When I visited the Keisei-Matsudo Line in August, I spotted a rare sight—a railroad speeder, Unit M2591, parked in the Keisei-Makuhari station yard. I got off at the station and was able to observe it from the platform. Please check out the top photo.
Railroad speeder Unit M2591 is a diesel work vehicle built by Matsuyama Jyusharyo Kogyo (MJK). Coupled with rail transport wagons, M2591 carries rails for track maintenance. Its technical specifications are unclear, but it seems capable of hauling over 20 tons of freight. It mainly operates after midnight, once the last train has finished running, so to be honest, I had never seen M2591 in action before. It’s an unsung hero, isn’t it? Its bright yellow body really stood out in the sunlight—beautiful!
Incidentally, did you notice the panda illustration on the side of the speeder? Please take a look at the photo below. This is the mascot character of Keisei Electric Railway, “Keisei Panda.” According to Keisei, he was born as a prince of the House of Panda on Planet Panda. But since he was lazy, his father, King Panda, sent him to Earth for training. Today, he lives in Narita City and works at a zoo as a zookeeper. On the speeder, Keisei Panda is depicted wearing work clothes. You might feel that this version of Keisei Panda looks less cute and even a bit creepy. And that’s right—Keisei intentionally designed their mascot character to have a strong impact rather than just conventional cuteness.
