Final Chapter of the Seibu 4000 Series

Set 4019 of the EMU Seibu 4000 series travels on the Chichibu line

What are the joys of railway travelling? For me, one is "ekiben", which is a lunch box sold at train stations, and another one is passing scenery from train windows. Today, I'm posting about the latter.

The EMU Seibu 4000 series is a standard local train operated on the Chichibu line in the countryside of the metropolitan area. It was commissioned in 1988 for direct operation between the Seibu-Chichibu line and the Chichibu main line of Chichibu Railway. It's still a main fleet on the Chichibu line. Different from the other Seibu commuter trains, which have commonplace long-seats, the 4000 series has comfortable cross-seats and large windows to capture the beautiful outside. I definitely prefer cross-seat trains to long-seat ones. Taking in the view is the great pleasure of railway travelling for me; however, ...

Seibu Railway recently made a press release announcing that approximately 100 units of used trains will be moved from Tokyu Railways and Odakyu Electric Railway in the near future. Among these trains, the Tokyu 9000 series is planned to be introduced onto the Chichibu line. The Tokyu 9000 series is high performance and energy saving cars, but urban commuter trains. Regrettably, its seats are mostly long-seats. It isn’t designed to evoke feeling of travel.

On January 11th, the first retiree of the 4000 series, namely set 4015, disappeared from the commercial line. The remaining 11 sets will also be retired step by step. The final chapter of the 4000 Series has started. Time will quickly pass me by.

Interior of the EMU Seibu 4000 series

Hansha-tetsu: A New Trend of Rail-fans, Part 2

EMU Odakyu 8000 series travels on the Odawara line

Three months have already passed since I introduced you to a new trend of rail-fans namely "hansha-tetsu". Do you still remember this strange Japanese coined word? Let me report my 2nd activity as a "hansha-tetsu" today.

Please look at the top photo. When I took the Odakyu line the other day, I found that a white colored train, the EMU Odakyu 8000 series, was accompanying my train on another track. This urban section is a double-double track, so, I sometimes see accompanying trains; however, something strange at that time. For example, the accompanying train was being operated perfectly at the same speed as my train. More surprisingly, the blue-colored "Odakyu" logo on the accompanying train seemed like a flipped image. To make matters worse, the accompanying train had a dent on the side of the body! It was dangerous! What was happening?

Now you get it, don't you? The gimmick is in the photo below. You can see the reflection image of the train on the windows of the building! "Hansha-tetsu" means a rail-fan who loves reflection images of trains. Incidentally, "hansha-tetsu" might have originated from "mizu-kagami (water mirror)", which is one of the traditional techniques of railway photography. It's a train image reflected on the smooth water surface, such as a quiet lake without ripples or a paddy field before rice planting. Railway photographers love shooting both a real train and a reflected one in the same image. I'll show you an example of mizu-kagami one day.

Gimmick of the top photo

My “Soul Train” on the Jomo Line

Set 717 of the EMU Jomo 700 series (mint green)

Is there any food in particular you crave for once in a while? Yes, I sometimes crave for sushi, and go to a reasonable restaurant. Next question. Do you have any train you crave for riding once in a while as a rail-fan? Yes, I sometimes crave for riding the EMU 700 series on the Jomo line.

Let me review the Jomo line and the EMU 700 series. Jomo Electric Railway is a local company in Gumma Prefecture about 110 kilometers north of Tokyo. This company owns the Jomo line, which connects Chuo-Maebashi and Nishi-Kiryu (25 kilometers). Its track is single and electrified with a 1,500V DC. The EMU Jomo 700 series, which is the former Keio 3000 series, is the flagship train on the line. After retirement from the Inokashira line, 16 cars were transferred to the Jomo line in 1998. They have different colors on the front, namely jewel pink, golden orange, phoenix red, fjord-green, sunlight yellow, pastel blue, mint green (top photo) and royal blue (the photo below).

When I was a child, I often used these trains on the Inokashira line. They were brand spanking new, and shining brilliantly. Even now, I can meet with it at Keio Rail Land (Keio's railway museum) in Tokyo; however, the exhibited car there has not kept its original style. It's a modified car. In contrast, the 700 series on the Jomo line has kept its original style.

The Jomo 700 series (ex-Keio 3000 series) is my "soul train".

Set 712 of the EMU Jomo 700 series (royal blue)

Official information about the trains on the Jomo line (in Japanese):

https://jomorailway.com/train_guide.html

Special-colored Train on the Seaside Line

Set 48 of the EMU Kanazawa Seaside Line 2000 series

Why do I like trains? Because, I like to travel and like the travelling sound of trains. They may be true, but I think that there is one more reason. The answer is the beautiful coloring of the train bodies.

Let's look concretely. Please look at the top photo. Set 48 of the EMU 2000 series is the special-colored train on the Kanazawa Seaside line in Yokohama City. It was introduced onto the line in 2019, when the Seaside line was extended to Kanazawa Hakkei terminal. Different from the other trains on the line, set 48 has blue-colored bodies, on which the seaside wave is designed. The train bodies are solid; meanwhile, the wave design on the bodies has a round shape... well-balanced. In addition, the designs on the front and the side bodies are connected. They totally express sea waves. It's well thought out. Set 48 gracefully runs on the elevated track backed by the marina of Kanazawa-hakkei. It fits the sea of Yokohama City.

Incidentally, Kanazawa Seaside line is a rubber-tired AGT (Automated Guideway Transit) transportation system in the southern part of Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 40 kilometers south of Tokyo. It was opened in 1989 by Yokohama Seaside Line Company. Connecting Shin-Sugita on the JR East Negishi line and Kanazawa-hakkei on the Keikyu main line, its route length is 10.8 kilometers. Its electric system is 750V DC. The ATO (Automatic Train Operation) system is adopted, so, there is no driver and conductor on the train.

Set 48 runs on the elevated track backed by the marina of Kanazawa-hakkei

Quintuplets in Different Colors

Set 105 of Type-C train (EMU 100 series) travels on the Disney Resort line

I'm not a native English speaker, so I often come across unknown English words. The latest example was "quintuplets". It's not a common word, but I would like to remember it using a real example. On New Year's Day, 2024, a green-colored monorail train debuted on the Disney Resort line in Chiba Prefecture. That's the 5th set of Type-C train. As a result, a total of five-colored Type-C trains were eventually commissioned onto the line. They are "quintuplets" in different colors.

The Disney Resort line is a straddle type monorail line. It's a public transport under the Railway Business Act, not an attraction inside the resort. The route is a looped single track running through amusement facilities, official hotels and JR East Maihama station. There are four stations over the total operating length of 5.0 kilometers. The trains run counterclockwise throughout the day. The Type-C train is the latest model, and has been increasing its number. Set 101 has yellow-colored bodies. Set 102 has pink, Set 103 has blue, Set 104 has purple and Set 105 has green-colored bodies. The Disney Resort line is filled with a profusion of colors!

What happens next on the Disney Resort line? It's a pity, but the last survivor of the old model, namely Set 4 of Type-X train, will be retired from the track soon. According to a station attendant on the Disney Resort line, it will be around September this year. The monorail operator will announce it once it's been decided.

Set 104 of Type-C train (EMU 100 series) arrives at Resort Gateway station