On August 1st, 2023, Keio Corporation celebrated the 90th anniversary of their Inokashira line. In commemoration, Keio is displaying a memorial plate on the train set 1729 of the EMU 1000 series.
Let me review the Inokashira line. It's a 12.7-kilometer-long commuter route in the western part of Tokyo Metropolis. The track is 1,067 millimeter-size double. The electric system is 1,500 V DC with overhead catenaries. 5-car trains, named EMU 1000 series, is the sole model on the line. The Inokashira line was partially opened from Shibuya to Inokashira-koen in 1933, and fully opened to Kichijoji in 1934 by Teito Electric Railway, which was an Odakyu group company. The owner of the Inokashira line was transferred to Keio after WWII.
I was born in a residential area on the Inokashira line, and have been witnessing the history of this commuter route. There were some empty lots beside the track when I was a kid. I often played baseball there with my friends and the balls sometimes got inside the track. I can't see such empty lots anymore. Luggage trains were operated when I was a kid. The railway employees sometimes gave me a ride, but I missed such special opportunities anymore, because luggage trains were abolished. Green-colored passenger trains with a nose suspension driving system were operated when I was a kid. Its gargle running sound was definitely my favorite, but those trains were replaced by the modern 1000 series with a soft sound. Time really flies.
