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Japan · Bullet trains

N700S Shinkansen

Supreme

The N700S is a Japanese Shinkansen whose “S” stands for Supreme. Its wide nose helps manage the air around it. Emergency batteries can move it slowly after a power failure; normal fast running uses electricity from the overhead wire.

Speed
186mph300 km/hTop service speed
Year
2020Service debut
Maker
Nippon Sharyo & Hitachi
Job
Tokaido and Sanyo passenger journeys
Illustration of N700S Shinkansen
Train portrait · illustrated learning model
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3D model

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INSIDE THE TRAIN

What makes an electric train electric?

A collector takes electricity from the overhead wire. Electrical equipment prepares that power, and motors turn the wheels.

  1. 1
    The streamlined noseAt the front

    A smooth nose helps the train slip through the air. The driver looks out through the dark windscreen above it.

    Look deeper

    Runs at 300 km/h on the Sanyo Shinkansen and 285 km/h on the Tokaido. Its broad dual-supreme-wing nose differs from the E5’s needle-like profile.

  2. 2
    A place for passengersInside the car body

    People travel in the long car body above the wheels. Windows, doors and the connections between cars are useful clues on the outside.

    Look deeper

    This is an electric multiple unit: propulsion equipment is distributed through the trainset. Passenger space sits above the underfloor systems. Only three representative cars are shown.

  3. 3
    An arm that collects powerOn the roof

    This spring-loaded arm touches an overhead wire and collects electricity for the train.

    Look deeper

    The roof collector is called a pantograph. High-speed electric trains normally take their traction power from overhead wires. Its position here is a teaching example, not an exact car-by-car equipment plan.

  4. 4
    More than just wheelsUnder the body

    A bogie is the frame that holds a group of wheels. Springs help make the ride smoother.

    Look deeper

    Wheelsets, suspension and braking equipment form part of the running gear. Powered bogies also carry traction motors. This simplified model does not reproduce a specific bogie or show every motor and brake.

  5. 5
    The equipment below your feetBelow the floor

    Electrical boxes help turn electricity into the power the motors need. They share space with other equipment underneath the train.

    Look deeper

    Transformers and power electronics condition electrical power for the traction motors. Different cars carry different equipment; these boxes show the general underfloor zone, not the exact position or contents of each cabinet.

  6. 6
    A battery for the unexpectedUnderfloor · N700S

    If the overhead electricity fails, special batteries can move the N700S slowly to a more suitable place to stop.

    Look deeper

    The N700S has an underfloor lithium-ion battery self-traction system for low-speed emergency movement. Normal high-speed operation uses the overhead supply. The gold box marks the underfloor zone schematically; its size, car assignment and exact mounting position are not reproduced.

01 / THE TRAIN FILE

Get to know N700S Shinkansen

Engineering explained

Why can it go so fast?

Electric motors supply the push; a smooth shape helps it move through the air.

Fast running takes a whole system: suitable track, reliable brakes, signalling and power. A pointy nose alone cannot make a train fast. Stopping at stations also makes a journey’s average speed lower.

What are we still researching?

We leave gaps visible instead of guessing. The original catalogue and our learning model do not establish every real-world specification.

What is it made from?

A train uses different materials for different jobs: metals for strength, glass for windows and insulating materials around wires. Paint colour cannot tell us whether the body underneath is steel or aluminium.

Is it still running today?

Old photographs and launch announcements do not prove that a train still runs. A whole class may still work even after one member retires. We need a recent operator or museum source.

02 / FOLLOW THE ENERGY

How power reaches the wheels

Follow these steps, then find the matching sections in the model above.

  1. 1

    Wire & collector

    Electricity reaches the train from overhead.

  2. 2

    Electrical equipment

    It controls the supply reaching the motors.

  3. 3

    Traction motors

    A motor turns electrical energy into movement.

  4. 4

    Wheels

    Powered wheelsets turn against the rails.

Read the wheels

Look underneath: wheelsets support the train and carry the forces used to accelerate and brake. The model simplifies the real running gear.

03 / NUMBERS WITH A STORY

What does its speed really mean?

300 km/h is the selected Sanyo line ceiling. JR Central publishes 285 km/h for the Tokaido; the same train can therefore have different service limits.

Route context
Sanyo Shinkansen
Read the speed source: JR West / JR Central ↗

A fast train is a whole system: vehicle, track, electricity or fuel, brakes, signalling and trained people. A race in the game is a simplified comparison.

04 / BIG QUESTIONS, CLEAR ANSWERS

What curious kids ask

Is the pointy nose what makes it fast?

The motors provide the power. A smooth shape reduces air resistance, and on trains such as the E5 the long nose also softens tunnel pressure waves. Fast travel depends on the track, brakes and control systems, too.

Does the driver steer like a car?

No steering wheel is needed to choose a direction. The rails guide the wheelsets. At a junction, movable sections of rail called points or switches guide the train onto another track. The driver controls speed and braking.

Why can’t it stop straight away?

A moving train has energy. Brakes must remove that energy to slow it down. A heavy train travelling fast needs room to stop, so railway signals help keep trains safely separated.

05 / KEEP EXPLORING

Meet these trains next

Compare how they look, what they carry and where their power comes from.

Little railway dictionary

Bogie / truck

A frame holding wheelsets beneath a vehicle. It can turn relative to the body to help the train follow curves.

Gauge

The distance between the inside faces of the two running rails. Narrow gauge means closer rails; loading gauge describes the space a train may occupy.

Pantograph

A folding roof collector that stays in contact with an overhead power wire.

Traction

The force used to pull or propel the train. Grip between wheels and rails limits how much force can be used.

Multiple unit

A train with propulsion equipment within its passenger vehicles, operated together from one cab.

Locomotive

A powered vehicle whose main job is to move other railway vehicles.

Shunting / switching

Moving and arranging vehicles in a yard, often at low speed.

Livery

The colours, stripes, logos and other markings painted or applied to a train.

Service speed

The permitted speed for passenger or freight operation on a suitable section. It is not the journey average.

Record speed

A speed achieved on a particular test or record attempt, sometimes with special equipment and conditions.

Tender

A vehicle coupled to a steam locomotive to carry extra water and fuel. A tank engine carries water on the locomotive itself.

Prototype

An early vehicle built to develop and test a design before a production fleet.

THE REFERENCE SHELF

Sources & reading

Follow the operator, builder and museum references below for more detail. Links beside an answer show which source supports that answer.

  1. JR Central · service history ↗
  2. JR Central · Tokaido operating speed ↗
  3. JR West / JR Central · speed context ↗
  4. JR West · Sanyo fleet ↗

Edition 2026-09-27. Catalogue background is carried forward from the original collection; it is not a new independent verification. Engineering explanations describe principles. Portraits and 3D models are illustrations, with simplified parts and proportions. This is an independent learning guide, not an operator’s timetable.