Keikyu 700 series (1956)

The Keikyu 700 series (京急700形), later reclassified Keikyu 600 series (京急600形), was a DC electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the private railway operator Keikyu on limited-stop commuter services in the Tokyo area of Japan from 1956 until 1986.[1]

Keikyu 700 series
A 600 series set in 1985
In service	1956–1986
Manufacturer	Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Tokyu Car
Number in service	None
Number preserved	1 car
Formation	2, 4 or 6 cars per trainset
Operator(s)	Keikyu
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel
Doors	2 per side
Maximum speed	105 km/h (65 mph) (service) 120 km/h (75 mph) (design)[1]
Power output	75 kW x 4 per motor car
Acceleration	2.3 km/h/s
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC
Current collection method	Pantograph
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in)

Interior

Passenger accommodation consisted of facing four-person seating bays, with longitudinal bench seats near the doorways.[1]

• 
  Interior of preserved car DeHa 601 in January 2008

History

The 700 series trains were first introduced in 1956, broadly based on the earlier 500 series trains.[1]

From April 1966, the trains were reclassified "600 series", and roughly half of the former driving cars were rebuilt as intermediate cars with the cabs removed.[1] At the same time, the headlamps were changed from the original incandescent light bulbs to sealed beam headlamps, and the original steel doors were replaced with new stainless steel doors.[1]

Withdrawals of the 600 series trains commenced in 1984 with the introduction of 2000 series trains, and the last members of the fleet were withdrawn in March 1986 following a Sayonara (farewell) run.[1]

Resale

A Kotoden 1070 series set in August 2010

Six former 600 series cars were resold to the Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad ("Kotoden") in Shikoku, where they became the 1070 series, modified with front-end gangways and longitudinal seating.[1]

The identities and histories of the six 600 series cars sold to Kotoden are as shown below.[2]

Keikyu No.	Type	Withdrawn	Resold to Kotoden	Kotoden No.
605	M1c	31 May 1984	23 December 1984	1071
608	M2c	31 May 1984	23 December 1984	1072
609	M1c	31 March 1986	1 April 1987	1073
612	M2c	31 March 1986	1 April 1987	1074
613	M1c	31 March 1986	4 December 1986	1075
616	M2c	31 March 1986	4 December 1986	1076

Preservation

Car DeHa 601 is preserved in the No. 1 Recreation Park in Zushi, Kanagawa.[1]

• 
  Preserved car DeHa 601 in November 2017

References

1. Saiki, Minoru (July 2014). 高性能車草分けの特急車　京浜急行電鉄600形 [Pioneering limited express trains: Keikyu 600 series]. Tetsudō Daiya Jōhō Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 43 no. 363. Japan: Kōtsū Shimbun. pp. 77–79.
2. Sato, Ryosuke (2014). 京急電車の運転と車両探見: 向上した羽田空港アクセスと車両の現況 京急電車の運転と車両探見 [Examining Keikyu Train Operations and Rolling Stock]. Tokyo, Japan: JTB Can Books. p. 175. ISBN 978-4-533-09705-8.

Further reading

• 京急初代700形上 京急初代700形(上) [Original Keikyu 700 series (Part I)] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 19 March 2015. ISBN 978-4777053780.
• 京急初代700形下 京急初代700形(下) [Original Keikyu 700 series (Part II)] (in Japanese). Japan: Neko Publishing Co., Ltd. 20 April 2015. ISBN 978-4777053803.