In 1962, JNR built a track for examination of the Shinkansen near Ayase-shi, Kanagawa. The base of the vehicles was built in Odawara KAMOMIYA. The track for examination was installed here for the following reason.
For the DANGAN-TRAIN plan, JNR had already purchased the lot here. Since there was a situation of various tracks, such as an iron bridge and a tunnel, experimental data collection was easy for JNR.
Near KAMOMIYA, since the main Tokaido line was adjoined, JNR were able to easily carry vehicles and materials. It is near to the technical research center of the railroad of Tokyo.
However, there was one big oversight. This is a warm place and it hardly snows here. There is only one place of heavy snowfall in the course of the Tokaido Shinkansen which is near the border between Shiga and Gifu Prefectures. It is called Sekigahara and is a famous, old battlefield in the history of Japan. It is a heavy snowfall area and although the distance was short, failure of Tokaido Shinkansen occurred frequently here. This was an unexpected failure.
The gravel under a track rebounds on the ice which has fallen from the body of the Shinkansen. It flies and bounds and destroys the apparatus under the body. However, if it is watered by a sprinkler, the ground supporting a track will become soft. The Tokaido Shinkansen operates slowly during the winter.
