I live close to the Odakyu line, and take it almost every day. Even I seldom see two kinds of Odakyu trains with that in mind. One is KuYa 31, which is the inspection car. The other one is the EMU 50000 series, whose nickname is Romance Car "VSE". Odakyu doesn't release timetables of these trains, so whether I can meet them or not depends on my luck.
I recently came across VSE at Chitose-Funabashi station by chance. VSE is one of Odakyu's limited express trains (Romance Cars). It was commissioned in 2005, and achieved a high level of popularity among tourists to Hakone, a popular mountain resort. Its cockpit is upstairs, so that passengers can enjoy a front view through the wide front windows. VSE was terminated in its regular service on March 11th last year. It's currently operated only as a chartered or special train.
VSE suddenly approached me, so I was very surprised. Taking out my camera hastily, I shot it immediately before it passed in front of me. Good job! Only one thing was that VSE traveled on the local train's track, not on the express trains' track. The section around Chitose-Funabashi station is a double-double track. The westbound trains travel on one of these tracks. For taking pictures, travelling on the express train's track was better, because the whole train could be contained properly within an image. Did I have an enviable problem?
Long time no see VSE! I'm relieved you look fine.
