Following the EMU 7000 series, I'm going to show you the current figure of the EMU 3000 series on the Sunzu line of Izu-Hakone Railway today.
To start, let me quickly review the Sunzu line and the EMU 3000 series. The Sunzu line is one of the local railway routes operated by Izu-Hakone Railway. Connecting Mishima, a city in the eastern part of Shizuoka Prefecture, and Shuzenji, a 1,200-year-old hot spring town, there are 13 stations over a total operating length of 19.8 kilometers. The entire route is an electrified single track. The EMU 3000 series is one of the commuter trains operating on the line. It was commissioned in 1979 to replace the decrepit small-sized trains. A total of six sets, 18 units, were built by Tokyu Sharyo. The first four sets (set 3501 to 3504) have steel bodies. On the other hand, the second two sets (set 3505 and 3506) have stainless-steel bodies.
Now let's head to the main topic. I found that the body colors of set 3501 of the 3000 series have been changed. Set 3501 originally had white-colored bodies with blue-colored stripes, but was modified to two tones of green and cream as a special set. Why? That's because Izu-Hakone Railway celebrated the 120th anniversary of the Sunzu line. In commemoration, set 3501 was changed to "the revival-colored train", which had been operated until 1963. What a nostalgic color design it is! It's similar to the Enoden 300 series in Kamakura City. It's definitely my eye candy.
