April 2014). 転用進むＪＲ特急車 [JR Limited Express Trains and Continuing Reassignment]. Japan Railfan Magazine (in Japanese). 54 (636): 33–35.
11. 「IZU CRAILE」（伊豆クレイル）報道公開 [Izu Craile Press Release]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
12. 651系改造のリゾート列車　2016年夏デビュー [Rebuilt 651 series resort train to debut in summer 2016]. Tetsudo Hobidas (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
13. JR東日本「伊豆クレイル」引退へ 6/28ラストラン [JR East Izu Craile will be retired June 28]. Tetsudo Shimbun (in Japanese). Japan: Tetsudo Shimbun. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
14. ZUCRAILE「静岡デスティネーションキャンペーンアフターキャンペーン」では特別運行を行います！ [IZU CRAILE Shizuoka Destination Campaign will be running a special service!] (PDF). JR East Yokohama Branch (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 30 January 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
15. Shibata, Togo (March 2013). さよなら651系〈スーパーひたち〉 E653系〈フレッシュひたち〉 [Farewell 651 series "Super Hitachi" & E653 series "Fresh Hitachi"]. Rail Magazine (in Japanese) (354): 39–45.
16. JR電車編成表 2014冬 [JR EMU Formations - Winter 2014]. Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 1 December 2013. p. 355. ISBN 978-4-330-42413-2.

External links

• 651 series Akagi/Kusatsu (in Japanese)