A Cool Photo from Europe

EMU Rhatische Railway ABe 4/4 III series travels on the Bernina line in Switzerland

Photo: Nicolai Okkels

It's already mid-September, but still hot and humid in Tokyo. Cool mountains are beckoning me, but I have a lot of things to do in this urban heat island at this moment. What else can I do?

I just remembered that one of my blog readers kindly sent to me a photo of a beautiful train in Europe. That train is operated on a mountainous route across Switzerland and Italy. I feel cooler just by looking at it. As you know, the Bernina line is a mountain climbing railway opened in 1908 by Bernina Railway Company. It's currently a part of Rhatische Railway, which has a 384 kilometers line network. Connecting St. Moritz and Tirano, the operating length is 61 kilometers. The route is single and electrified. The gauge size is 1,000 millimeters and the electric system is 1,000 V DC overhead catenary. That's quite easy to remember, right? The Bernina line crosses the Bernina Pass at 2,253 meters above sea level. The maximum inclination of the route is 70 per mil.

In the meantime, Rhatische Railway ties up with Hakone-tozan Railway in Japan, as two railways have things in common. They're mountain climbing railways with very steep tracks. Many tourists are using these lines. As a token of friendship, Hakone-tozan Railway operates Bernina-colored trains, named Bernina I and Bernina II, on the line. I'm specifically fond of Bernina I train (see the photo below), as its red-colored bodies with yellow and silver-colored stripes are very sophisticated and definitely my cup of tea.

Set 1001, "Bernina I", of the EMU Hakone-tozan 1000 series in Japan

Official website, Hakone-tozan Railway:

https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/transportation/hakone-tozan

The Toyo Rapid Line: Update

EMU Toyo Rapid 2000 series travels on the Tokyo Metro-Tozai line

I recently visited the Toyo rapid line for the first time in nine years. What's new with this commuter route in a new residential area?

To start, let me quickly review the Toyo rapid line. It was opened in 1996 as a new commuter line in the western part of Chiba Prefecture. The railway operator, namely Toyo Rapid Railway, is a so-called third sector corporation financed by Chiba Prefecture, Funabashi City, Tokyo Metro, Mizuho Bank and so on. Connecting Nishi-Funabashi and Toyo-Katsutadai, the operating length is 16.2 kilometers. The entire route is a double track. Most of the trains are directly operated onto the subway, Tokyo Metro-Tozai line. The EMU 2000 series is Toyo Rapid Railway's sole model on the line. It was launched in 2004 to replace the old model, named 1000 series. 11 sets, 110 cars in total, were built by Hitachi from 2004 to 2006. The 2000 series has almost the same technical specifications as those of the Tokyo Metro 05 series.

Let's head to the main topic. I found that rapid service trains had been abolished on the line. In other words, all trains are now local trains (all-stations trains). It's because passengers, who get on and off trains at rapid service trains-don't-stop stations, have drastically increased in recent years due to housing land development. As a result, local trains had become very crowded. Mass transportation is more important than the speed of trains. Ironically, Toyo Rapid Railway has "rapid" in its name but not in reality.

EMU Toyo Rapid 2000 series leaves Yachiyo-chuo station on the Toyo rapid line

The Subway Museum: Revisit

Unit 301 is exhibited in the Subway Museum (Tokyo Metro Museum)

It's already September, but the maximum daytime temperature is still over 30 degrees Celsius. My shelters to evacuate from this heat wave are air-conditioned indoor railway museums. Following the Keikyu Museum, I recently visited the Subway Museum (Tokyo Metro Museum) for the first time in five years.

Let's quickly review the Subway Museum to start. It was opened by Metro Cultural Foundation (an affiliate of Tokyo Metro) in 1986 to focus exclusively on subways. The museum is located next to Kasai station on the Tokyo Metro-Tozai line. Exhibitions are replete including actual vehicles and related equipment such as driving simulators.

I was lucky to enter Unit 301 of the electric car 300 series. The 300 series had been operated on the Marunouchi line, which is Japan's second oldest subway route. Unit 301 was launched in 1954, when the Marunouchi line was inaugurated. The reddish body with a wavy patterned white stripe seemed to have a strong impact at that time. The technical specifications were modeled after subway vehicles in New York City. 30 cars in total were built by Kisha Kaisha, Nippon Sharyo, Kinki Sharyo and Kawasaki Sharyo after paying patent fees for motors and brakes to New York City. Unit 301 was retired from the track in 2002 after operating for 48 years. The interior of the 300 series is rose-colored. It's very nostalgic, as I often used this train to go to work. I got immersed in memories of my old days, when I started working. Where has the time gone?

Interior of Unit 301

Official website, the Subway Museum (Tokyo Metro Museum):

https://www.chikahaku.jp/en/

The Sobu Rapid Line: Update

EMU JR East E217 series travels on the Sobu rapid line

It's already September, but the lingering summer heat is still intense. I'm somewhat fed up of going out when it's this hot, but trains are calling me. I recently visited the Sobu rapid line to see how that goes.

To start, let's quickly review the Sobu rapid line. It's JR East's commuter line in the metropolitan area. Connecting Tokyo and Chiba stations, its route length is 39.2 kilometers. The Sobu rapid line is actually just a common name. The formal name is the Sobu main line. Why don't people use this formal name? It's because the Sobu main line is a double-double-track, and composed of two lines (double-tracks). One is the Sobu local line and the other is the Sobu rapid line. As its name suggests, local trains (all-stations trains) are operated on the Sobu local line; meanwhile, rapid service trains are operated on the Sobu rapid line. The airport access trains, namely "Narita Express (N'EX)", are also operated on the Sobu rapid line. That's slightly complicated.

Let's finally head to the main topic. I found that a new model, namely E235-1000 series, grew into the large fleet on the line. 35 sets, 273 cars in total, are currently operated on the Sobu rapid line. On the contrary, an old model, namely E217 series has been decreasing in number. According to several rail-fans, all the E217 series will be retired from the track by March 2024. JR East is undergoing a generational change of trains on the Sobu rapid line.

EMU JR East E235-1000 series travels on the Sobu rapid line

Tanuki on the Keio-Inokashira Line

Tanuki walks around the Keio-Inokashira line track near Shin-Daita station 

In Japan, wild animals are increasing in number in urban areas year by year. For instance, I recently found a wild Japanese raccoon dog on a railway track near my home. While I was taking pictures of trains on the Keio-Inokashira line, he (or she) appeared from a drain along the track, and enjoyed walking around. As I posted before, Japanese raccoon dog, also known as tanuki, is a canid animal inhabiting only in the Far East. Japanese people have a strong affinity for this animal, as we often see them in folk tales, in which they often shape-change as a messenger of God. A railway track might be a very safe place for wild animals, as it's beyond limits except for railway employees. In other words, railway tracks will be the best routes for wild animals to extend their habitations. Railways are not only for trains but also for wild animals!

Incidentally, the Keio-Inokashira line is a short urban commuter route penetrating residential areas in the western part of Tokyo Metropolis. There are 17 stations over a total operating length of 12.7 kilometers. The EMU 1000 series is a sole model being operated on the line. 29 sets, 145 cars in total, were introduced from 1996 to 2010. 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 orange-beige (see the photo below), ivory white, salmon-pink, light-green, lilac, light-blue and blue-green ... the seven rainbow colors.

Set 1713 (orange-beige) of the EMU Keio 1000 series arrives at Shin-Daita station