Hosta

The Class E926 (E926形) is an inspection train, also known as the East-i.

Overview

The E926 series train is a Japanese non-revenue earning train designed to replace the aging 925 series inspection train. The 925 series inspection train was in desperate need of a replacement because of its lower top speed and incorrect loading gauge. The 925 series inspection train was beginning to become obsolete because it was unable to keep up with the E3 Series Shinkansen, which was new at that time. It was also beginning to become obsolete because it had an incorrect loading gauge. This was because the mini shinkansen had a narrower loading gauge then the standard shinkansen gauge. Because of this, the mini shinkansens inspection relied on the KuMoYa 743 series inspection railcars. But these railcars were also becoming obsolete. So JR East needed to come up with a solution, and that solution needed to have the same loading gauge as the mini shinkansen. The train that they came up with was the East i series high-speed inspection train. At its time, it was the fastest rail inspection train in the world, reaching speeds of up to 275 km/h. The i in East i stands for intelligent, integrated, and inspection.^[1]

Since the routes and times of operation of the East i train are not publicly disclosed, it is considered lucky when you see it.^[2]

Formation

There are 7 East i series inspection train cars that were built. Cars 2 and 4 are equipped with a single arm pantograph. When the 6-car train is being maintained, a spare carriage is inserted into an E2 Series Shinkansen train.^[3][4]

• 
  S51 (Car 1)
• 
  S51 (Car 2)
• 
  S51 (Car 3)
• 
  S51 (Car 4)
• 
  S51 (Car 5)
• 
  S51 (Car 6)
• 
  N21 (The spare carriage that is inserted into an E2 service when the 6-car set is being maintained) (Scrapped in 2015)
• 
  (The E2 service with car N21 visible in the background)

References