I visited the Joso line of Kanto Railway (hereafter "Kantetsu") for the first time in three years. What's new with this local route in Ibaraki Prefecture?
Before getting down to the main topic, let me quickly review the Joso line. It's Kantetsu's main line connecting Toride and Shimodate cities. The route length is 51.1 kilometers. The whole route is unelectrified. The scenery along the Joso line has two faces. The southern part of the line is a double track. It stretches through expanding suburban residential quarters. On the other hand, the northern part is a single track. We can see beautiful idyllic views such as rice paddies and vegetable fields there.
Now, let's head to the main topic. I found a nostalgic revival colored railcar on the line. It's KiHa 2401 of the railcar KiHa 2400 series. Its body color was recently changed from Kantetsu's standard color to the revival color, which is two-toned beige and vermilion. The revival color reminds us of the 1960s... very nostalgic. Kantetsu kindly discloses the working schedule of the revival colored railcar on the company website for rail fans.
Finally, the Kantetsu KiHa 2400 series is a commuter diesel railcar model on the Joso line. Six cars (KiHa 2401 to 2406) were built by Niigata Transys from 2004 to 2007. It has a 20 meter-long body with driver cabs on both sides. A 242.7 kW diesel engine, a fluid transmission and an electric commanding brake system are mounted. I fully enjoyed Kantetsu's nostalgic railcar.
