Tuesday 13 October 2015

Classic Train on the Ooigawa Railway

EMU Ooigawa Railway 21000 series stands at Kanaya Station

Ooigawa is a large river in Shizuoka Prefecture, some 200 km west of Tokyo. The valley of Ooigawa is well known for tea cultivation and hot springs. I often visit this area on vacation with my family. Our transportation means is usually the railway. We can take a local line, Ooigawa Railway, from Kanaya Station on the Tokaido Main Line.

Ooigawa Railway is a small private company. It has the 39.5 km-long Ooigawa Main Line and the 25.5 km-long light railway, namely the Ikawa Line. The Ooigawa Main Line is a 1,067 mm-size single track with a 1,500 V DC overhead electric system. The express train, pulled by a steam locomotive, is very famous among tourists, but I am going to show you the classic EMU 21000 series today.

The 21000 series is an old EMU launched in 1958. It had been operated on the Nankai Line in Osaka and Wakayama prefectures. A total of 4 units, namely car numbers 21001, 21002, 21003 and 21004, were moved to Ooigawa Railway in 1997 after their retirement from Nankai Electric Railway.

This classic train is definitely my favorite. The body has a nostalgic 50s design. The interior of the train is also nostalgic, as it has switchable cross seats using red-colored moquette fabric. The reading lights under the shelves are beautiful and elegant. The 21000 series looks very old, but it is equipped with the same air conditioners as the other standard trains in Japan.

 
Interior of the EMU Ooigawa Railway 21000 series

Official information about rolling stock of Ooigawa Railway (in Japanese):