Super Hikari Model

"Super Hikari Model" is the name used to refer to a mockup of a future Shinkansen model of train to be operated by the Central Japan Railway Company that was built and exhibited in the late 1980s. It acts as an early precursor to the 300 Series Shinkansen.
==History==
The Super Hikari Model was developed as a Shinkansen train capable of running the "Super Hikari" service, a service intended to be faster than the Hikari service; this project was initiated by the "Shinkansen Speed Increase Committee". Originally intended to run on the Tōkaidō, San'yō, Tōhoku, Jōetsu and the Nagano Shinkansen (now the Hokuriku Shinkansen), this idea was scrapped, with the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) taking over further development.
The mockup was built by Nippon Sharyo's Toyokawa Plant in June 1987. It would be exhibited at Tokyo Station's Yaesu South Exit near the Midori no Madoguchi (catch-all term used by JR to refer to ticket offices) from 11 June to 31 July 1987. It would be further exhibited at Hamamatsu Works celebrating its 75th anniversary from 31 October to 1 November 1987, at the "Shiga Sangyō Festival" at the Shiga Theatre for Cultural and Industrial Development in Maibara from 23 to 25 September 1988 and at the Sunpu Expo '89 at the Sunpu Castle Park from 18 March to 21 May 1989.
During development, numerous problems with the mockup were discovered which made the train unfeasible for production, such as poor structural integrity due to the way the trainsets would be constructed due to its large single-piece wraparound windows. The train's cab design was not well-liked by drivers due to the potential of bird strikes potentially hindering vision. The train's "super high decker" design also in theory would make the trains heavier and slower as a result, directly contradicting with JR Central's plan of increasing speeds on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in an attempt to compete with airlines.
After its last exhibition in Sunpu, the mockup was scrapped. The trainset intended to be used on this service would also be extensively redesigned, now with an emphasis on speed; it would be christened the 300 Series Shinkansen. The first set of this redesigned train, J0 (now J1), was constructed jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Sharyo and Hitachi and completed in March 1990. The Super Hikari service would evolve into what is now known as the Nozomi service, the fastest Shinkansen service operated by JR Central and JR West; this service would be introduced on 14 March 1992, operated by the 300 Series Shinkansen sets which entered service on the same day.
==Design==
The mockup is heavily based on the 100 Series Shinkansen. It is built to a "super high decker" design, with a significantly higher driver's cab and passenger cabin section compared to many other trains of the time. The vehicle features a cylindrical cross section to decrease air resistance. Soundproof skirting around the wheels and pantograph covers were also considered.
The side windows are large and wrap around the roof, allowing passengers a commanding view of the scenery ahead and above them. Each seat features a small LCD TV on the back of their headrests. Additional creature comforts such as lobbies and private business suites were also considered.
Two different liveries were painted on the mockup; the right side of the mockup featured JR West and JR Central's Shinkansen corporate livery with a single blue stripe, while the left side of the mockup featured both a cobalt blue and teal stripe in a departure from other liveries. The JR Central logo is emblazoned on the side, along with Japanese text reading "JR Central" in Japanese.
==Specifications==
Construction is of steel. Only the front half of the mockup was constructed.
==Legacy==
Despite the train not reaching production the mockup has spawned some merchandise. JR Central created a limited edition Orange Card (old type of stored-value card used by JR Central) featuring the mockup, while toy company Tomy (now Takara Tomy) created a number of versions of the mockup for their Plarail line of trains, including one for their standard line and a version which was remote controlled using a controller similar to that of the driver's cab of a Shinkansen train. 
==Gallery==
SuperHikariModel.png|Builder's photo
SuperHikariImpression.png|Artist's impression
==Trivia==
*The proposed train was known as the "300 Series Shinkansen" in some books.
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Nippon Sharyo locomotives