“Shin-Keisei” Update: Merger with Keisei

Trainset 8807 of the EMU ex-Shin-Keisei 8800 series (Keisei color) 

On April 1st, Shin-Keisei Electric Railway Company was merged by Keisei Electric Railway Company. How are the ex-Shin-Keisei and Keisei lines going? I recently visited these lines and saw them with my own eyes.

To start, let me review Shin-Keisei Electric Railway Company (hereafter Shin-Keisei). It was established in 1946 as an affiliate firm of Keisei Electric Railway Company (hereafter Keisei). Shin-Keisei fully opened a 26.5-kilometer-long railway route between Matsudo and Keisei-Tsudanuma in 1955. Shin-Keisei then became a fully owned subsidiary of Keisei in 2022 through a share exchange. This year, Keisei absorbed Shin-Keisei and became the larger Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd. It's expected to maximize synergies by making faster decisions. The new name of the ex-Shin-Keisei line is the “Keisei-Matsudo line”.

Now, let's head to the main topic. I found that the body colors of the trains on the Keisei-Matsudo line started changing. Please look at the top photo. It’s trainset 8807 of the EMU 8800 series. It was pink and white two-toned in the Shin-Keisei era but is now light gray color with red and blue-colored stripes, so-called “Keisei color”. This color change will be applied to all the ex-Shin-Keisei trains little by little. On the other hand, the changes of the Keisei lines were small. New railway maps including the "Matsudo line” were put up in the trains and the stations. Also, I came across a train displaying the commemoration plate on the front (see the photo below). It’s trainset 3030 of the EMU 3000 series. The plate says, “Hello Matsudo line”.

Trainset 3030 of the EMU Keisei 3000 series displays the commemoration plate

Official railway map by Keisei Electric Railway:

https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/traffic/pdf/railmap.pdf

Preserved DMU in Takachiho Town

DMU ex-Takachiho Railway TR-300 series is preserved in Takachiho Town

This is a continuation of my recent trip to Miyazaki Prefecture. After enjoying the train inn and the spectacular gorge, I headed a shochu (a kind of Japanese liquors) brewery nearby Takachiho Gorge. For what? Do I like shochu? Of course I love it, but not only that. The answer is to observe a preserved DMU. You may remember when I posted about the preserved steam locomotive in a shochu brewery last year. At that time, the beautiful photos were provided by a Danish railfan, Nicolai Okkels. After looking his photos, I noticed that one more railway vehicle is preserved that site. It means I have to go.

Please look at the top photo. They’re Unit TR-301 and 302 of the DMU ex-Takachiho Railway TR-300 series. It was built by Niigata Engineering in 1991 and commissioned as a reserved seat sightseeing train, “Takachiho”. Each unit has a 183kW diesel engine with a fluid transmission system. It looks a fixed two-car trainset, but as a matter of fact, it was operated connecting with the TR-100 series.　To be precise, the EMU TR-300 series was separated into individual unit and being connected with one unit of the TR-100 series.

After operating 12 years, the TR-300 series was retired from the track in 2003. It’s currently used as a rest area in the shochu brewery (see the photo below). I stopped by there after shopping. I couldn’t drink shochu as I had to drive a rent-a-car at that time but could relax for a while sitting on the comfortable seat.

Interior of the DMU TR-300 series

Official information about the preserved DMU TR-300 series by the shochu brewery:

https://tonnerunoeki.com/en/train

The 100th Anniversary of the Setagaya Line

Set 305 of the electric car Tokyu 300 series displays the 100th anniversary sticker

On May 1st, Tokyu Railways celebrated the 100th anniversary of their Setagaya line. In commemoration, Tokyu held many events locally.

Let me review the Setagaya line. It’s a route based on Tramways Act. Connecting Sangenjaya on the Tokyu-Denentoshi line and Shimo-Takaido on the Keio line. The total operating length is 5.0 kilometers and the whole route is a double track. The electric system is 600 V DC. The gauge size is 1,372 millimeters. The Setagaya line was originally opened in 1925 as a branch route of the Tamagawa line (hereafter Tamaden). The main route, Tamaden, was opened in 1907 connecting Shibuya and Futako-tamagawa via Sangenjaya. Tamaden was constructed as a shared track on National Highway No.246, so that unfortunately abolished in 1969 due to heavy traffic jams. On the other hand, the Setagaya line was constructed as an exclusive track, so that only the branch route (Setagaya line) was survived.

One of the 100th anniversary events is special memorial stickers on the trams. Please look at the top photo. It’s Set 305 of the electric car 300 series displaying the special rounded memorial sticker on the front. It’s definitely beautiful but wait a moment. Something is lacking. Speaking of the 300 series, why don’t I shoot Tamaden-colored Set 301 as well? As I posted before, Set 301 is the representative tramcar on the Setagaya line. That’s why I again visited Yamashita stop at a later date and shot the Set 301 (see the photo below). Rail-fans are sticklers for detail of their photo subjects, aren’t they?

Set 301 (Tamaden color) arrives at Yamashita stop on the Setagaya line

Official information about the 100th anniversary of the Setagaya line by Tokyu Railways (in Japanese):

https://www.tokyu.co.jp/company/information/pdf/20250416_setagayasen100_d.pdf

Train Inn and Spectacular Gorge in Miyazaki Prefecture

Unit TR-105 of the diesel railcar TR-100 series is reused as a train inn

This is a continuation from my post on June 6th. After observing JR Freight’s mini locomotive at Nobeoka station, I headed to Takachiho Town in the northwestern part of Miyazaki Prefecture. Takachiho is famous for its stunning natural scenery.

On the way to Takachiho, I found trains along the road. What are those? The answer was a train inn. There was a railway named Takachiho line until 2005 in this area. It had been operated by a local company Takachiho Railway but unfortunately abolished in 2008 due to the severe damage by Typhoon number 14. One of local towns, Hinokage Town, took over two diesel railcars and opened a train inn named “TR Train Inn” along the ex-track. For your information, “TR” stands for Takachiho Railway. These railcars are Unit TR-104 and 105 of the TR-100 series built by Niigata Engineering in 1989. The TR-100 series is a 15.8-meter-long railcar equipped with a 183kW diesel engine and a fluid transmission system. For more information about this unique train inn, please check out the bottom of this post.

After observing the lovely train inn, I visited Takachiho Gorge, a deep canyon formed by Gokase River. I could see picturesque columnar joints on the walls of the valley. These joints remind visitors of rapidly cooled basalt or andesite lavas, but actually, the host rock is welded tuff erupted from Mt. Aso about 130,000 years ago. That’s very rare. I enjoyed both the train inn and the spectacular gorge in Miyazaki Prefecture.

Beautiful columnar joints are seen within the welded tuff at Takachiho Gorge

Official website, "TR Train Inn" at ex-Hinokage-onsen station (in Japanese):

https://hinokagecho.com/hinokageonsen-inn.html

EMU 80000 Series: New Model on the Urban Park Line

EMU Tobu 80000 series travels on the Urban Park line

You may remember when I posted about the name change of the Tobu-Noda line in before. Japan's population has entered into a decreasing phase. Railway companies are in competition to attract passengers and have to improve the value of their lines. For that purpose, Tobu Railway gave a nickname of their "Noda line" to "Urban Park line" in 2014. What do you think about the new name, “Urban Park line”? Is it sophisticated? To be honest, I wonder why Japanese people are eager to use English words for their shops', restaurants' and companies' names... even for railway stations' and railway lines' names. 

Enough with the preamble, let's get down to the main topic. I recently understood that Tobu continues improving the value of their lines very seriously. Not only just the name of the line but also the train itself on the line. In token of that, Tobu launched a new sophisticated commuter train, the EMU 80000 series, onto their Urban Park line this year. It's been 12 years since the last model, the EMU 60000 series, debuted. What’s special about the 80000 series? It has an area for families with children. There is a unique seat with a baby stroller parking area named “Tanoseat” (see the photo below). Tanoseat is a compound word of Tanoshii (fun) in Japanese and Seat in English.  A family gets together at Tanoseat, it will be so much fun. I’m running out of space on the page. With regard to the technical specifications of the 80000 series, I’m going to post near future.

"Tanoseat" of the EMU Tobu 80000 series

Official information about the EMU 80000 series by Tobu Railway (in Japanese):

https://www.tobu.co.jp/cms-pdf/releases/202404161247115gFjCdYsG3H5MfjtzUEqxQ.pdf

2025 Hydrangea Season on the Keio-Inokashira Line

Hydrangea flowers and the EMU Keio 1000 series near Hamadayama station

On June 10th, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that this year's rainy season had begun in the metropolitan area. As I posted every year, we have hot and humid days in the metropolitan area from early June to mid-July. At times like that, the only thing that saves my gloomy feelings before midsummer is viewing hydrangeas which come into flower this season. This year, I visited two beautiful spots on the Keio-Inokashira line.

First, I got off the train at Hamadayama station. Full-blown hydrangeas were seen here and there along the railway track near the station. Furthermore, I saw many photo lovers shooting the flowers and the trains. We gave each other space and shot the flowers and trains. Please look at the top photo. In addition to the classic purple flowers, the pink-colored ones are vivid, aren’t they? The passing train is Set 1771 of the EMU Keio 1000 series, which displays the special hydrangea plate on the front. That’s so picturesque.

After enjoying around Hamadayama station, I stopped by Meidaimae station and tried to shoot the full-blown hydrangeas on the embankments of the track. Please look at the photo below. Keio has been working on planting hydrangeas on the embankments of the railways to prevent slope failure and protect the environment since 1991. This is my favorite spot where I visited in 2012 and 2015 as well. My recent visit was for the first time in ten years, but the I found that the embankments were still beautifully maintained.

Hydrangea flowers and the EMU Keio 1000 series near Meidaimae Station

News from Indonesia: Revival of "JALITA"

8618F of the EMU ex-Tokyu 8500 series, "JALITA" in Indonesia

Photo: Faris Fadhli

This is a continuation from my post on June 3rd. My thanks again go to Faris Fadhli, who kindly sent me the recent picture.

On April 22nd, the 100th anniversary celebration of the Indonesian electric railways was held in Jakarta. Many special trains such as the old electric locomotive “Bonbon” were operated in the Jakarta area. Along with Bonbon, “JALITA" was also stood out on that day. What’s JALITA? It’s a special commuter trainset named by the Transport Minister of Indonesia in 2009 celebrating establishment of the new commuter railway company in the Jakarta metropolitan area. It had a unique tri-toned face (red, black and silver, see the top photo). There are differing opinions on the origin of JALITA. One of them is that JALITA stands for “Jalur Lingkar Jakarta”, in Indonesian, which means Jakarta Loop Line. Another one is that JALITA stands for “Jalan Jalan Lintas Jakarta”, in Indonesian, which means strolling on the Jakarta line. According to a Japanese rail-fan blogger residing in Jakarta, “Pakuan Kyuko (Pakuan Express)”, the latter is correct.

Incidentally, the original JALITA was Trainset 8613 of the EMU ex-Tokyu 8500 series (hereafter 8613F). 8613F was transferred from Japan to Indonesia as a second-hand train in 2009. It was then changed its body color in 2013. 8613F has already been retired from the track in Indonesia as well, but instead, the last survivor of the ex-Tokyu 8500 series, namely Trainset 8618 (hereafter 8618F), became the JALITA-colored train this time. You can also see what 8618F was 16 years ago in the photo below. JALITA… welcome back.

8618F arrives at Jakarta Kota station (February 21st, 2009)

Disney Resort Line: 2025 Update

A side view of "Duffy and Friends Colorful Happiness Liner", Set 104 of Type-C

I visited the Disney Resort line for the first time in a year and a half. What's new with this monorail line in the dream and magic kingdom?

Let's take a quick look at the Disney Resort line to start. It's a straddle type monorail line opened in 2001. The route is a looped single track running through Disney amusement facilities, official hotels and JR East Maihama station. The electric system is 1,500V DC. There are four stations over the total operating length of 5.0 kilometers. 6-car trains run counterclockwise throughout the day.

Let's get down to the main topic. Which do you prefer? The good news first or the sad news first? The good news is starting operation of “Duffy and Friends Colorful Happiness Liner”. This year is the 20th anniversary of Duffy and Friends in Tokyo Disney Resort. In commemoration, a special poster train named Duffy and Friends Colorful Happiness Liner debuted on April 8th using Set 101 of the EMU 100 series (Type-C). You can see the characters of Duffy and Friends on the side bodies.

The sad news is the retirement of the EMU 10 series (Type-X). Type-X was the first model on the Disney Resort line, which debuted in 2001. 19 years later, a new model namely Type-C debuted in 2020, and had been replacing Type-X. The final survivor of the Type-X train, namely Set 4, was retired from the track in September last year, while it was missed by rail-fans. Thank you and good-bye to the Type-X trains.

"Duffy and Friends Colorful Happiness Liner" arrives at Tokyo Disneyland station

Official website, the Disney Resort line:

https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tdr/resortline.html

Mini Locomotive on Kyushu Island

JR Freight's diesel locomotive Unit 51 of the Class DB500 (DB500-51)

Sorry for jumping from one topic to another, but I’m going to follow up and post about my recent visit to Miyazaki Prefecture today.

I took JR Kyushu’s limited express train “Hyuga” at Miyazaki Airport station and headed north. My destination was Nobeoka City in the northern part of Miyazaki Prefecture. When I got off the train at Nobeoka station, I found an unfamiliar locomotive in the station yard. What’s that? The answer was JR Freight’s diesel locomotive “Class DB500”. JR Freight (JRF) is one of the JR group railway companies. Unlike the other JR group companies, JRF operates their freight trains on a nationwide scale using the other JR group companies' tracks.

The Class DB500 was commissioned in 2016 as a switcher for freight stations.  As I posted before, JRF launched a hybrid switcher, Class HD300, in 2011. It’s a silent and eco-friendly locomotive, but too big for small freight stations. JRF then developed a small switcher Class DB500 for small freight stations. It’s only 7.65 meters long and weighs 26,900 kilograms. A total of four units were built by Hokuriku Heavy Industries. Two of them belong to freight stations on Kyushu Island. With regard to the technical specifications, Class DB500 is classifies as a hydraulic diesel locomotive with an axis arrangement A-A (JNR notation). Unit 51 (see the photos) is equipped with a diesel engine made by Volvo and can pull up to 500,000 kilograms cargo container wagons within freight station yards.

Class DB500… it’s a mini locomotive but a hard worker, isn’t it?

Diesel locomotive DB500-51 and container cars stand at Nobeoka freight station 

News from Indonesia: The 100th Anniversary of "Bonbon"

Electric locomotive Unit 3201 "Bonbon" of the Class ESS 3200 in Indonesia

(Photo: Faris Fadhli) 

I'm temporally shelving the topic of Japanese trains and showing Indonesian railway pictures today. I have received news from an Indonesian rail-fan. Indonesia recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of its electric railways. My thanks go to Faris Fadhli, who kindly sent me the recent picture.

To start, let me quickly review the history of Indonesian railways. Indonesia’s first railway was opened in 1867 by a Dutch railway company. 58 years later, the first electric railway was completed in Jakarta in 1925. This year marks the 100th anniversary. I was stationed in Jakarta from 2007 to 2011 as an exploration geologist of a petroleum and natural gas company. There was no greater happiness than enjoying the railways with local rail-fans on weekends back then.

Enough with the preamble. On April 22nd, the 100th anniversary celebration was held in Jakarta and many special trains were operated. One of historical rollingstock was the electric locomotive (hereafter EL) Unit 3201 of the Class ESS 3200 (see the top photo). The ESS 3200 is a '(1B)(B1)' (UIC notation) type EL for 1,500V direct current tracks. It’s called “Bonbon” by local people. A total of 6 units were built by Werkspoor from 1925 to 1927, but only Unit 3201 is preserved.

I still remember when I came across Unit 3201 in April 2009 (see the photo below). It was just after the reopening of Tanjung Priok station. I was fascinated this elegant EL. It had a white-colored body and went well with the same-colored shining platform. Congratulations on the 100th birthday of Indonesian electric railways and Bonbon!

Unit 3201 is exhibited on Track 6 in Tanjung Priok station, Indonesia (April 18, 2009)