651 series

Variants

• 651-0 series: Original (nine 7-car and nine 4-car) AC/DC sets built from 1989
• 651-1000 series: 7-car and 4-car DC-only sets modified from 651-0 series
• Izu Craile: Rebuilt 4-car resort trainset entering service in July 2016

Operations

The 651-1000 series sets were used on Akagi, Swallow Akagi, and Kusatsu limited express services.

Beginning in April 2019, a four-car 651-0 series set operated as a local service on a segment of Jōban Line between Iwaki and Tomioka, making 2 round trips a day.

Formations

651-0 series

, the fleet of original 651-0 series trainsets consisted of three (out of the original nine) seven-car sets (K102, 103, 105) and five (out of the original nine) four-car sets (K201, 202, 204, 205, 207), based at Katsuta Depot.

7-car sets

The seven-car sets, K101 to K109, were formed as follows, with four motored ("M") cars and three non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the Ueno (southern) end.

• Cars 2 and 5 were each fitted with one PS26 lozenge-type pantograph.
• Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 had toilets.

4-car sets

The four-car sets, K201 to K209, were formed as follows, with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 8 at the Ueno (southern) end.

• Car 9 was fitted with one PS26 lozenge-type pantograph.
• Cars 8 and 10 had toilets.

651-1000 series

, the fleet consisted of six seven-car sets (numbered OM201 to OM206) and three four-car sets (numbered OM301 to OM303), all based at Omiya Depot.

7-car sets

The seven-car sets, OM201 to OM206, were formed as follows, with four motored ("M") cars and three non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the Ueno (southern) end.

• Cars 2 and 5 were each fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.
• Cars 1, 3, 4, and 6 had toilets.

4-car sets

The four-car sets, OM301 to OM303, were formed as follows, with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 8 at the Ueno (southern) end.

• Car 9 was fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.
• Cars 8 and 10 had toilets.

''Izu Craile'' 4-car set IR01

The converted four-car set IR01 (formerly OM301) was formed as follows, with two motored ("M") cars and two non-powered trailer ("T") cars, and car 1 at the southern end.

Car 2 was fitted with one PS33D single-arm pantograph.

Interior

Internally, Green car (first class) accommodation was arranged 2+1 abreast with a seat pitch of 1,160 mm, and Standard class is arranged 2+2 abreast with a seat pitch of 970 mm.

File:Green Car's Seat of JR 651.JPG|Green class seating File:JREast651-interior.jpg|Interior view of standard class car

History

The 651 series trains were introduced on new Super Hitachi limited services between Ueno and Sendai on 11 March 1989, and the trains received the 33rd Blue Ribbon Award presented annually in Japan since 1958 by the Japan Railfan Club.

From 2 December 2000, the Green car (car 4) was made entirely non-smoking, and the internal partitions were removed between December 2000 and January 2001. Three seats were added to the Green car in June 2004, increasing the seating capacity to 36. All cars became no-smoking from the start of the revised timetable on 18 March 2007. The refreshment vending machines were discontinued from 31 March 2008.

From the start of the revised timetable on 17 March 2012, six pairs of 651 series trains were removed from service and put into storage, replaced by new 10-car E657 series EMUs on Super Hitachi services. The entire fleet was replaced by the start of the revised timetable on 16 March 2013, but the sets were however retained for seasonal and additional workings.

From 1 October 2013, one 11-car 651 series formation was brought back into service for use on two Fresh Hitachi services daily while the E657 series fleet undergoes modification work to add LED seat reservation status indicators above each seat. This continued until March 2015.

651-1000 series conversions

Between late 2013 and early 2014, a number of 651 series sets were modified and renumbered 651-1000 series for use on Akagi and Kusatsu limited express services from the start of the revised timetable on 15 March 2014, replacing ageing 185 series EMUs. In 2018, seven-car set K102 also underwent this conversion. The modifications included disconnecting (but not removing) the original AC electrical equipment, replacing the original PS26 lozenge-type pantographs with the same PS33D single-arm pantographs used on E233 series suburban EMUs, and adding an orange bodyside stripe below the windows. No changes were made to the interiors.

''Izu Craile'' resort train

Four-car set OM301 was rebuilt as a resort train set named Izu Craile between November 2015 and April 2016, and entered service on the Ito Line and a section of the Tokaido Line between and from 16 July 2016. The name is a portmanteau formed from "Cresciuto" (Italian for "mature"), "train", and the suffix "-ile". Car 1 has window-facing counter seats on the seaward side, car 2 has a bar counter and lounge, car 3 has semi-open compartments, and car 4 has conventional unidirectional 2+2-abreast seating. based at Kōzu Depot. On 30 January 2020, with the introduction of the E261 series on Saphir Odoriko services, JR East announced that the Izu Craile service would no longer be necessary, and that it would be retired. The train had its last run on 28 June 2020, and was subsequently transported to Nagano General Rolling Stock Centre for scrap in October 2020.

Retirement

From the start of the revised timetable on 18 March 2023, the 651 series sets were withdrawn from Kusatsu, Swallow Akagi, and Akagi services, hence marking the end of regular service by the 651 series.

The last surviving trainset, OM201, was sent for scrap in October 2023.

Fleet details

The delivery, refurbishment, and conversion dates for the fleet are as shown below. All sets were originally built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Hyogo.

7-car sets

4-car sets

References

References

1. Neko Publishing. (2009)
2. link. (16 March 2013). Japan Railfan Magazine Online. Koyusha Co., Ltd.
3. [[Japan Railfan Magazine]]. (October 2014)
4. Kotsu Shimbunsha. (18 November 2015)
5. {{cite magazine. Koyusha Co., Ltd.. (July 2016)
6. link. (7 December 2010). East Japan Railway Company
7. Ikaros Publications Ltd.. (20 December 2012)
8. Kotsu Shimbunsha. (June 2009)
9. (May 2012). "E657系投入にともなう651・E653系の動き". Japan Railfan Magazine.
10. Matsumoto. Norihisa. [[Japan Railfan Magazine]]. (April 2014)
11. link. (27 April 2016). Tetsudo Hobidas. Neko Publishing Co., Ltd.
12. link. (21 January 2016). Tetsudo Hobidas. Neko Publishing Co., Ltd.
13. link. (30 January 2020). Tetsudo Shimbun
14. link. (30 January 2020). JR East Yokohama Branch. East Japan Railway Company
15. (9 October 2020). "651系1000番代IR01編成 長野へ". Neko Publishing.
16. (19 March 2023). "「JR東日本初の特急車両」ついに勇退へ 車両の保存はある? 3月改正で定期運用消滅". Mediavague Co., Ltd..
17. "651系OM201編成が郡山へ".
18. Shibata. Togo. Rail Magazine. (March 2013)
19. (9 May 2018). "651系OM207編成が配給輸送される". Koyusha Co., Ltd..
20. (28 September 2023). "651系OM207編成が郡山へ". Koyusha Co., Ltd..
21. (16 April 2022). "651系1000番代OM202編成が郡山総合車両センターへ". Koyusha Co., Ltd..
22. (24 March 2023). "651系OM203編成が郡山へ".
23. (27 April 2023). "651系1000番代OM204編成が郡山へ". Koyusha Co., Ltd..
24. (17 June 2023). "651系1000番代OM205編成が郡山へ". Koyusha Co., Ltd..
25. (27 July 2023). "651系1000番代OM206編成が郡山へ". Koyusha Co., Ltd..
26. Kotsu Shimbunsha. (1 December 2013)