Gentle Breeze on the Isumi Railway

Unit number 206 of the diesel rail car 200' series travels on the Isumi Railway 

I visited Ootaki Town in Chiba Prefecture last week, as something came up. After finishing my meeting, I searched the countryside for spring sceneries.

What came into sight were beautiful rice paddies. Urban consumers can obtain delicious and safe rice produced in Ootaki Town, as it is cropped by organic farmers. For instance, cultivation of Chinese milk vetch prior to cropping the rice is one of the organic farming methods. Chinese milk vetch absorbs nitrogen in the ground and is used for rice cropping after running dry. Needless to say, the rice is produced without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. I also found carp streamers in the paddy fields. A carp streamer is a symbol of power for children to grow up. Parents celebrate their children's birth and pray for their healthy growth by putting up carp-shaped banners in their paddy fields. The carps were whipping in the gentle breeze.

After enjoying a stroll, I headed to Shiromigaoka Station on the Isumi Railway. Connecting Ohara and Kazusa-Nakano, there are 14 stations over a total operating length of 26.8km on this local railway. The route is single track and non-electrified. The diesel rail car, 200' series is the oldest model on the line. It was launched in 1988 as the first rail car on the newly established Isumi Railway. A total of 7 units have been manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries, but, currently, only two units, namely unit number 202 and 206, remain on the track.
 

A carp streamer is seen near Shiromigaoka Station on the Isumi Railway

Baton Pass from the 115 to the 211 Series

Set number M5 (Yokosuka Color) of the EMU JR East 115 series (retired in 2014)

On Marh 14th, a new timetable started on the JR lines. The largest news was obviously the opening of Hokuriku Shinkansen between Nagano and Kanazawa stations, as I have already reported. Underneath the spectacular news, a reputable train, the EMU JR East 115 series is close to extinction on the Chuo Line. The 115 series is a standard local train commissioned by the Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1963. Nearly 2,000 units had been manufactured for 20 years, but most of them have already been scrapped.

There are two kinds of the 115 series on the Chuo Line. One of them is the so-called Yokosuka-color train, which has a traditional two-toned (dark blue and beige) color design developed by JNR. All units belonged to Toyoda Depot in Tokyo Metropolis, but, currently, only one set is operated on the track belonging to Nagano Depot in Nagano Prefecture. The other one is the so-called Nagano-color train, which belongs to Nagano Depot. They have ivory colored bodies with light blue and emerald colored stripes. Currently, four sets are operated on the track, but will disappear soon.

Who is the successor of the 115 series? It is the EMU 211 series coming from the Takasaki, Utsunomiya and Tokaido lines. The 211 series has a stainless steel body with light blue and emerald colored stripes the same as Nagano-color trains.

Everything flows, nothing stands still.
 

EMU JR East 211-3000 series stands at Matsumoto Station

Spring in Full Bloom: The Itsukaichi Line

EMU JR East E233 series stands at Haijima Station on the Itsukaichi Line

It is mid-spring in Tokyo. I visited the countryside of Tokyo Metropolis with my family at the weekend. Our destination was Otsu Hana-no-sato (Otsu Flower Village), where we can enjoy beautiful spring blossoms here and there. It was the best season to see cherry, weeping cherry, azalea and canola flowers. The field was filled with blossoming colorful plants. Specifically, the ground of Ryushuin temple was a paradise-like hill. Spring is in full bloom.

To visit this flowery neighborhood, please take the JR East Itsukaichi Line and get off at Musashi-Itsukaichi terminal. The Itsukaichi Line was opened in 1925 by ex-Itsukaichi Railway Company. Connecting Haijima on the Ome Line and Musashi-Itsukaichi, there are 7 stations over the total operating length of 11.1 km. The track is a 1,067-mm-gauge single track and the electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead.

From an operational point of view, the Itsukaichi Line is a branch route of the Chuo Line. JR East's standard commuter train, the EMU E233 series (a 6-car train with a vermillion colored stripe), is operated every half an hour on average. This E233 series is same as the Chuo Line train. Direct trains between the Chuo and the Itsukaichi lines are operated at the end of each week for holidaymakers. Different from the Chuo Line, passengers have to push the manual operation button when they get off at stations, as the Itsukaichi Line is a local route in the countryside. The door operation is not provided by the conductor.

Ryushuin Temple near Musashi-Itsukaichi Station on the JR East Itsukaichi Line

EMU 3000 Series in Keio Rail Land

KuHa 3719 of the EMU Keio 3000 seies is preserved in Keio Rail Land

Keio Rail Land is a railway museum owned by Keio Electric Railway Company. It was opened in 2012 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Keio Line. This museum exhibits five units of historical trains in an outside covered facility. They are the EMU 6000, 5000, 2400, 2010 and 3000 series, which were retired from the Keio and Inokashira lines. I am going to introduce you to the EMU 3000 series today.

The 3000 series was launched in 1962 as the first stainless steel body commuter train on the Inokashira Line, and was operated until its retirement in 2011. A total of 29 sets, 145 units, had been manufactured over 30 years by Tokyu Sharyo. One of the features of this EMU is that each train set shows a different color on the front mask and the side lines. Those are lilac (photo at the top), blue-green, ivory white, salmon-pink, light-green, beige and light-blue... the seven colors of the rainbow.

I was born in a western suburb of Tokyo, along the Inokashira Line, so I had been using the 3000 series for long time to go to school and the office. I have always had a special fondness for these trains. Even after retirement from the Inokashira Line, I sometimes visited local railways to meet with the re-homed 3000 series, such as Alpico, Iyo, Gakunan and Jomo Electric Railway.

EMU Keio 3000 series... it holds a lot of memories for me.
 

EMU Keio 3000 (left), 5000 (center) and 2010 (right) series

TJ Liner: Relaxing Train on the Tobu-Tojo Line

EMU Tobu 50090 series, TJ Liner, stands at Fujimino Station on  the Tobu-Tojo Line

Japanese businessmen and businesswomen in the cities are very busy. They sometimes need something as a treat for themselves, but their journeys home are hard. Needless to say, urban commuter trains are packed on most of the lines in this country.

To save these city commuters, several railway companies operate special trains for passengers, who would like to secure seats on their journey home. For instance, Odakyu and Tokyo Metro jointly operate a special Romance Car, Metro Home Way in the evening. JR East operates special trains, such as Home Liner Konosu (abolished in 2014), the Shonan Liner and the Rakuraku Train. Once you pay an extra fee (usually 300 to 500 yen), a comfortable seat is secured for you.

Tobu Railway also operates a special train on the Tojo Line in the evening. It is called the TJ Liner. Connecting Ikebukuro, a subcenter of Tokyo, and Ogawamachi in Saitama Prefecture, the operating length is 64.1 km.

The vehicle for TJ Liner is a 10-car train, the EMU 50090 series. It was launched in 2008. A total of 6 sets, 60 units, has been manufactured so far by Hitachi. One of the features of this train is its multi-purpose seat, which the conductor can change from a long seat to a cross seat using a remote control. So, the 50090 series is used as both a standard train and the TJ Liner, depending on the timetable.

TJ Liner... it is a relaxing train on the Tojo Line.
 

Interior of the TJ Liner, the EMU Tobu 50090 series

More information about TJ Liner (in Japanese): http://railway.tobu.co.jp/special_express/tj/