It's getting warmer and warmer in Tokyo. The spread of COVID-19 is gradually lessening. A nice sunny day tempted me out into the countryside. My destination was Boso peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, some 80 kilometers east of Tokyo. I visited Isumi Railway for the first time in four years.
To start, let's quickly review Isumi Railway. It's a local company on Boso peninsula. Connecting Ohara and Kazusa-Nakano, there are 14 stations over a total operating length of 26.8 kilometers. The route is single track and non-electrified. Along with adjacent Kominato Railway, Isumi Railway constitutes the trans-peninsula railways.
Returning to the main topic, I'm going to show you Isumi's main vehicle named the 300 series. It's an 18 meter-long diesel railcar commissioned in 2012. Introduction of the 300 series was to replace the decrepit 200' series. Two cars in total were built by Niigata Transys. It has a 330ps/2100rpm diesel engine with a liquid transmission. To my joy, the 300 series has comfortable cross seats and a clean toilet. Specifically, cross seats are good for tourists to get a taste of vacation. Material of the seats' surface is made of blue-colored moquette resembling old trains of the ex-Japanese National Railways. It's very nostalgic for longtime rail-fans like me.
Incidentally, I was surprised that the train was crowded with many passengers even during the daytime on a weekday. Not only local people, but also a number of young tourists were on board. The spring travel season will start soon.
To be continued...
