It's already mid-October. The weather has become cooler. It's the best season for a stroll. I resumed walking along Tama River and its tributaries. My destination this time was Asakawa in Hachioji City. As soon as I reached the embankment, I found a double-track railway bridge across the river. That was Asakawa Bridge on the JR East Chuo line. You may remember the bridge of the same name on the JR East Hachiko line, but this bridge is located 950 meters downstream side of the Asakawa Bridge on the Hachiko line. It's confusing, isn't it?
Five minutes later, a white-colored train with a purple-colored stripe passed in front of me at high speed. That was the EMU JR East E353 series, a limited express "Azusa". The E353 series has a special air suspension type tilting system to pass through tight curves keeping at high speed. The maximum operating speed of the E353 series is 130 kilometers per hour. It was very fast and breathtaking! After passing under the bridge, I continued walking upstream. Another five minutes later, an oil transportation train pulled by a blue-colored electric locomotive (EL) passed through the bridge. The EL was the Class EH200, "Blue Thunder", operated by JR Freight. Its maximum speed is 95 kilometers per hour on the steep tracks. Being coupled two units, it has a total of eight 565kW induction motors.
In the end, I couldn't help observing trains, even if I was enjoying riverside walking. That's a rail-fan's instinct, isn't it?
