The was a 6-car experimental Japanese

Shinkansen The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. Initially, it was built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond ...

train operated by

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) between 1973 and 1981.

Design

The Class 961 train was developed to test new technology and design features to be incorporated in future high-speed trains for use on the planned

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in a route length of , making it Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main ...

and Jōetsu Shinkansen routes in the north-east of Japan. It featured motors in all six cars and was designed to cope with operations in the cold and snowy conditions of north-eastern Japan. A number of interior accommodation configurations were tested, including a restaurant car, compartments, and sleeping berths.

Formation

The set, designated "S3", was formed as follows.

961-1

Built by

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, heavy equipment, aerospace and defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headquartered in Chūō, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It ...

. Standard seating car based on the 0 series configuration with 3+2-abreast flip-over reversible seating.

961-2

Built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Standard seating car based on the 0 series configuration.

961-3

Built by

Nippon Sharyo , formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車". It was a listed company on Nikkei 225 until ...

. Restaurant car interior was added at Hamamatsu Works in 1974.

961-4

Built by Nippon Sharyo.

Sleeping car The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the American innovator of the sleeper car. The first such cars s ...

accommodation was added at Hamamatsu Works in 1974, including 4-berth semi-open couchette compartments, longitudinally arranged sleeping berths and deluxe sleeping compartments.

961-5

Built by

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

. This car was used exclusively for test equipment. It had no side windows and instead had four large doorways on each side for installing and removing equipment.

961-6

Built by Hitachi. Standard seating car based on the 0 series configuration.

History

The train was unveiled on 9 July 1973. From 17 July 1973, test running commenced on the

Sanyō Shinkansen , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded ...

between and as a 4-car set. Test running as a 6-car formation commenced on 1 August 1973 on the

Tōkaidō Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the Sanyo Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opened in 196 ...

between and . Test running was suspended thereafter owing to the effects of the 1973 oil crisis. From 16 September 1974, the train was tested on the unopened section of the Sanyō Shinkansen between and , but the maximum speed was limited to due to opposition from lineside residents related to noise levels. The train was put into storage following the opening of the Sanyō Shinkansen extension in March 1975. On 11 May 1979, the Class 961 was transferred from storage at Ōi Depot in Tokyo (now JR Central's Tokyo No. 2 Shinkansen Depot) by road to the shinkansen depot at Oyama in

Tochigi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,943,886 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi). Tochigi Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the nort ...

for use on the "Oyama Test Track" section of the

then under construction. Test running started on 5 June 1979, and the lettering "高速試験車" (High-Speed Test Train) was added to the nose section of the train from 9 June. On 7 December 1979, the Class 961 recorded a world speed record of on the Oyama Test Track, breaking the previous world record of set by the Class 951 Shinkansen in 1972. Following the opening of the

in 1981, the Class 961's role as a test train ended, and it was stored at Sendai Shinkansen Depot. It was officially withdrawn on 10 August 1990.

Preservation

End cars 961-1 and 961-6 are preserved outdoors at Sendai Shinkansen Depot. These cars have been repainted into "Tōhoku Shinkansen" ivory and green livery. A brass plaque commemorating the world speed record of set by this train in 1979 is displayed inside car 951-1 at Kokubunji in Tokyo.

References

{{Shinkansen Experimental and prototype high-speed trains

961 Year 961 (Roman numerals, CMLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 6 – Siege of Chandax: Byzantine forces under Nikephoro ...