KiHa 183 series/KiHa 183-5000 series

The KiHa 183-5000 series, branded Niseko Express, is a charter-only higher-speed diesel multiple unit operated by the Hokkaido Railway Company from December 1988 to November 2017. The set is one of six purpose-built diesel railcars for JR Hokkaido at Naebo Works.
==History==
The KiHa 183-5000 series cars were manufactured in 1988 by JR Hokkaido's Naebo Works as a resort train set. The set was designed as a resort train intended for charter-only use between New Chitose Airport and Niseko Station.
The set entered service on 17 December 1988. It was used for a variety of trains on a seasonal basis, such as the Niseko Ski Express during the winter and the ANA Big Sneaker Train during the summer as part of a now-defunct tie-in with All Nippon Airways. Due to aging and a lack of spare parts because the set was purpose-built, the set was retired with one final run on 4 November 2017 and stored at Naebo Works. Two cars were scrapped in October 2018.
The final car, KiHa 183-5001, was also scheduled to be scrapped; however, crowdfunding for preservation of at least some part of the car was started in February 2019 by the Niseko Town Railway Cultural Association, with a target of ¥8.6 million (USD 77,918 in 2021 dollars). Turnout was initially poor, but just before the deadline, donations began to accelerate. After the deadline, a total of ¥10.23 million (USD 93,321) was collected, and it was decided by the association that they had enough funds to preserve the entire car. It is currently on display at the Arishima Takeo Memorial Hall in Niseko, Hokkaido.
==Design==
The KiHa 183-5000 series feature a unique streamlined design with a heavily raked nose. The cars feature a white body with blue and red accents.
==Specifications==
Construction is of steel. Performance statistics are largely identical to that of the NN183 series cars these were based on; this article will still detail some additional statistics about the cars.
The cars feature dynamic braking. The cars are notable as they feature plug doors to improve airtightness; this is the first known usage of plug doors on any JR car. The cars do not feature a raised floor structure as the Niseko Express runs on numerous mountainous routes with curves; regardless, the high ceiling structure is retained, allowing for lots of space for baggage and such. The air conditioning in the cars is not the usual sort, in that they are removable floor-mounted units; the space when the air conditioning units are removed can be used to store large items such as skis during the winter. The seats were originally equipped with LCD screens and audio jacks; the former was removed when the seat moquettes were changed in 2004 and only the audio jacks remain.
Category:Diesel trainsets
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Unique locomotives
Category:Naebo Works locomotives