"Hakone Tozan Train" in Switzerland

Unit 622, livery of Hakone Tozan Railway, the EL Class Ge 4/4 II in Switzerland

(Photo: Nicolai Okkels)

I've received interesting pictures from an European rail-fan. It's a Swiss narrow-gauge (1,000-millimeter-wide gauge) train pulled by an electric locomotive with a livery of Hakone Tozan Railway. My thanks go to Nicolai Okkels, who kindly sent me the photographs.

Let me quickly review Hakone Tozan Railway. It's a dependable transporter that climbs up Hakone Volcano in the suburban area of Tokyo. Connecting Odawara and Gora, the route length is 15 kilometers. This railway was partially opened as Odawara Horse Tramway in 1888. After electrification in 1900, the entire route was opened in 1919. Engineers of Hakone Tozan Railway at that time learnt advanced technologies from Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland, so, these two companies established a sister railway relationship in 1979.

The top photo shows a train pulled by an electric locomotive (EL) unit 622 of the Rhaetian Railway Class Ge 4/4 II. A large logo of "Hakone Tozan Railway (in Japanese)" on the locomotive body catches passengers' eyes. The Class Ge 4/4 II is a Bo'-Bo' (UIC notation) type alternate current EL with a thyristor phase electric control system. It was built by Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works in 1984.

I'm fond of this vermillion-colored EL with a European taste. The large Z-shaped single-armed pantographs are exotic for Japanese rail-fans. It's also interesting that each EL has its own name and emblem on the front. The name of the unit 622 is Arosa, which is a resort town in the eastern part of Switzerland.

A description of the sister railway relationship is seen on the locomotive body

 (Photo: Nicolai Okkels)

Final Chapter of the White-colored Elegant Train

Set 5320 of the EMU Toei 5300 series travels on the Keikyu line

(October, 2022)

Many rail-fans currently rumor that the EMU 5300 series will soon be retired from the Toei-Asakusa line. At last, the time has come.

Let me review the Toei-Asakusa line and the EMU 5300 series. The Toei-Asakusa line is the oldest Toei (the Tokyo Metropolitan Government owned) subway line. Connecting Oshiage and Nishi-Magome, its operating length is 18.3 kilometers. Trains on the Asakusa line are directly operated onto the Keikyu, Keisei and the other railways around the line. The EMU 5300 series was commissioned in 1991. It's known as the first model with a variable frequency drive electric control system on the Toei-Asakusa line. 27 sets, 216 cars in total, were built by Hitachi and the others, but most of them had already been replaced by a new model namely the 5500 series. Only one set (5320F) is currently operated on the line.

Sorry for the late description just before their retirement, but have you ever heard of two kinds of cowcatchers on the 5300 series? One is small and the other is large. Please look at the following photo. We rail-fans often call them "long-skirt" and "mini-skirt". The first 14 sets have mini-skirts; while the other 13 sets have long-skirts. I'm definitely fond of the long-skirt as it's more elegant. That long-skirt goes well with the white-colored bodies of the 5300 series.

After operating for 31 years, the 5300 series will be retired from the track in a month or so. Arigato (thanks) and sayonara (goodbye), to the EMU 5300 series.

EMU Toei 5300 series with long (left) and mini (right) skirts

(November, 2019)

Official Toei transportation movies:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2V_e2PqDF-pfLKeLTZHz3g

Official website, Toei transoportation:

https://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/eng/

Extra Rare Subway Spot on the Ginza Line

EMU Tokyo Metro 1000 series passes through a railway crossing near Ueno Depot

What comes to mind when you hear a subway? You tend to think of a dark tunnel or rarely an elevated track passing through a river and so on.

Wait a bit! I'd like you to see the top photo. You can see a railway crossing near Ueno station on the "subway" Tokyo Metro-Ginza line. It's an extra rare subway spot in Japan. Why is it there? That's a good question. This railway crossing is located on the siding track between the underground main track and Ueno Depot on the ground.

It's not easy to see a train passing through this railway crossing, because the timetable of deadhead trains to and from Ueno Depot are not made public. One day, I watched there between 4 and 5pm, and came across a train only one time. Tokyo Metro takes strict security measures at this railway crossing to ensure the safety of pedestrians. As you know, the electric system of the Ginza line is the third rail... not overhead catenary. To reduce the risk of pedestrians' electric shock, there're rugged steel gates on both sides of the railway crossing. Thanks to the steel gates, pedestrians don't get lost onto the subway track.

In the meantime, if you're interested, please have a look at my previous post in 2014. It's the other extra rare railway spot, where you can see a level intersection of a railway and a tram line in Matsuyama City. Extra rare railway spot-hopping... that's a very fun time.

A rugged steel gate is closed after a train passes through the railway crossing

The First Streetcar in Sendai City

Electric car MoHa 1 of the MoHa 1 series is exhibited in the Sendai Tram Museum

Let me continue from where I left off my last post.

After observing the last electric car, MoHa 415 of the MoHa 400 series, I moved to the oldest exhibition, MoHa 1 of the MoHa 1 series (that's a confusing name!), in the Sendai Tram Museum. The MoHa 1 series is the first streetcar model in Sendai City. It was launched in 1926 when the Sendai tramway was inaugurated. A total of 30 cars were built by Kawasaki Zosenjo (present Kawasaki Heavy Industries) from 1926 to 1928, but only one car, named MoHa 1 (MoHa 1 of the MoHa 1 series), is preserved in the museum. The MoHa 1 series is a 7.6-meter-long two-wheeled vehicle for 600V DC and 1,067-millimeter-wide gauge track. It has two 18.7 kW DC motors. The electric control system is direct method and the nose-suspension drive is used as its driving system. The MoHa 1 series can accommodate up to 40 passengers.

As its name suggests, MoHa 1 is a top number car of the MoHa 1 series. I was happy to see this precious streetcar in Sendai City. Its maroon-colored tiny body is cute. Specifically, the meshed "cowcatcher" on the front is very unique. As you know, a cowcatcher is the device mounted at the front of a train for removing obstacles on the track. As a matter of fact, the obstacles were not cows in the urban area.

MoHa 1 was retired from the track in 1965 after operating for 39 years.

Side view of MoHa 1

Preserved Streetcars in Sendai City

Electric car MoHa 415 is exhibited in the Sendai Tram Museum

Going back to the topic of my trip to Sendai City last month...

After enjoying the city view, I visited the Sendai Tram Museum. Sendai once had an extensive tram network. The first route was opened in 1926 by the Electric Department (present Transportation Bureau) of Sendai City. The Sendai tram had a total of 16-kilometer-long line network at its peak, but it was unfortunately abolished in 1976 due to heavy traffic congestion in the urban area. The Sendai Tram Museum was then opened in 1991 in the premises of Tomizawa Railyard on the subway Namboku line.

Most of the streetcars had already been scrapped; however, several vehicles are still preserved in the museum. Let me introduce my favorite one, MoHa 415 of the electric car MoHa 400 series today. The MoHa 400 series was commissioned in 1959. It's a 600 V DC and middle-sized (11.9-meter-long) double-axle bogie car for 1,067-millimeter-wide gauge. One unit can accommodate up to 84 passengers. A total of 15 cars were built, but only one car, named MoHa 415, is preserved in the museum. The MoHa 415 was the last streetcar, which Sendai City introduced onto their tram network.

The slender face of the MoHa 415 is definitely my favorite. Furthermore, I'm fond of the coloring of this streetcar as well. I have faint memories of the time when the Sendai tram was operated in my childhood. Its green and orange-colored stripes fitted the trees that line along the tram routes.

To be continued...

Side view of electric car MoHa 415

Official website, Sendai City Transportation Bureau:

https://www.kotsu.city.sendai.jp/english/index.html

Official website, the Sendai Tram Museum (in Japanese):

https://www.kotsu.city.sendai.jp/shiden/index.html

The 150th Anniversary of Japanese Railways

A platform of the former Shimbashi station

We celebrate the 150th anniversary of Japanese railways today. The first railway was inaugurated on October 14th in 1872 between Shimbashi and Yokohama stations. It was only five years after the new Meiji Government was established, and 18 years after the Tokugawa Shogunate opened a port to the U.S. stopping their long isolation policy.

The Old Shimbashi Station is an architecture reproducing the former Shimbashi station building and the former platform in the same place as it was. The building is currently used as the Railway History Exhibition Hall. It's a free museum which anyone can visit casually. The old platform is also interesting. It's about a 30-meter-long (originally 150-meter-long) platform with a distance post indicating "zero", because the Japanese railway started at Shimbashi station at that time. When the railway was opened, almost all the vehicles, for example the Class 150 steam locomotive (SL), were introduced from the United Kingdom. We can still observe them in the Railway Museum in Saitama City. The Class 150 SL was designated as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese Government in 1997.

What's the plan of the Japanese railways toward the next 150 years? The next step will be the opening of a magnetic levitation railway (SCMAGLEV) called Chuo Linear Shinkansen, which is planned to be inaugurated in 2027. The super express train with a maximum speed of 500 kilometers per hour (311 MPH) will be operated to connect Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes.

The former Shimbashi station building

Official website, the Old Shimbashi Station:

https://www.ejrcf.or.jp.e.zm.hp.transer.com/shinbashi/

Japanese Serow on the "Tokyo Adventure Line"

"Tokyo Adventure Line" plate of the EMU JR East E233 series

After sighting a tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog) on the urban railway track, I remembered that I saw several wild animals in the residential areas of Tokyo Metropolis in the last few years. One of such amazing sightings was a Japanese serow in Ome City.

When I enjoyed strolling in the residential area of Ome City, I found a flashy signboard saying "beware of wild boars". 10 seconds later, an animal suddenly crossed in front of me. "A wild boar?", but something felt wrong, because he (or she) had horns on its head. It was not a wild boar, but a Japanese serow!

The Japanese serow is an even-toed ungulate mammal. It was designated as a special natural treasure by the Japanese Government in 1955. I don't know why such a wild animal appeared in the residential area of Tokyo Metropolis. He (or she) contemplated me for a while, and leisurely walked into a forest adjacent to the residential area.

To visit this wild animal habitat, the nearest station is Ome on the JR East Ome line. I recently found that an orange-colored train, namely JR East E233 series, was displaying a special plate on the front saying "Tokyo Adventure Line". It's JR East's sales campaign to promote tourism to the Ome line. It means "Enjoy authentic nature as soon as you get off trains". Exactly! I Enjoyed strolling along the Ome line and sighting a precious wild animal... "Tokyo Adventure Line" is a perfectly fitting phrase for the Ome line.

A Japanese serow appears in a residential area of Ome City, Tokyo Metropolis

City View of Sendai

EMU JR East E721-1000 series stands at Sendai station

I would like to describe the memory of my travel to Sendai City a little bit more.

After enjoying taking subway pictures, I returned to the city center and visited an observation deck in front of Sendai station. What jumped into my eyes was a white-colored structure like a petroleum pipeline. It was a long-arcaded shopping street named Chuo-dori (Central Street). I could also see green hills of Aobayama and Yagiyama at the end of the "pipeline". Subway trains on the Tozai line climb up these steep green hills through deep tunnels. That's really surprising. I fully enjoyed the city view of Sendai.

I can't be written off here as this is a railway blog. Taking this opportunity, I'm going to show you JR East's new train, which I came across at Sendai station. The EMU 721-1000 series is an alternate current train in the Sendai area. It was launched in 2016 as a younger brother (or sister) of the 721-0 series. What are the major differences between the older E721-0 and the younger E721-1000 series? First, one set of the E721-0 is composed of 2 cars; while, the E721-1000 consists of 4 cars. Second, driver-only operation is possible using the E721-0; while, the E721-1000 has to carry a conductor. Third, the E721-0 has green and red-colored body stripes; while, the E721-1000 has green and pink-colored stripes. Finding such subtle differences between trains is the greatest pleasure for trainspotters like me. Everyone says trainspotters are such oddballs. I think so too.

City view of Sendai

The Namboku Line: What Changes and What doesn't...

EMU Sendai Subway 1000 series arrives at Yaotome station on the Namboku line

(September, 2022)

After observing the subway Tozai line, I transferred to the Namboku line (North-South line) at Sendai station. My destination was Yaotome station, where rail-fans can shoot subway trains on the elevated track during the daytime instead of on the dark underground track.

Ten years have already passed since I visited here last time, but the taste of the station remained almost unchanged. The train was also unchanged. Everything looked the same as before, but it's certainly a pleasure rather than boring. Why? Because, my last visit was ten months after the giant earthquake hit Sendai City in 2011. The epicenter of the earthquake was located offshore, 170 kilometers east of the city. The Namboku line was severely damaged by the destructive shaking. The bridge girders of the elevated track section near Yaotome station were cracked. The train operation returned to normal just before I visited here last time. I'm thankful to spend ordinary days. Everything is unchanged. That's great!

For your information, the Namboku line was opened in 1987 as the first subway route in Sendai City. Connecting Izumi-chuo and Tomizawa, the route length is 14.8 kilometers. The gauge size is 1,067 millimeters and the electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead. The EMU 1000 series is the sole model operated on the line. Train operator, the Transportation Bureau of Sendai City, plans to introduce a new model named EMU 3000 series in the fiscal year 2024. Later, the taste of the Namboku line will be drastically changed.

To be continued...

EMU Sendai Subway 1000 series arrives at Yaotome station on the Namboku line

(February, 2012)

Unique Subway Line in Sendai City

EMU Sendai Subway 2000 series passes through Hirose River Valley

Six years have already passed since the second subway line was opened in Sendai City. I'm going to introduce the highlights of this route, namely Tozai line (East-West line), today.

To start, let me quickly review the Tozai line. It's a mini-sized subway operated by the Transportation Bureau of Sendai City. Similar to the Ooedo line in Tokyo Metropolis and the Green line in Yokohama City, linear motor technology is adopted for the train driving system. Connecting Arai and Yagiyama Zoological Park stations, the route length is 13.9 kilometers. The gauge size is 1,435 millimeters and the electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead. The EMU 2000 series is the sole model operated on the line. One train is 66.5 meters long, and consists of four cars.

Let's head to the main topic. Yagiyama Zoological Park terminal is located at the highest altitude of all subway lines throughout Japan. The platform of this station is 136.4 meters above sea level. To climb up this steep mountain, the railway track of the Tozai line passes Hirose River valley by a bridge, not underground. If the section of Hirose River Valley was underground, the platform of Yagiyama Zoological Park station would be very deep from the ground surface, because the subway trains wouldn't climb up the steep track. Thanks to this unique track, we can observe the Tozai line trains passing through Hirose River Valley above ground. It's a gorgeous photogenic spot for rail-fans.

To be continued...

Side view of the EMU Sendai Subway 2000 series