Tokyo Railway Labyrinth
Introduction to railways in the Tokyo metropolitan area / 外国人のための東京鉄道案内
Wednesday, 18 May 2022
LSE: The Evolutionary Form of NSE Car
Sunday, 15 May 2022
Indonesian Railway Update: The 203 Series New Color
(Photo: Faris Fadhli)
I'm temporally shelving the topic of the Romancecar Museum again, and showing Indonesian railway pictures today. I have received news from an Indonesian rail fan. The EMU ex-JNR 203 series has changed its body color. My thanks go to Faris Fadhli, who kindly sent me the recent picture.
Let me quickly review the EMU 203 series. It's a direct current commuter train developed by the ex-Japanese National Railways (JNR). It was commissioned in 1982 for direct operation between the ex-JNR (present JR East) Joban and Tokyo Metro Chiyoda lines. 17 sets, 170 cars in total, were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Tokyu Sharyo, Nippon Sharyo and Kinki Sharyo from 1982 to 1986. After 29 years' operation in Japan, the 203 series was transferred to Jakarta, Indonesia to spend a "new life". It was in August, 2011, two months after my leaving Indonesia. The 203 series was modified to the local style and launched at the year-end in 2011. The body was changed from a green-colored stripe to a flashy red-yellow "face" and stripes, an Indonesian style.
In April, 2022, the body color design of the 203 series was changed again by the Indonesian local railway operator. The new design is a light gray-color with red and dark blue-colored stripes. The pictures show the test run of the new colored train, set MaTo 66 of the 203 series, as a 12-car train. It's a simple and beautiful design that passengers won't get tired of. Of course, it's my cup of tea.
Thursday, 12 May 2022
NSE: The Essential Exhibit in the Romancecar Museum
Tuesday, 10 May 2022
2022 Sakura Season in Yokohama City
I'm temporally shelving the topic of the Romancecar Museum, and showing a seasonal picture today. From March through May, the progress of the "Sakura front (cherry-blossom front)" is reported nightly by the Meteorological Agency, as it makes its way north through the archipelago. The 2022 cherry-blossom front is already arriving at Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.
During this year's cherry blooming season, I visited several viewing spots in Tokyo, Chiba and one more... Kikuna Sakura-yama (cherry mountain) Park in Yokohama City. It looked like just a common public park in a residential area, but pink-colored double cherry blossoms were "shining" backed by the spring blue sky. It was so beautiful. Reputable cherry blossoms viewing spots are good, but local spots such as Kikuna Sakura-yama Park are really good. It's because we can see local people's peaceful lives.
To visit Kikuna Sakura-yama Park, the nearest railway station is Kikuna on the Tokyu-Toyoko line. On the way back home, I came across a special poster train celebrating the 100th anniversary of Tokyu Corporation. It was set 5051 of the EMU Tokyu 5050 series. As you know, Tokyu is a conglomerate consisting of transportation, real estate, hotel and retail business. It was established in 1922 as a small railway company named Meguro-Kamata Electric Railway. It's a part of the present Meguro and Tamagawa lines. 100 years later, Tokyu has a labyrinthine railway network in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture. The conglomerate does 10 billion dollars a year in sales on a consolidated basis.
Saturday, 7 May 2022
SSE: Romancecar for Direct Operation onto the JNR Line
Let me continue from where I left off my last post. After a reunion with SE (Super Express) Car, I observed the second generation Romancecar named SSE (Short Super Express) Car in the Romancecar Museum.
SSE Car is a modified model of SE Car. It was commissioned for the direct operation between the Odakyu and JNR (Japanese National Railways) lines from 1968 to 1991. Odakyu trains have been directly operated onto the JNR (present JR Central) Gotemba line since 1955. Odakyu's diesel railcar was applied for this operation in the early days, but it was changed to EMU (Electric Multiple-unit) in 1968 due to electrification of the Gotemba line. The EMU for duty was Odakyu's SSE Car.
What're the differences between SE and SSE Cars? 1) SSE Car (5-car train) is shorter than SE Car (8-car train). 2) The frontal design is different. For example, the position of the frontal lights was moved from the inner (SE Car) to the outer (SSE Car) part of the "face". 3) SSE Car had a large coupler with a square cover; while, SE Car had only a small retractable coupler.
I have a faint memory of my childhood on SSE Car. It was difficult for me to view from the window, since SSE Car had a low floor. In other words, the position of the passenger windows was too high for a small kid like me. To achieve high speed operation, SSE Car had a low center of gravity providing excellent stability. You can't make everybody happy.