There are more topics to post on my early summer trip to Sendai City. I'm going to show you a multi-colored train on the JR East Senseki line today.
To start, let me review the Senseki line. It's one of the main commuting arteries in the Sendai area. Connecting Aoba-dori, the city center of Sendai, and Ishinomaki, the second largest city in Miyagi Prefecture; the total route length is 52 kilometers. It carries an average of 20,000 passengers per day.
Now, let's head to the main topic. The EMU 205-3100 series is the representative train on the Senseki line. It had been operated on the Yamanote and Saikyo lines in Tokyo under the name of the 205-0 series, but was transferred to the Senseki line in 2002. Before the relocation, they were renovated. For example, brakes and door systems were modified to snow and cold-resistant ones, and renamed the EMU 205-3100 series. A total of 17 sets, 68 units, are currently operated on the line.
Most of the 205-3100 series trains have blue-colored stripes, but 3 sets have multi-colored bodies. Please look at the photos. It's a 4-car train, set M4. The one leading car has a light-green-colored body; meanwhile, another leading car has a dark-pink-colored body. These colors stand for the forest in Sendai City (light green) and the azalea blossoms in Ishinomaki City (dark pink) respectively. The other two middle cars have orange and purple-colored bodies. As a railfan, there's nothing happier than to see a train unique to a local city.
