Lions train: 1107F of the EMU Tama Monorail 1000 series
Following the Seiseki-Sakuragaoka area on the Keio line, I enjoyed walking along Tama River again. It was a clear autumn day, and a perfect season for taking a walk.
I got off at Koshukaido station on the Tama Monorail line. It's about five kilometers above the Seiseki-Sakuragaka area. As soon as I reached the embankment, a train passed the river, and approached me. It was set 1107 (1107F) of the EMU 1000 series. 1107F is a special poster train with animal characters. They're male, female and baby lions in Tama Zoological Park. Yes, the purpose of this poster train is to promote tourism to Tama Zoological Park on the line. I was very happy to come across this rare train. Luckily, it was operated very slowly because of a deadhead train, so, I had enough time to take my camera out... and shooting. Five minutes later, the next train crossed the river. It was set 1115 (1115F) of the EMU 1000 series. 1115F is another poster train with different animal characters. They're giraffes, koalas and elephants... very cute. They're also residents of Tama Zoological Park. I was in high spirits, and fully enjoyed this fortuitous "animal parade".
For your information, Tama Monorail adopts a straddle-beam system like the Haneda line of Tokyo Monorail. Connecting Tama Center and Kamikitadai stations (16.0 kilometers), the route penetrates the western suburb of Tokyo from south to north. The EMU 1000 series has been operating on the line since 1998, when the monorail was opened.
Giraffes, koalas and elephants train: 1115F of the EMU Tama Monorail 1000 series