Sunday 28 August 2016

Resort 21 Festa at Izukogen Rail Yard

Resort 21 trains: Kurofune Train (left), Alpha Resort 21 (center) and Resort Dolphin (right)

A big railway event was held at the end of the summer in the Tokyo metropolitan area. On August 21st, Izu Kyuko Railway (Izukyu) held Resort 21 Festa at their Izukogen Rail Yard adjoining Izukogen Station.

What is Resort 21? It is a group of sightseeing trains. Its formal name is the EMU 2100 series. Resort 21 was launched in 1985 to promote tourism to Izu Peninsula, which is located about 120 km west of Tokyo. To enjoy gorgeous mountain and ocean views, Resort 21 has sloping tiers of seats in the front of the train. The passengers can enjoy a front view through the cockpit. So far, a total of 5 sets, 40 units, have been built by Tokyu Sharyo over 9 years. Currently, 3 sets, namely R-3 (Resort Dolphin), R-4 (Kurofune Train) and R-5 (Alpha Resort 21), are still operated on the track. We could see these three sets of Resort 21 arranged side by side at Izukogen Rail Yard at Resort 21 Festa.

Alpha Resort 21 is planned to be modified by 2017; meanwhile, Resort Dolphin will have its body colors changed also by 2017. The details of the modifications have not yet been announced by Izukyu, but Resort 21 Festa was the final opportunity to see the present features of these three trains simultaneously. Needless to say, the rail-fans fully enjoyed this precious opportunity, as did I of course.

I am truly grateful to Izukyu for holding this special event.

The front signboards for Resort 21 trains are exhibited at Izukogen Station

Official information about Resort 21 trains (in Japanese):