| 500-900 series "WIN350" | |
| Service: | 1992 - 1995 |
| Manufacturer: | Hitachi, Kawasaki Heavy Industries |
| Yearconstruction: | 1992 |
| Yearscrapped: | 1996 |
| Numberbuilt: | 6 vehicles |
| Numberservice: | None |
| Numberpreserved: | 2 vehicles |
| Numberscrapped: | 4 vehicles |
| Formation: | 6 cars |
| Fleetnumbers: | W0 |
| Operator: | JR West |
| Depots: | Hakata |
| Lines: | Sanyo Shinkansen |
| Carbody: | Aluminium alloy, Honeycomb structure |
| Carlength: | 26.55m (87.11feet) (end cars) 25m (82feet) (intermediate cars)[1] |
| Width: | 3380mm |
| Maxspeed: | 350km/h(nominal) |
| Traction: | 300kW 3-phase motors |
| Poweroutput: | 7200kW |
| Electricsystem: | 25 kV AC 60 Hz |
| Collectionmethod: | Pantograph |
| Safety: | ATC |
"WIN350" was the name given to the 6-car experimental high-speed Shinkansen train developed in 1992 by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in Japan to test technology to be incorporated in next-generation shinkansen trains expected to operate at speeds of 350km/h from 1994.[2] Initially given the designation "500X", the name "WIN350" stood for "West Japan's Innovation for operation at 350 km/h".[3]
Cars 500-901 to 500-903 were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Hyogo Prefecture. Cars 500-904 to 500-906 were built by Hitachi in Yamaguchi Prefecture.[4]
The front-end designs of the two driving vehicles (500-901 and 500-906) were slightly different, with 500-906 featuring a "cockpit" style arrangement.[3] The external livery was purple and light grey, with darker purple lining.
All axles were motored, using 300 kW three-phase motors, and cars were equipped with tilting and active suspension.[3]
Internally, only car 4 was fitted with passenger seats, with 10 rows of 3+2 standard-class seating and 5 rows of 2+2 Green class (first class) seating.
The 6-car set, designated "W0", was formed as follows.[5]
| Car No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | M'1c | M'1p | M1 | M2 | M'2p | M2c | |
| Numbering | 500-901 | 500-902 | 500-903 | 500-904 | 500-905 | 500-906 |
Initially, cars 1, 2, and 5 were fitted with pantographs.[6]
The WIN350 train was delivered to Hakata Shinkansen Depot in April 1992.[4]
On 6 August 1992, the train recorded a Japanese national speed record of on the San'yō Shinkansen.[3] Two days later, on 8 August 1992, the train recorded a Japanese national speed record of on the San'yō Shinkansen between Ogōri (now Shin-Yamaguchi) and Shin-Shimonoseki.[2]
The WIN350 trainset was withdrawn on 31 May 1996, and a special farewell ceremony was held at Hakata Shinkansen Depot.[2] [3]
End car 500-901 is preserved outdoors at the RTRI large-scale wind tunnel test facility in Maibara, Shiga. Initially expected to be moved to the Modern Transportation Museum in Osaka,[3] end car 500-906 is stored at Hakata Shinkansen Depot[7] until being scrapped in May 2024.