Above: A 6-car JR West 189 series train set on the Kounotori Limited Express service, parked at Amagasaki Station in 2013.

The JNR (Japan National Railway) 183 series trains were introduced in 1972. They were the direct descendants of the similarly-designed 485 series. They featured a more simplified conductor’s cabin (without a protruding nose cone) and other improvements, including the ability to link their drive trains to other models for tandem locomotion. The 183s retained many distinctive stylings of the 485 series, such as the dark cream & dark red livery and the metallic hood ornaments.

In 1973, some retired 485 series chassis were refitted with 183 frames and returned to service as the (strangely-numbered) 381 series train. These trains featured tilting bogeys to allow them to take curves at higher speeds. They were visually identical to newly-built 183s with a few telltale changes to the classic livery.

From 1974, newer editions of the 183 were introduced with further improvements. A handful of sets were strengthened against snow and cold weather. These sets were originally labeled as 183-1000 & 183-1500, but would later be referred to as 189s. At some point another minor derivative of the 183 series was planned as the 187 series, but never entered production.

Following the privatization of Japan’s railways, the trains were owned and operated by both JR East and JR West.

The 183 & 189 series underwent refurbishing between the 1990s and the 2000s, the 381s were refurbished during the 2000s and the 2010s.

All 183/189/381 series trains were taken out of regular service between 2011 & 2015 and replaced with newer rolling stock. The last 183 series trains were formally retired in 2019 and the last 381 series trains were formally retired in the summer of 2024. Many sets have been preserved at various museums throughout Japan.

Two preserved 183s on display at the Railway Museum near Omiya Station in Saitama in 2024. The interior seating has been restored and is open to the public for eating boxed meals inside the train anytime during museum hours.

Pictures taken by me in 2013 and 2024. Part of my Rolling Stock series of posts.

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