On October 14th, 2024, Seibu Railway celebrated the 55th anniversary of the Seibu-Chichibu Line. To commemorate this milestone, the company held several special events.
Let me start with a brief review of the Seibu-Chichibu Line. This mountain railway runs through the Chichibu Mountains, located in the northwestern part of the Tokyo metropolitan area. Connecting Agano and Seibu-Chichibu, the line is 19 kilometers long. It consists mostly of single track and is electrified at 1,500 V DC with a gauge of 1,067 millimeters.
The route was opened on October 14th, 1969, to serve both tourists and cement transportation. For your reference, Mt. Buko in the Chichibu area is well known for its limestone production, a key material used in cement. The limited express train “Laview (EMU 001 series)” and the local train (EMU 4000 series)” are the main rolling stock currently operated on the line.
Now, let’s move on to the main topic. On November 11th, 2024, Seibu began operating a special “55th Anniversary Train” on the Seibu-Chichibu Line. The train uses set 4017 of the EMU 4000 series, painted in an eye-catching red and beige livery. According to Seibu, this color scheme was inspired by the Class E851 electric locomotive, which once operated on the Seibu-Chichibu Line until its retirement in 1996.
The E851 was a Bo+Bo+Bo-type DC electric locomotive equipped with six 425 kW motors. In its prime, it could haul 1,000-ton cement trains in double-heading operation. You can get an idea of its powerful appearance from the replica displayed at Seibu-Chichibu Station (see the photo below). The E851 is on the left.
Congratulations to the Seibu-Chichibu Line on its 55th anniversary!
