E7 delivered to depot in Rifu-cho (Sendai area)

[bikkuri bahn]

Bikkuri, have you read anything about why it sounds like that?  I'm guessing there are some other sounds in there, the gears, some electrical components, etc.  In some of those shots, it kind of screams.  Not quite as appealing as the Tokyu 8000 series, though

 

Ochanomizu, I wonder if they went with a more conventional design for technical and cost reasons.  The nose on the E5 and E6 could be more difficult (expensive) to build, and it looks like it reduces the number of seats in the end cars.  Didn't JR West dislike the 500 series because the end cars held fewer passengers?  Also, I think the doors were not in the same location as the 700 series.

So far I haven't read anything about the electricals, there should be more info coming out soon once the railway magazines start featuring this new trainset.

 

As far as the design, supposedly it was based on the E2, which likely saved on costs, along with input from JR West's Kanazawa Rolling Stock center.  The nose didn't need the technology of the E5/E6, as the top speed is much lower.  And indeed, a shorter nose allows more room for revenue space in those driving cars.  One thing though, the driver's windshield glass is a complex design with compound curves, a first on shinkansen trainsets.

[Sacto1985]

The distinctive "duckbill" nose of the E5 and E6 trainsets were designed for two reasons:

 

1) To reduce the "piston effect" of air being moved through long tunnels (especially north of Sendai) at high speed.

 

2) To allow very high speed operations--possibly the 360 km/h speed promised by JR East by 2017. In short, by 2017 the E5 and E6 trainsets will be at least travelling between Omiya and Fukushima as high as 360 km/h and other parts of the Tōhoku Shinkansen line only a tad slower.

 

Because the E7/W7 trainset is limited to a top speed to 260 km/h (161 mph), the trainset does not need a highly aerodynamic nose--the nose shape reminds me of the nose shape of the 800 Series trainset used on Kyushu Shinkansen.

[200系]

you can hear the distinctive sound of the traction motors as the trainset accelerates.  Me likey :)

Bikkuri, have you read anything about why it sounds like that?  I'm guessing there are some other sounds in there, the gears, some electrical components, etc.  In some of those shots, it kind of screams.

 

I'm not really a tech expert, but to me it doesn't really sound like the traction motors. If the design is based on the E2系 as mentioned, it will probably still use a WN drive just like almost every shinkansen up till now (with exception of the E6系 and N700系/N700A系 green cars, which uses a parallel cardan system/ TD drive respectively), so I don't think it's the driving unit either (doesn't the driving unit produce most of the sound we define as 'traction motor sound' anyway?).

 

So my personal guess would be that this sound is produced by the axle bearings or something similar. I base this on the fact that the sound seems to be evenly split between all the cars, and is just as pronounced on the powered intermediate cars as it is on the non-powered end cars, as well as the fact that a similar sound can be heard on some of JR East's 1067mm units like the E231系 and E233系 which can be clearly heard on the non-powered cars as well.

 

E231系, E233系 and 05N系 (especially at 7:57, with the 05N系 departing, you can clearly hear the same type of sound evenly among the train, while the 05N系 10 car formation has only 5 motor cars):

 

E7系 video I posted earlier, start at +/- 2:00:

 

anyway, this is just my guess, I could be wrong as well. No matter the source though, the E7系 does sound good in my opinion.

[Ochanomizu]

Ochanomizu, I wonder if they went with a more conventional design for technical and cost reasons.  The nose on the E5 and E6 could be more difficult (expensive) to build, and it looks like it reduces the number of seats in the end cars.  Didn't JR West dislike the 500 series because the end cars held fewer passengers?  Also, I think the doors were not in the same location as the 700 series.

 

Hello Miyakoji-san

 

Yes, the end cars of the 500 series seat fewer passengers, but overall a 500 series seats one more passenger than an N700.  The real issue was limited size of overhead storage bins and low ceiling height for window seat passengers.  Both a result of the rounded tubular design.  The door problem was that the end cars only had one passenger door on either side.

[200系]

Testing continues, including the last few days when the first test rides with snow and passengers where conducted,

 

 

Tests are now conducted using formation F1 and F2 respectively.

[Ochanomizu]

I am usually a fan of Green Class.  The only time I ever travelled economy on a shinkansen was in high school.  I enjoy the comfort, space, and luxury of Green Class.  But now that I look at E7 I ask myself "Who designed Green Class seat?"  Isn't it a boring blue throwback to the 1970's?  It does not look comfortable.  The color is not fashion.  I would not travel Green Class on E7.

[kvp]

Since the introduction of the gran class (aka 1st class), green class is 2nd and standard is 3rd. The same is true for european trains, where they also reverted back to the 3 class system (premium, business, economy). Green class on the new shinkansens are meant for people who don't fit into the 3rd class seats or don't want to travel with schoolgroups, but can't pay for 1st class. At least they didn't add 4th class, while some european long distance trains do have them (cattle class with fold down benches on a 1500 km route). Personally i really liked the old 2nd class coach layouts with 2x2x2 bay seating and a fold away table in the middle with nice big panorama windows for every bay.

[Densha]

As you would expect from certain Dutch politicians and associations, it was actually proposed to get rid of the 1st class because it would be discriminating. It was discarded because most politicians found it nonsense but it is really annoying to see how much 1st class cars there are in trains while there's often no 2nd class seats left in express trains and you have to stand for hours while there's only something like 5 people in the 1st class cars! For high-speed trains they only use reservation seats here but that's another story.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Densha

[Guest ___]

I don't like the livery, but love the deisgn. Unlike the E5/6 that has that goofy nose, the E7/W7 has that 500-series design that looks fast.