Do you like gambling? Is it about me? I don't like it that much. Why? Because, I'm always being lucky or unlucky when I go trainspotting. Before enjoying trainspotting, I never fail to review timetables and the related websites to get the latest train operation information; however, things aren't going according to plan. For example, my target trainset is often abruptly replaced by the other rollingstock. My train view is often blocked by the other trains. In other words, trainspotting is almost gambling. I don't want to bet on other games such as horse racing and lotteries.
Enough with the preamble. Let's get down to the main topic. One of the famous places for Japanese gamblers is Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu City, about 30 kilometers west of the Shinjuku sub-center. To get to this holy place for gamblers, the nearest station is Fuchu-keiba-seimonmae (The main gate of Fuchu Racecourse) on the Keio-Keibajo line (Keio-Racecourse line). Connecting Higashi-Fuchu and Fuchu-keiba-seimonmae, the route length is 0.9 kilometers. The track is double and electrified with 1,500V DC. The gauge size is 1,372 millimeters. On a day at the races, many trains, including a 10-cars limited express, are operated from Shinjuku terminal. A large number of gamblers take this line... but, what does this route look like on a day with no races? Please look at the photos. A 2-car local train without conductors is operated every 20 minutes. The passengers seem like only local people. The spacey terminal looks empty and quiet. There is a big gap!
