Jomo Electric Railway 100 series
Data (as of 2 Dec 2023)
| Status: | Preserved |
| Constructed in: | 1928 |
| Number built: | 6 |
| Registered: | 1 |
History
The 100 series was the first rolling stock for Jomo Electric Railway when Jomo Line was opened in 1928, and it is now the oldest operational train for mainline in Japan (excluding trams). Four passenger trains (DeHa 101 - 104) and two half-passenger half-parcel trains (DeHaNi 51 and 52) were introduced in total. All of them were double-ended. They initially had three sets of doors, but DeHa 100s were converted to two-door trains when refurbished.
The 100 series trains were built by Japanese manufacturers but motors and bogies were based on American products (Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company). At that time, Japanese railway industry had been heavily dependent on American and European technology, and domestic production of trains was still at an early stage. The train body was made of both carbon steel and wood, and seating has been longitudinal. No air-conditioning has been installed.
The 100 series had been used for the entire line for more than half a century, and all of them were refurbished in 1952-56. Front ends of DeHa 100s have been changed since then. All trains were initially painted brown but repainted yellow or orange after 1963. All but DeHa 101 and 104 were withdrawn by 1981, while these two carriages remained for a few services at peak times as well as freight trains (alternatives for electric locomotives). Freight trains on Jomo Line were discontinued in 1986, but they remained active for engineering work. DeHa 104 was deregistered in 1997 when the series was withdrawn from regular passenger service.
Current Operations & Future Prospects
DeHa 101 has been preserved and it can still run mainline. There were a few heritage train outings every year before COVID-19 pandemic, but it now runs mostly for group tours. It also runs for ballasting purposes. In addition, DeHa 104 has been stored at Ogo Depot though it has already been deregistered.
Photo
The other front end has a door for train crew to safely join the train to another one.
(Updated: 2 Dec 2023)