The Tokyo metropolitan area is cut by many rivers. They are Tama, Sumida, Arakawa, Edo River and so on. I like to walk along these river banks. It provides me with a relaxation. While gazing at the river flow and the scenery around, I often enjoy walking for hours.
Edo River is one of my favorite walking courses. We can admire pale pink cherry blossoms on the river bank in early spring. In early summer, iris flowers are vivid on the flood plain. In this winter season, there are only a few flowers, but the sunset is stunning as the air is clear. When I recently enjoyed walking near Kohnodai station, I came across a Keisei train, the EMU 3700 series, crossing Edo River Bridge in the beautiful winter sunset.
Taking this opportunity, let me introduce the 3700 series. This urban commuter train was commissioned in 1991 as Keisei's first model with a VVVF-inverter (variable frequency drive) control system. A total of 132 cars were built by Tokyu Sharyo and Nippon Sharyo. GTO (Gate Turn-Off thyristor) was adopted as a semiconductor device. It's a rather old device nowadays, but still in good condition. The outer design of the 3700 series is very similar with that of the 3400 series. The 3700 series has stainless-steel bodies; while the 3400 series has steel bodies. The 3700 series has the larger model number than that of the 3400 series, but it's older than the 3400 series. This complicated model numbering annoys trainspotters like me.
