SaRo 165/455 - what's the headlight for?

[Welshbloke]

While looking at these coaches I noticed that they seem to have a headlight on the roof (or at least Kato's diagrams describe it as such).

 

Given that these are intermediate trailer coaches I'm wondering why?

[kvp]

Some 165 series cars had shunting control stands so the sets could be disconnected and moved around as half sets in the shops. Some other japanese and european emus have this feature and in some cases they have full head and tail lights, instead of just a single mandatory shunting light. The usual feature is a small window on the end for the driver, many times with a wiper.

[Welshbloke]

Yep, I'd noticed the window as well and wondered if that was the case.

 

Would also explain why all the diagrams I've seen had the SaHaShi sandwiched between SaRo(s) and MoHa, as the restaurant cars don't have either feature.

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

This case is same with the ones found on SaShi 481, SaShi 489, and SaShi 581. They were equipped with switching-only headlight and marker light, as well as switching-only driver panel, to eliminate the additional time needed by the conventional way (which uses switchers to move the halves between one track to another track in the depot or workshops).

 

Slightly out-of-JNR fleet: Tokyo Metro trains are also equipped with this feature. I don't know whether the 5000 series trains were equipped or not, but from 6000 series all of the trains (except 01, 02, and 9000) are delivered with switching-only headlight, marker light, and driver panel.

[Welshbloke]

Just found a video of a SaRo 165:

 

 

Looks as though it has tail lights as well as the headlight on the roof.

[kvp]

Interesting is that the orange color band goes across the whole car end, while most car ends were painted monochrome. I wonder if this car type was ever used as a front car in regular service.

[Welshbloke]

I'm wondering if they ended up as the rear car if a train split to serve different destinations?

 

It wouldn't have worked with the formations I've found on the Kato site (as a KuMoHa/MoHa pair wouldn't have been able to drag a SaHaShi and a pair of SaRos at anything resembling line speed, that's why there was another pair and a KuHa on the back), but given that there were other subclasses of 165 Series and the SaRos also popped up in 153 Series sets...

[Fenway Park]

I always thought the headlamps on the internal cars on various EMU sets such as the 165/455/475 were when they divided en route as well as shunting in depots etc. Some routes required a full set leaving the city which then split at an intermeadiate point leaving say the restaurant car and other cars in the station to be attached to an incoming service returning to the original destination.

 

The intermeadiate driving cab allowed the set to be moved into a siding if needed. 

[miyakoji]

The E257-0 series used on the Chuo Line has these also.  The 500 subseries doesn't as far as I know.

 

[SuRoNeFu 25-501]

I'm wondering if they ended up as the rear car if a train split to serve different destinations?

Nope, since their intended function is running as an intermediate car in normal conditions. But however, they can be converted to become a driving car by replacing the driver panel with a full-scale ones (compared to the simple ones that fitted on these cars), as well as modifying the end section to become a full-scale driver cab, along with the modification of other parts of the car itself. As I've posted a month ago:

 

KuHa 455 cars that grouped in -300 to -600 subseries groups are really former 165 series cars (though KuHa 455-601 to 605 were converted from SaRo 455, instead of KuHa 165, KuMoHa 165, SaHa 165 or SaRo 165 cars)

Some of KuHa 455-300, -400, -500 and -600 were created by modifying SaRo 455 or SaRo 165 cars using the method that I mentioned above...

 

CMIIW

Edited December 30, 2015 by SuRoNeFu 25-501