0 Series Shinkansen

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 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 18 September 1999, with sets YK8, YK29 and YK41 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Shin-Osaka and Hakata on the San'yō Shinkansen, as well as some Hakata-Minami Line services; initially scheduled to be withdrawn in 2006, they were ultimately withdrawn from regular service on 30 November 2008.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 24 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 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 NH Hikari sets
*16-car YK sets
*12-car SK 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 NH sets. In 1980, all Kodama sets were made 12-cars in length and were designated S and SK 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 SK sets were lengthened to 16 cars and redesignated Y and YK sets; these retired in September 1999, while the NH 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 	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
16-1 	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
35-1 	Nippon Sharyo 	July 1964 	March 1977 	N2, H2 	Kyoto Railway Museum, Kyoto, Japan 	Ex-first production set H2
21-2 	Nippon Sharyo 	July 1964 	March 1977 	N2, H2 	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 	The Railway Museum, Saitama, Japan 	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 	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan 	Ex-NH32, last operational NH set; coupled to 21-86
37-2523 	Hitachi 	July 1983 	September 1999	K82, SK91, YK91, YK41, YK8	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan 	Ex-YK8, last set in service with JR Central
16-2034 	Nippon Sharyo 	March 1986 	September 1999	SK26, YK26, YK8 	SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya, Japan 	Ex-YK8, last set in service with JR Central
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
22-7007 	Nippon Sharyo 	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 Railcar Manufacturing Hyōgo Factory, Hyōgo, Japan 	Ex-21-2012, later 21-7034, ex-R61, last operational set; displayed next to KuHa 151-1
21-7038 	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	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 	Hitachi 	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
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; scrapped circa 2008, some parts exhibited at the Modern Transportation Museum around that time
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 	Kinki Sharyo 	February 1965 	1979 	S7, H33 	Chūō Railway Academy, Tokyo, Japan 	Left unused when academy closed in 1987, scrapped some time after
35-73 	Kinki Sharyo 	February 1965 	1979 	S7, H33 	Chūō Railway Academy, Tokyo, Japan 	Left unused when academy closed in 1987, scrapped some time after
26-73 	Kinki Sharyo 	February 1965 	1979 	S7, H33 	Chūō Railway Academy, Tokyo, Japan 	Left unused when academy closed in 1987, scrapped some time after
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 	Kisha Seizō 	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.
*No 0 Series cars were active over the sets's full service length of 44 years.
==References==
*Wikipedia.org
*Book: The Complete Book of Locomotives by Colin Garratt published by Hermes House. .
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