Final Chapter of the ex-Tokyo Metro 05 Series in Indonesia

05-110F of the EMU ex-Tokyo Metro 05 series in Jakarta, Inodonesia

(Photo: Faris Fadhli)

Sorry for jumping from one topic to another, but I am going to follow up the trains in Jakarta a little bit more. Following the EMU ex-Tokyu 8500 series, which I posted on November 14th, I am going to show you the other “endangered species” today. My thanks again go to Faris Fadhli, who kindly sent me the beautiful picture.

Please look at the top photo. It’s 05-110F of the EMU ex-Tokyo Metro 05 series operated in Indonesia. The 05 series originally debuted on the Tokyo Metro Tozai line in 1988. 240 units in total were built by Kinki Sharyo, Nippon Sharyo and others. 130 units out of 240 units had already retired from the Tozai line. 12 units were then transferred to the Kita-Ayase branch line after modification; meanwhile, 80 units were exported to Indonesia as secondhand trains. According to Faris Fadhli, two sets (05-108F and 05-110F) are still operated by the local railway company.

I still clearly remember the time when the ex-Tokyo Metro 05 series arrived at Indonesia in 2010. I visited Port of Tanjung Priok near Jakarta with several enthusiastic Indonesian railfans, and welcomed the 05 series trains (see the photo below). Just like the ex-Tokyu 8500 series, ex-Tokyo Metro 05 series’ second life is coming to an end... but two sets still remain on the track. I would like to thank again the local railway engineers in Indonesia, and hope that the 05 series will be operated as long as possible.

05-107F of the EMU ex-Tokyo Metro 05 series has just arrived at Tj. Priok port

(August 14th, 2010)

2024 Late Autumn Visit to Hakone

Gondola Number 2,"Komagatake", Hakone-Komagatake Ropeway

Autumn begins to deepen in Japan. The leaves have begun to turn red, brown and yellow in the Tokyo metropolitan area. One of the most famous places for enjoying autumn leaves is Hakone in a western suburb of Tokyo. I recently visited this resort area with my family. Our destination was Mt. Komagatake, which is one of the peaks of the central cone of Hakone Caldera. Its peak is 1,356 meters above sea level.

To visit Mt. Komagatake, Hakone Komagatake Ropeway is convenient. The route was originally opened by Izu-Hakone Railway in 1963, and currently operated by Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide Company. It's a four-cables cross type aerial tramway. Connecting Hakone-en on the shore of Lake Ashinoko and Komagatake-chojo station at the summit of Mt. Komagatake stations, its route length is 1,783 meters. The height difference between the two stations is 590.8 meters. Its maximum inclination is 30.3 degrees. The gondola is operated every 20 minutes. It takes about 7 minutes to go one way. The present gondolas, namely Ashinoko (Number 1) and Komagatake (Number 2), were built by CWA in 1986 as the 2nd generation ones. Each gondola can accommodate up to 101 passengers.

After arriving at the Komagatake-sancho station, we enjoyed beautiful autumn leaves of Mt. Komagatake and adjacent Lake Ashinoko. In addition to that, we could clearly see Mt. Fuji (3,776 meters above sea level) in the northwest. There was less snowfall than average this year, so, we couldn’t see a snow-capped peak. Was it an effect of global warming?

A view of Mt. Fuji (3,776 meters above sea level) from Mt. Komagatake 

Final Chapter of the ex-Tokyu 8500 Series in Indonesia

8618F of the EMU KAI Commuter (ex-Tokyu) 8500 series in Jakarta, Indonesia

(Photo: Faris Fadhli)

I've received the latest picture from an Indonesian railfan. It's the last active set named 8618F of the EMU ex-Tokyu 8500 series being operated in Jakarta. My thanks go to Faris Fadhli, who kindly sent me the beautiful picture.

Let me quickly review the EMU Tokyu 8500 series. They were direct current commuter trains operated on the Tokyu lines in Japan from 1975 to 2023. 400 units in total were built by Tokyu Sharyo. After retirement from Tokyu Electric Railway, 29 units were transferred to Nagano Electric Railway, Chichibu Railway and Izukyu; meanwhile, 64 units were exported to Indonesia as secondhand trains. These exported trains have been used by a local railway company, PT. Kereta Commuter Indonesia.

Now, let's head to the main topic. Please look at the top photo. It’s 8618F… the last active set of the 8500 series in Indonesia. It’s kept in a good condition, isn’t it? When I lived in Jakarta from 2007 to 2011, I often used trains. I still clearly remember the time when 8618F arrived at Indonesia in 2008. I visited Bukit Duri Railyard on August 24th with several enthusiastic Indonesian railfans, and welcomed 8618F (see the photo below). 16 years have passed since then. Time really flies. The 8500 series' second life is coming to an end... but 8618F still remains on the track and carries lots of commuters every day. I would like to thank the local railway engineers in Indonesia, and hope it'll be operated as long as possible.

8618F has just arrived at Bukit Duri Railyard, Jakarta, Indonesia

(August 24th, 2008)

The 90th Anniversary of Hachiko Line: Part 2

JR East KiHa112-204 displays the 90th anniversary plate of the Hachiko line

You may remember that I posted about the 90th anniversary of Hachiko line last month. I am going to follow up this topic a little bit more today.

After observing the EMU E231-3000 series, which was displaying special memorial plates on the front and back of the train, I moved to the northern half section of the Hachiko line. As I posted before, the JR East Hachiko line is composed of two different sections. The southern section, between Hachioji and Komagawa (31 kilometers), is a commuter route in an urban area. It is electrified at 1,500 V DC. On the other hand, the northern section, between Komagawa and Kuragano (61 kilometers), is a local route in a suburban area. It is non-electrified. The DMU KiHa110 series is commissioned.

I found a train displaying the 90th anniversary plates on the northern half section of the Hachiko line as well. That was a 2-car train, KiHa111-204 and KiHa112-204 of the DMU KiHa110 series. Incidentally, KiHa110 series is composed of three types namely Type KiHa110, KiHa111 and KiHa112. What's the difference between three types? Type KiHa110 has two cabs, so, it is possible to be operated as a train with only one car. On the other hand, Type KiHa111 and KiHa112 have one cab only, so, they have to be operated as 2-car train or more. Type KiHa110 and KiHa111 have toilets; meanwhile, Type KiHa112 doesn’t have a toilet. Learning such subtle differences between trains is the pleasure for trainspotters like me.

Close up of the 90th anniversary plate

Tama Riverside Walking: Part 12, Minami-Tama

Set N24 of the EMU JR East E233-8000 series crosses Tama River

It’s November already. The weather has become cooler, so, it’s the best season for a stroll. I resumed walking along Tama River. My destination this time was Inagi City of Tokyo Metropolis. After getting off Minami-Tama station on the JR East Nambu line, I headed to Tama River.

Let me quickly review Inagi City to start. It’s located in the midstream of Tama River, and a new residential area developed in the 1970s. When I was a child, I sometimes came here with my school teacher and classmates for picking pears in autumn. My teacher told us that Inagi City is suitable for pear cultivation, because the land is well-drained. The main part of the city is situated on the Tama riverbed.

As soon as I started walking on the embankment, a 6-car train crossed the railway bridge. It was a northbound train, Set N24 of the EMU JR East E233-8000 series, on the Nambu line. All the trains on the Nambu line have stain-less steel bodies with yellow, orange and black-colored stripes. This train is familiar to me, but the figure of crossing Tama River is refreshing. I continued walking upstream. Three minutes later, a container train pulled by a blue-colored electric locomotive (EL) passed through another bridge for freight trains. It was Unit 337 of the Class EF210-300, "Momotaro", operated by JR Freight. I tried to shoot the whole train, but I was too optimistic. The train was longer than the railway bridge, so I couldn’t. Instead, I shot a close-up of the EL.

A container train pulled by a EL, Unit 137 of the Class JR Freight E210