Odakyu 3000 series SE/Odakyu 3000 series SSE

The Odakyu 3000 series SSE (Short Super Express) is an articulated Japanese limited express electric multiple unit operated by the Odakyu Electric Railway from July 1968 to March 1992.
==History==
In the 1960s, complications regarding union struggles at the time arose, with rumors stating opposition if a new type of train was introduced. As a result, for optimization of transport capacity on various lines like the Gotemba Line, it was decided to shorten the 3000 series SE trains to account for passenger optimization. The new trains, now dubbed the SSE, entered service on 1 July 1968. Modification of the sets was done at Nippon Sharyo.
The trains were beginning to show their age by the mid-1970s and as such a replacement had to be sought; four years later in 1980 the 7000 series was introduced. Retirements began in 1983 due to an increase in 7000 series cars, with the first set to be retired, 3001, transferred to the Ōigawa Railway, intended to be preserved operationally as a tourist train; this was short-lived however. 
Starting in 1991, a special nameplate reading "Farewell Service" was placed on the sets. This was likely the first time a train on the Odakyu Electric Railway that a train was retired without downgrading to commuter services or other; many railfans could be seen swarming the tracks taking pictures of the trains. The last trains were retired on 8 March 1992 to much fanfare, in anticipation for through operation through JR Central and Odakyu lines; coincidentally, the first test run of the 300 Series Shinkansen from JR Central was also held on that day, said to be a turning point between old and new.
2 cars have been preserved, both from set 3021, both at the Romancecar Museum in Ebina, Kanagawa. Initially, no cars were slated to be preserved, but after some deliberation Odakyu management agreed that the 3000 series sets were a major stepping stone in the development of Japanese trains and as such a full set had to be preserved; the set chosen was 3021. One car, 3021, was restored back to its original appearance from 1957 in 1993. With the impending opening of the Romancecar Museum in 2021 however two of the intermediate cars were scrapped in 2018 to allow the train to fit into the viewing galleries.
==Design==
The 3000 series sets use a streamlined front end with side-mounted circular headlights.
==Specifications==
Construction is of steel. The trains use resistor-controlled traction systems, as well as being the first trains to use disc brakes on the wheel. The trains feature a musical horn which plays a variation on a four-note ditty. These used an improved transistor oscillator circuit to produce a synthesized version of the ditty as opposed to the endless magnetic tape reel used by the unrebuilt sets.
Category:Odakyu trains
Category:Electric trainsets
Category:Kawasaki locomotives
Category:Nippon Sharyo locomotives