Sayonara, Shuttle System in Narita Airport Terminal 2

A vehicle of the shuttle system in Narita Airport Terminal 2 runs backed by an aircraft. (March, 2012)

 

According to a media report, the shuttle system in Terminal 2 of the New Tokyo International Airport (Narita Airport) was abandoned on September 26th, 2013. The shuttle system was opened in 1992 to transport flight passengers between the newly constructed Satellite Building and pre-existing Main Building of Terminal 2. It had transported a total of 200 million passengers for 21 years.

The shuttle system was an automated people mover, being operated on a 279m long track. It took one minute between the main and the satellite buildings. The system was manufactured by Nippon Otis Elevator Company, which specializes in elevators and escalators. The shuttle system was not a railway, but a horizontal elevator. A vehicle was attached to a cable that moves it, like a funicular. The four vehicles did not have wheels; instead, they floated on a 0.2mm layer of compressed air.

I used this shuttle system frequently. It was a good system since the vehicle was spacious and was operated frequently. Thanks to the shuttle system, I could rush onto the aircraft, even if I arrived at the airport at the last-minute before the gate closed.

What happened after the abandonment of the shuttle system? According to the above media, a moving walkway between the main and the satellite buildings was opened on September 27th to replace the shuttle.

Arigatou (thank you) and sayonara (goodbye) to the shuttle in Narita Airport Terminal 2.
 

A vehicle and tracks of the shuttle system in Narita Airport Terminal 2 (March, 2012)

Steam Locomotive Type 9600 in Kyu-roku-kan Museum

SL 49671 is preserved in SL Kyu-roku-kan Museum in Mooka Station yard on the Mooka Railway

The main exhibit in "SL Kyu-roku-kan Museum" is steam locomotive number 49671 of Type 9600, manufactured in 1920. Type 9600 is a 2-8-0 (Whyte notation) type steam locomotive that has a tender attached. A total of 770 units had been built by Kawasaki Sharyo and other manufacturers since 1913.

The assignment of the 9600 was to pull freight trains. It is particularly notable that Type 9600 pulled a 2,000 ton coal train in Hokkaido Island (the northernmost island in Japan). It was very strong, wasn't it? Some units were sent to China as well during WWII, having converted a narrow gauge (1,067mm) into a standard one (1,435mm).

All of the type 9600s had been retired from tracks by 1976, but more than forty units are still preserved throughout Japan, as they are very popular among rail fans. The "9600" is responsible for the museum's name, "SL Kyu-roku-kan (96 museum)" in Mooka City. Unit number 49671 is still "operated" in front of visitors on the museum site using compressed air. This special event is held three times a day every weekend.

Please look at the top photo. You can see the museum building just behind the locomotive. The design of the building was made in the image of a steam locomotive. It is quite unique.

Mooka is indeed a City of SL (steam locomotive).

 

Side view of unit number 49671 of the Type 9600 steam locomotive

Toei-Shinjuku Line: 1,372mm Gauge Subway Route

EMU Toei 10-300 series stands at Higashi-Oojima Station on the Toei-Shinjuku Line

 

Tokyo is the most congested city in Japan. This giant city has been expanding both above and underground. Subway lines are typical of the latter. A total of 13 lines are now operating on 329km of track.

There are two subway operators in Tokyo. One is Tokyo Metro Company, and the other one is Tokyo Metropolitan Government (Toei). Tokyo Metro has nine routes, while Toei has four.

The Toei-Shinjuku Line was opened in 1978 as Tokyo's 10th subway route. Connecting Shinjuku, a subcenter of Tokyo and Motoyawata, an interchange station with the JR East Sobu Line, the total operating length is 23.5km. Most trains are directly operated into the Keio Line, which is a major private railway in Tokyo. So, you can see both Toei and Keio trains on the line.

Shinjuku is the largest railway terminal in the world. Six companies' trains are operated into this giant terminal. A total of 3.24 million incoming and outgoing passengers use this station a day. The other terminal, Motoyawata, is located in Chiba Prefecture. It means that Tokyo Metropolitan Government constructed a subway line outside Tokyo as well.

One of the features of the Toei-Shinjuku Line is that the track gauge is 1,372mm despite most railway track gauges in Japan being 1,067 or 1,435mm. The 1,372mm is quite unique. It is because the pre-existing Keio Line has a 1,372mm gauge.

I would like to talk about the history of the 1,372mm anomalistic gauge in Japan someday in the future.
 

EMU Keio 9000 series stands at Higashi-Oojima Station on the Toei-Shinjuku Line

Old Rail Car and Outdoor Art on the Mooka Railway

Diesel rail car KiHa 20 247 is preserved in SL Kyu-roku-kan Museum in Mooka Station yard

 

When we strolled in the Spider lily field in Shiroyama Park near Motegi Station, we found a lot of objects in the park. They were ceramics, dyed goods and wooden sculptures, produced by local artists. During the Spider lily blooming season, Motegi Satoyama Art Festa was being held in parallel.

The concept of the Art Festa is quite unique. The artists, who would like to join the festa, are required to get inspiration from the nature of the park to spark their creativity. They have to develop their exhibition sites themselves and eventually, their exhibits are placed in harmony with the natural surroundings. My favorite exhibits were the ceramic moles, which appeared from the ground (see the following photo). They looked very unique and cute being surrounded by the full blooming red-colored spider lilies.

On the way back home, we stopped off briefly in SL Kyu-roku-kan Museum in Mooka Station yard. This museum is operated by Mooka Railway to show their precious, preserved vehicles. The admission is free. Thank you!

One of my favorite vehicles is an old diesel rail car, KiHa 20 247 that was manufactured in 1959 by Tokyu Sharyo. Type KiHa 20 has been operated on the Japanese National Railways, but is currently operated on a local private railway in the western part of Japan only. It is indeed a precious exhibit.

The old diesel rail car and the unique outdoor art... we saw a lot of precious exhibits on the Mooka Railway last weekend.
 

Outdoor art in Shiroyama Park near Motegi Station on the Mooka Railway

Bay View on the Yurikamome Line

EMU Tokyo Waterfront New Transit 7000 series leaves Daiba Station on the Yurikamome Line

 

In response to my blog on the night view of Rainbow Bridge and the Yurikamome Line, one of the readers sent me a comment in which he requested a daytime view of Rainbow Bridge and the Yurikamome Line.

Look at the following photo. It is a daytime view of Rainbow Bridge from a pedestrian deck near Daiba Station on the Yurikamome Line. You can see the suspension bridge connecting the downtown Tokyo area and New Tokyo Waterfront Subcenter. Tokyo Tower can also be seen behind the bridge. The tower and the bridge are illuminated colorfully at nightfall. You can also see an island just before the bridge. It is an artificial island, which was constructed by Tokugawa Shogunate (Japan's feudal government) in 1852. A gun battery was installed on the island to protect Edo City (present Tokyo) from Western countries' fleets.

The top photo shows a train running on the elevated track near Daiba Station on the Yurikamome Line. Yurikamome is an automated guide way transit (AGT) system that was opened in 1995. The EMU 7000 series is a small-sized driverless train with rubber-tires instead of steel bogies. The building behind the track is Fuji Television Network, which is one of the major broadcasting stations in Japan. The globe that you can see in the upper part of the building is an observation gallery. It is said that you can view the gorgeous scenery of Tokyo Bay from there, but I haven't been to see it yet.
 

View of the Tokyo Bay from a pedestrian deck near Daiba Station on the Yurikamome Line