103 series

The 103 series is a Japanese city commuter electric multiple unit operated by the Japanese National Railways and its various successor companies since December 1963. These are essentially an upgraded version of the previous 101 series sets.
==History==
Based on the earlier 101 series, the 103 series has been used on various commuter services since 1963; some 103 series cars were converted from 101 series cars. The 103 series was the main rolling stock used on urban commuter services for a time.
JR Kyushu remains the only operator of the 103 series sets, with JR East, West and Central having retired their fleet and replaced with newer rolling stock.
==Design==
The sets have been manufactured in a multitude of different body styles, with additional body styles being created over the years. Older sets had body styles similar to the one used on the 101 series, while later variations like the 103-1500 series operated by JR Kyushu adopted more modern adaptations of the same basic body style.
==Specifications==
Construction is of steel. Each car is 20 meters long. Traction motors are resistor controlled.
Variable frequency drive tests were conducted on various 103 series cars operated by JR East and JR Central.
==Experimental direct-drive car MoHa 103-502==
An insulated gate bipolar transistor traction system and direct-drive motors both manufactured by Toshiba were experimentally tested on car MoHa 103-502 (car #4) on ten-car set KeYo304 based on the Keiyō Line from May 2002; the car was originally manufactured in December 1975 by Nippon Sharyo. The direct-drive motors and IGBT inverters appear to be of the same specification as used on the experimental E993 series set due to similar cadences.
The use of direct-drive motors in the car gave the set a unique sound, with both the roar of the old-fashioned resistor-controlled traction motors and the more modern, high-pitched cadence of the variable frequency drive in car MoHa 103-502; MoHa 103-502's use of direct-drive motors gave the car itself a unique sound, as once the set reached a certain speed, the traction motors made no discernible noise. 
The set entered service with the direct-drive motored car on 15 May 2003, but was retired and scrapped in December 2003 after just 7 months of service with this experimental car. Car MoHa 103-502 remains the last 103 series car to have been fitted with a variable frequency drive. No JR train since has used direct-drive motors in combination with IGBT or PMSM inverters, apart from the purely experimental E993 and E331 series sets.
A video of set KeYo304 running can be seen here.
==Preservation==
The following 103 series cars have been preserved:
Car number 	Manufacturer 	Date manufactured	Date retired 	Previous sets	Location 	Notes
KuHa 103-713 	Kinki Sharyo 	October 1977 	May 2005 	KeYo302 	The Railway Museum, Saitama, Japan 	Front half only, painted in all-over white with multi-colored polka dots; only preserved car with high-mounted cab
KuHa 103-525 	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	January 1966 	October 1994 	N/A 	Poppo-no-oka, Isumi, Chiba, Japan 	Previously located at Toshiba's Fuchū plant and painted in a colorful paintscheme; repainted orange prior to move in 2020, along with KuMoNi 83006
KuMoHa 103-18 	Tokyu Car Corporation 	September 1964 	December 2005	F15 	Mino-Ōta Rolling Stock Depot, Gifu, Japan 	Not accessible to public though can be viewed from roadside, occasionally covered in tarp; poor cosmetic condition
KuHa 103-1 	Nippon Sharyo 	April 1964 	March 2011 	A21 	Kyoto Railway Museum, Kyoto, Japan 	Ex-first production set, interior open for public viewing except cab
KuMoHa 103-110	Kisha Seizō 	May 1967 	July 2009 	H13 	Osaka Prefectural Firefighting College, Osaka, Japan	Used for fire training, can be viewed from across a river; only preserved car with door pocket windows
KuMoHa 103-147	Kisha Seizō 	October 1969 	June 2004 	MaTo22 	Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan 	Privately owned, preserved at owner's home
The following 103 series cars were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:
Car number 	Manufacturer 	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Last location 	Notes
KuHa 103-560 	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	May 1966 	May 1990 	N/A 	Shirakaba Kindergarten, Kanagawa, Japan 	Scrapped circa 2015
KuMoHa 103-58 	Kinki Sharyo 	March 1966 	October 1994	N/A 	Toshiba Fuchū Factory, Tokyo, Japan 	Painted in a colorful paintscheme; scrapped 2011
KuMoHa 103-104	Nippon Sharyo 	April 1967 	July 1997 	N/A 	Railway Technical Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan	Used for direct drive motor testing with IGBT traction system; scrapped circa early 2010s
MoHa 103-230 	Kinki Sharyo 	August 1969 	March 1990 	N/A 	Railway Technical Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan	Used for direct drive motor testing with IGBT traction system; scrapped circa early 2010s
==Gallery==
103 Fukushima 2016.jpg|Refurbished set LA05 in November 2016
103-1500 E17 Karatsu 2017.jpg|103-1500 series set E17 in February 2017
MoHa 103-502 May 2003.jpg|MoHa 103-502 in May 2003
MoHa 103-502 VVVF.jpg|"VVVF" markings on undercarriage of MoHa 103-502
File:KuHa 103-1 2023.jpg
File:KuHa 103-713 2022.jpg
==References==
*Wikipedia.org
*Direct-drive car MoHa 103-502 information (in Japanese)
Category:Electric trainsets
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Hitachi locomotives
Category:Kawasaki locomotives
Category:Kinki Sharyo locomotives
Category:Kisha Seizō locomotives
Category:Nippon Sharyo locomotives
Category:Teikoku Sharyō locomotives
Category:Tokyu Car locomotives
Category:Toshiba locomotives
Category:Scrapped Railcars
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