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| Unit 601 of the tramcar EER 600 series is preserved behind Miyanosaka station After enjoying Tokyu SDGs Train, I dropped by Miyanosaka station on the Tokyu-Setagaya line to see a preserved tramcar. The Tokyu-Setagaya line, connecting Sangen-jaya and Shimo-Takaido (5.0 kilometers), was opened in 1925 as a branch route of the Tamagawa line. The main route of the Tamagawa line, connecting Shibuya and Futako-Tamagawa via Sangen-jaya, was constructed on highway Route 246; meanwhile, the branch route was constructed as an exclusive track. Unfortunately, the main route was abolished in 1969, due to heavy traffic jams on Route 246. As a result, only the branch route exclusive track was left under the new name of Setagaya line. The preserved tramcar was unit 601 of the Enoshima-Kamakura Sightseeing Electric Railway (EER) 600 series. It was originally built under the name of unit 87 of the Tokyu 80 series on the Tokyu-Tamagawa line. The 80 series was launched in 1950. 28 units in total were built by Hitachi, Tokyu-Yokohama Factory and Kawasaki Sharyo. Unit 87 was then moved to EER in 1970 just after the main route of the Tamagawa line was abolished. It was modified and renamed as unit 601 of the 600 series. Unit 601 was operated until 1988 on the EER line, and retired from the track. In 1990, unit 601 came back to its hometown. It was preserved and open to the public behind the platform of Miyanosaka station. He (she) is spending the rest of his (her) life looking at the tramcars currently in service on the Tokyu-Setagaya line.  |