JR Shikoku 8600 series

The JR Shikoku 8600 series, branded Setouchi Stream Express, is a tilting Japanese limited express electric multiple unit operated by the Shikoku Railway Company since June 2014.
==History==
The 8600 series was designed to replace the older 2000 series sets and to supplement the 8000 series sets on services, along with possibly to replace the latter. The sets were built over four years from 2014 to 2018; the first set, E11, was delivered to JR Shikoku in February 2014 and entered service on 23 June that year on revenue earning services; sets E1 and E2 and E12 to E14 were delivered in October 2015, while set E3 was delivered in January 2018.
A total of three three-car sets and four two-car sets were built, totaling seven sets; all seven sets were in service by February 2018, replacing all diesel multiple units on the Ishizuchi route. All seventeen cars are in service, all based at Matsuyama Depot. The sets are normally used in 3+2 car formations on Ishizuchi and 3+2+3 car formations in Shiokaze services.
==Design==
The 8600 series adopts a retro-futuristic design language. The sets have unpainted bodies with orange, green and dark gray accents.
==Specifications==
Construction is of stainless steel. Each car is 20.8 meters long, 2.834 meters wide and 3.56 meters high. Traction motors are fully-enclosed which helps to reduce noise. The traction motors are powered by Tōyō Denki Seizō insulated gate bipolar transistor variable frequency drives which produce a melodic sound.
The sets use a pneumatic tilting system to help reduce maintenance times and such; the system allows the trains to tilt up to two degrees around corners.
==Trivia==
*The sides of the trains feature text which reads "Setouchi Stream Express SS 8000" instead of 8600. This error has not been corrected, even on later sets.
==References==
*Wikipedia.org
Category:Electric trainsets
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Kawasaki locomotives
Category:Tilting trainsets
Category:Locomotives
Category:Japanese locomotives
Category:Japan
Category:Built in 2014
Category:Built in 2018
Category:Electric locomotives
Category:3 foot 6 inch gauge
Category:Narrow-gauge
Category:Narrow-gauge locomotives