On October 11th, many rail fans were amazed by a news from Tobu Railway. "An old train, set 8111 (hereafter 8111F) of the EMU 8000 series, will be coming back to the track soon."
Let me review the history of 8111F. It's a 6-car train and the original 4 cars were built by Nippon Sharyo in 1963. After operating for 48 years, it was once retired from the track in 2011, and preserved in working conditions. At the same time, the owner of 8111F was moved from Tobu Railway to Tobu Museum. From 2011 to 2020, this preserved train was sometimes operated as a special train. For example, I saw it at Shimo-Itabashi station, when it was operated as a special train celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Tojo line; however, since 2020, we had never seen 8111F on the lines.
Actually, 8111F was alive! It was moved from the Tojo to the Noda line (Urban Park line), and started to be operated as a commuter train from October 31st in 2023. If 8111F were human, he (or she) would be a 60-year-old worker. He once retired at 48, but came back to his work at 60. Furthermore, he is working full time. That's amazing! Currently, many rail fans flock to the Noda line to shoot and ride this precious train. I was also one of them. When I was waiting for 8111F beside the track, many local people (non-rail fans) asked me, "Is any special train coming?" They showed deep interest in this precious train.
