It's getting warmer and warmer in Tokyo. The maximum daytime temperature is nearly 20 degrees Celsius. The spring outing season has just started. I recently visited the Seibu-Tamagawa line for the first time in three years.
To start, let me quickly review the Seibu-Tamagawa line. It's a short local route in the western part of Tokyo. Connecting Musashi-Sakai on the JR East Chuo line and Koremasa near Tama River, the route length is 8.0 kilometers. The track is a 1,067 millimeter-size single and electrified. The electric system is 1,500 V DC with overhead catenaries. 4-car trains are operated every 12 minutes. This route was opened in 1917 to transport gravel from the Tama riverbed to large cities for construction. It's similar to the history of the JR East Nambu line. The route was, then, changed to a commuter line in 1967.
I got off at Shin-Koganei station, and headed to Nogawa river. On the way to the river, I found a fantastic shooting spot of the Tamagawa line trains. It was a straight track in a trench surrounded by a residential area, and had good visibility. The even more good news was that numerous yellow-colored canola flowers were blooming beautifully along the track. The land for the future double track project is especially a suitable space for canola planting. Another of my favorite shooting spots was Nimaibashi bridge over Nogawa river. I could enjoy both the colorful New 101 series trains and the beautiful stream. Spring is here on the Seibu-Tamagawa line.
