On March 31st, Sagami Railway (Sotetsu) launched the 12th-generation Sounyan Train. Today, I’d like to show you this new “poster train.”
Let’s start with a quick review of Sounyan. He’s Sotetsu’s mascot character—a “new species of cat,” according to the company’s website. He was born on March 10th somewhere along the Sotetsu Line, joined Sotetsu in 2014, and has been working in public relations ever since. He’s good at finding new things, and his hobbies are photography and eating out.
He seems like a fine young cat, but he also has a small mental burden—people often mistake him for a raccoon dog! That has apparently troubled him for a long time. What a detailed backstory he has! Well, as they say, no one can live on sweet words alone.
Jokes aside, the purposes of the Sounyan Train are to promote the charm of the Sotetsu Line and to give passengers a relaxing experience.
Trainset 11002 of the EMU 11000 series is used for this 12th-generation version. The 11000 series is Sotetsu’s commuter train that debuted in 2009. To reduce manufacturing costs, it shares most of its technical specifications with JR East's EMU E233 series.
Please look at the top photo. A stuffed Sounyan is sitting in the driver’s cab! It’s so cute—but I feel like I’ve seen something similar before... Let me think—oh, yes, Odakyu’s “Mocoron”!
Incidentally, you can check out my past posts about the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th-generation Sounyan Trains as well.
