The Class 103 EMU

The class 103 EMU is the subject of the first T gauge R-T-R model from Eishindo. What is a class 103 EMU? I had no idea. I thought it best to find out what I could. As I have stated in earlier posts deciding to model Japanese Railways means I have to learn about the prototype and where better to start my research than with the stock that I have.
Research was not as easy as I thought it might be, as much of the information out there is in Japanese and had to be read through google translator to make sense of. So if I have some facts the wrong way around let me know and I'll put it right.
To start with, the Class 103's run on the 3'6" gauge rail network. Built for commuter service, each set consists of two motor cars (MOHA) and two trailer cars (KUHA). The cars are 20 metres long (approx 66') 2.8m wide (9'4") and 3.9m (12' 10") high. The MOHA has a capacity of 136 (48 seated and 88 stood) people and the KUHA 144 (54+90).
The basic design of the 103 is based on principles established before the second world war. The 20m body length and 4 sets of double doors on each side and bench seating along the walls of the cars. This, I would think, would allow for rapid boarding and detraining of the passengers during the hectic rush hours.
The 103 was a development of the earlier Class 101 EMU, the first of the modern post war classes. Externally quite similar the most noticeable difference between the two classes is that the 101 has one single headlight at the front, whereas the 103 has two smaller ones.
The main advances over the 101 were in the power. The electrical motors were more efficient allowing the 103 to accelerate quicker than the 101 and travel faster.
The new design was a huge sucess and in its 20 year production period from 1964 to 1983 some 3447 units were produced. Some of which can still be seen in service in Tokyo and Osaka today.
I wondered when I bought my set why Eishindo chose to produce this as their first model instead of a Shinkansen bullet train for example. Now I see why. Highly sucessful and long lived a model would not be out of place on any layout set in the last 35 years.