Sounyan: 10 Years of Service

Set 11001 of the EMU Sotetsu 11000 series, "the10th anniversary of Sounyan" 

After posting about "Mokoron", Odakyu's new mascot character, I remembered that "Sounyan" has been working for 10 years at Sagami Railway (Sotetsu).

What's Sounyan? He(?) is Sotetsu's mascot character. According to Sotetsu's website, Sounyan is a new species of cat, born on March 10th on the Sotetsu line. He joined Sotetsu in 2014, and has been in charge of public relations. He is a curious cat, and loves to be around people. He is good at looking for something new or fun. It's the same as Odakyu's Mokoron. His hobby is taking photos and eating around. Me too. He has something that has been bothering him. People often think he is a raccoon dog in spite of being a cat. What an elaborate profile it is! Sounyan, congratulations on your 10th anniversary of devotional work!

I can't be written off here as this is a trainspotter's blog. Taking this opportunity, I'm going to show you Sotetsu's new Sounyan poster train. In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Sounyan's service, Sotetsu launched a new Sounyan poster train on March 27th this year using set 11001 of the EMU 11000 series. The 11000 series is Sotetsu's commuter train which debuted in 2009 to replace the deteriorated 5000 and 7000 series. A total of 5 sets, 50 units, were built by Tokyu Sharyo and JR East Niitsu Factory. To reduce the manufacturing costs, it has basically a common design and the technical specifications with JR East's EMU E233 series on the Chuo Rapid line.

Front view of "the10th anniversary of Sounyan" poster train

Official information about "the 10th anniversary of Sounyan" poster train (in Japanese):

https://cdn.sotetsu.co.jp/media/2023/pressrelease/pdf/r23-45-d4y.pdf

Timetable of "the 10th anniversary" of the Sounyan poster train (in Japanese):

https://www.sotetsu.co.jp/train/services/sounyan-train/

Preserved Odakyu Train at Tsujido Seaside Park

Unit Odakyu KuHa 2658 is preserved in Tsujido Seaside Park in Fujisawa City

Following the latest poster train on the Odakyu line, I'm going to show you an old Odakyu train, unit KuHa 2658 of the EMU 2600 series, preserved at Tsujido Seaside Park in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The 2600 series was Odakyu's commuter train. It debuted in 1964 to enhance the transportation capacity. For that purpose, the body of the 2600 series grew in size. One car has 20-meters-long and 2.9-meters-wide steel body, which is the same as the present 8000 series. A total of 132 units were built by Tokyu Sharyo, Nippon Sharyo and Kawasaki Sharyo. Regarding the technical specifications, one set was composed of 5, 6 or 8 cars. Each set had 3 to 6 motorcars. The electric control system was rheostatic with field-weakening control. After operating for 40 years, it was retired from the track in 2004. One of the front cars, namely unit KuHa 2658, was transferred to Tsujido Seaside Park. I would like to thank everyone involved in preserving unit KuHa 2658, but I'm slightly sad, as it's in a poor state of preservation. I think that the sea breeze might be a bad influence on the steel body of KuHa 2658.

After observing unit KuHa 2658, I visited the ocean beach in front of the park. It was late afternoon. I fully enjoyed the seaside walking. Mt. Fuji was veiled in haze, but it was so refreshing when I was just blown by the sea breeze. There're only a few days left of this year.

Beach of the Shonan Coast in front of Tsujido Seaside Park

Mokoron: Mascot Character of the Odakyu Line

Mokoron poster train, set 5055 of the EMU Odakyu 5000 series

Japan's population has entered into a decreasing phase. Railway companies can't keep their arms crossed in this situation. They are in competition to attract passengers, and have to refine the value of their lines. Otherwise, the residents will move to the popular areas on other companies' lines. The railway mascot character is one of the solutions to refine the brand value of the railway line. For example, Sotetsu has Sounyan, who is a cat employee in charge of public relations. Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit has Rinkaru, who is a dolphin passenger of the Rinkai line. The Transportation Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has Toaran, who has a pantograph on the head. Yokohama Municipal Subway has Hamarin, who is a wheel of the subway train.

How is Odakyu Electric Railway going? Odakyu also can't afford to lose it! On October 7th, the company unveiled their new mascot character, Mokoron. He (or she) is a blue-colored rabbit to assist in child-rearing on the Odakyu line. He (or she) likes riding trains, and always looks for something fun. Odakyu recently commissioned the Mokoron poster train using set 5055 of the EMU 5000 series in commemoration of the debut of Mokoron. You can see an illustration of Mokoron on the front of the train. Mokoron is cute, and soon became hugely popular among children on the Odakyu line. I'm also one of his (or her) fans, and specifically fond of the large stuffed Mokoron boarding on the train. Look into the driver's cab.

Front view of the Mokoron poster train

Official information about Mokoron (in Japanese):

https://www.odakyu.jp/oyako/mocoron/

Official information about the Mokoron poster train (in Japanese):

https://www.odakyu.jp/oyako/topic/11408/

Steam Locomotive Preserved on University Campus

Unit 2109 of the steam locomotive Class 2100 

Do you remember that I introduced the Museum of Industrial Technology, Nippon Institute of Technology, last month. One month has already passed, but I would like to show you one more exhibit of this unique museum on campus.

The Class 2100 is one of the historical steam locomotives built in the late 19th century. It was designed by a British engineer, Richard Francis Trevithick, who was employed by the Japanese Government in order to fuel the process of Japan's modernization. A total of 17 units were then built by Dubs and Company in the United Kingdom. Unit 2109 belongs to the second batch of the Class 2100 imported by Nippon Railway Company (later Japanese Government Railways) in 1891. After operating on the Japanese Government Railways, Unit 2109 was transferred to Seino Railway, Ooigawa Railway, and retired from the track in 1970. The Museum of Industrial Technology took it over in 1993, and it has been preserved in working conditions.

Regarding the technical specifications, the Class 2100 is a 0-6-2 type (Whyte notation) tank engine, 10.439 meters long, and weighs 39,500 kilograms. The maximum speed is 65 kilometers per hour. Its output is 294kW. The Class 2100 was a high-powered locomotive for that time, so, operated on the steep tracks as both passenger and freight trains. Unit 2109 was designated a registered tangible cultural property by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan in 2008. I would like to thank everyone involved in preserving Unit 2109.

Back side of Unit 2109

Keisei Skyliner AE Series: Over 45 Million Passengers!

EMU Keisei AE series, Skyliner, displays a gold-colored commemoration sticker

On October 12th, Keisei Electric Railway announced that the passengers of the third generation Skyliner exceeded 45 million on that day. Keisei held a commemoration ceremony at Narita Airport Terminal 1 station. The 45 millionth passenger received a bouquet and a commemorative gift.

Skyliner is the airport access train. It's operated between Ueno, a subcenter of Tokyo, and Narita Airport Terminal 1, which is the second international airport in the metropolitan area. The EMU Keisei AE series is the third-generation vehicle for Skyliner train. It was launched in 2010 to replace the old model, the AE100 series. This limited express train is able to travel with a 160 kilometers per hour maximum speed, which is the fastest in Japan except the Shinkansen vehicles. The AE series is characterized by the crow-shaped black faces. It was designed by a famous fashion designer, Yamamoto Kansai. The interior of Skyliner is luxurious. For example, it has gorgeous reclining seats with wide seat pitches and wide luggage spaces. The AE series won the 2011 Blue Ribbon Prize by Japan Railfan Club as the best train that debuted in 2010.

One set of the AE series, namely set AE7, currently displays a gold-colored commemoration sticker on the front of the train. It proudly says "Thanks, 45 million passengers". There had been less passengers on the Skyliner train in the past few years due to the COVID-19 calamity, but the number of passengers has recently returned to pre-COVID times. Congratulations on the 45 million passengers!

Set AE7 of the EMU Keisei AE series passes through Shin-Mikawashima station

Official information about Keisei Skyliner:

https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/skyliner/index.php

Official information about the 45 million passengers of the EMU Keisei AE series (in Japanese):

https://www.keisei.co.jp/cms/files/keisei/MASTER/0110/5G9CskV0.pdf