40 series

The 40 series is a Japanese commuter electric multiple unit operated by the Japanese National Railways from December 1932 to March 2000.
==Description==
The 40 series was an early electric multiple unit used in Japan. Mainly intended to be used in the Osaka area, the trains were introduced into service on 1 December 1932 when the Shijōnawate-Katamachi section and Jōtō branch line of the Katamachi Line were electrified. These were the first steel-bodied cars in practical use in the Osaka region and later in Tokyo on the Keihin Line; prior to that, the older 17 m 33 series cars were used in the Tokyo region.
As the mainstay electric trainset operated by the JNR in Osaka and Tokyo in the 1930s and 1940s, a total of 425 cars were manufactured over an eleven-year period from 1932 to 1942. Many of the cars were modified during wartime, with the cars in Tokyo and Osaka subject to different modifications; the cars in Tokyo had their first-class cars downgraded to have bench seating while the cars in Osaka were given newer traction motors from the succeeding 42 series cars for higher speeds. Many of the cars were also modified to become other cars with newer designations. After the war, the various cars were rebuilt to their pre-war states or further modified. Most cars were withdrawn by 1984, being used on smaller rural lines during the tail end of their service lives.
By this point, two cars remained on register, KuMoHa 40054 and 40074. KuMoHa 40074 was removed from JNR's fleet register on 30 March 1987, a few days before JNR's eventual privatization and split. When JNR privatized and split in April 1987, JR East assumed ownership of KuMoHa 40054. KuMoHa 40074 was reinstated to JR East's register on 21 March 1988 as it was of a slightly different design than 40054. Both cars were used for special chartered events and services operated by JR East, as well as employee transport on rare occasions between Kōzu Station and Kōzu Rolling Stock Center. KuMoHa 40074 last ran under its own power on 7 May 1998 when it was due for inspection at Ōfuna Works; the inspection was completed but the car remained at Ōfuna.
KuMoHa 40054 would be used for employee transport until about 1999 and last ran under its own power on 6 March 2000, with the car heading to Ōfuna Works. Both cars were hauled by EF64 1031 to Ōmiya Works on 16 March 2000. Due to an accident on the Keifuku Railway involving two railcars, safety standards and mandates were increased dramatically for Japanese railcars; as both cars were unable to meet those standards they could not be used and were essentially withdrawn from service. They would then be stored at Ōmiya General Rolling Stock Center for a time; KuMoHa 40054 was struck from the register in 2006 and KuMoHa 40074 in 2007.
==Specifications==
The 40 series cars had the same basic design as older railcars used by the JNR network, except with 20 m bodies as opposed to 17 m bodies. Each car had three doors per side and long bench seats.
There were a number of significant design changes made to the rolling stock over the eleven years of production.
==Preservation==
The following 40 series cars have been preserved:
Car number 	Manufacturer 	Date manufactured	Date retired	Previous sets	Location 	Notes
KuMoHa 40054	Tanaka Sharyō 	1935 	May 1998 	N/A 	Ōme Railway Park, Ōme, Japan 	Displayed under shelter; park temporarily closed from 2023 to end-2025
KuMoHa 40074	Kawasaki Sharyō	1939 	March 2000 	N/A 	The Railway Museum, Saitama, Japan	Displayed indoors
==Gallery==
KuMoHa 40074 2024 Closeup.jpg|Closeup of cab, showing builder's plate and other markings
File:40 KuMoHa 40054 2023.jpg
File:KuMoHa 40074 2023.jpg
Category:JR Group trains
Category:Japanese locomotives
Category:Electric trainsets
Category:Kawasaki locomotives
Category:Kisha Seizō locomotives
Category:Niigata Tekkō locomotives
Category:Nippon Sharyo locomotives
Category:Tanaka Sharyō locomotives
Category:Umebachi Sharyō locomotives
Category:Ōi Works locomotives
Category:Ōmiya Works locomotives