I’d like to continue with the topic of Seibu Railway today.
I recently visited Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. I’m not particularly an airplane enthusiast, but I enjoyed visiting the birthplace of Japanese aviation, as it is the site of Japan’s first airfield. On my way home, I switched back to being a trainspotter when I came across an unfamiliar train at Kokukoen (Aviation Park) Station on the Seibu-Shinjuku Line. What was that train?
It immediately rang a bell—I realized I had seen it before: the ex-Odakyu 8000 series! As I mentioned in a previous post, Seibu Railway purchased 100 secondhand train cars from Odakyu Electric Railway and Tokyu Corporation in 2024. These included the EMU Odakyu 8000 and Tokyu 9000 series. Eight months later, the ex-Odakyu 8000 series was modified into the “EMU Seibu 8000 series” and began its test runs. According to Seibu Railway, the reborn 8000 series is scheduled to debut at the end of this month. I can’t wait!
Just after the ex-Odakyu train departed, a yellow-colored train with a special plate on its front arrived at the station. What was that? It turned out to be the special “130th Anniversary of Kawagoe Railway” train. The Seibu-Shinjuku and Kokubunji Lines were originally inaugurated by the Kawagoe Railway in 1895. I found that the anniversary plate was displayed on the front of train set 2065 of the EMU Seibu 2000N series. The round plate was provided by Sayama City for the celebration. Congratulations on the 130th anniversary!
Seibu Railway is full of fascinating topics.
