KiHa 200 series

The KiHa 200 series and the related KiHa 220 series are low-capacity city commuter diesel multiple units operated by the Kyushu Railway Company since March 1991, often used on Rapid services.
==History==
The KiHa 200 series cars were introduced in 1990, first on the Chikuhō Main Line and Sasaguri Line. The cars entered service on 13 March 1990 with the introduction of the revised timetable, where these were used on rapid services. These trains were initially named the Red Rapid due to their body color and their use. The cars were then also used for the Nanohana and Sea Side Liner Rapid services as well by 1994. A total of 70 cars were manufactured by Niigata Tekkō and its successor Niigata Transys and Nippon Sharyo from 1991 to 2009; JR Kyushu also manufactured the cars but only in knockdown kit form.
In 1997, the related KiHa 220 series cars, which were essentially single car versions of the KiHa 200 series cars, were introduced. The cars were also used on the Misumi Line and Kagoshima Main Line on some regular services but continued mainly being used for Rapid services.
The cars were then shifted around various service until 11 March 2021, when they were removed from Sasebo Depot and moved to the Ōita, Kumamoto and Kagoshima Depots. Two cars, 1007 and 1011 (both KiHa 200 series) cars, were scrapped due to incidents; 1007 was crushed due to debris flow from a rainstorm incident in 1993, while 1011 was scrapped due to an incident at a level crossing in 2003. Replacement cars, numbered 5007 and 5011, were thus manufactured by Nippon Sharyo and Niigata Transys respectively to fill in. KiHa 220-1002 was deemed inoperable due to flood damage in July 2020; after sitting out of service for three years the car was rebuilt as a dedicated track inspection car, numbered BE220-1.
==Design==
The KiHa 200 and 220 series feature a squarish design with dual rectangular headlights mounted under the windows. The cars are painted a variety of liveries: the original red Red Rapid livery, blue Sea Side Liner livery, yellow Nanohana livery and orange Huis Ten Bosch livery. The Huis Ten Bosch and Nanohana liveries can only be found on the KiHa 200 series sets. All liveries were designed by Don Design Associates managing director Eiji Mitooka. The KiHa 220-200 series sets feature a large three-color LED destination indicator as opposed to the small scroll-style destination indicators.
===Liveries===
KiHa 220-205 2021.jpg|Red Rapid red
KiHa 220-1101 2021.jpg|Sea Side Liner blue
KiHa 200-1008 2021.jpg|Nanohana yellow
KiHa 200-1 2021.jpg|Huis Ten Bosch orange
==Specifications==
Construction is of steel or stainless steel. The cars are mostly painted with the exception of the doors, which remain unpainted and have a matte finish.
The KiHa 200 series cars are equipped with a DMF13HZA prime mover producing 444 HP (450 PS); this gives the cars additional power compared to other diesel railcars of the time. Power is transmitted through a 2-stage hydraulic transmission with a concave-convex clutch; this transmission can be changed between automatic and manual.
Category:Diesel trainsets
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Niigata Tekkō locomotives
Category:Niigata Transys locomotives
Category:Nippon Sharyo locomotives