Hansha-tetsu: A New Trend of Rail Fans

EMU E233 series travels on the elevated track just above the Chinese restaurant

When I was a boy, rail fans were not that common. They were talked about behind their backs to be unsociable, nerds, weirdos and not fashionable. That was terrible, but the situation has totally changed these days. According to sociological research, there are 2 million rail fans in Japan. It's 1.6 percent of the total population. They are no longer just weirdos, but are very diverse. There are ride-on rail fans, train spotters, rail photo lovers, model train lovers, ticket collectors, sound rail fans, timetable rail fans, train lunch lovers, train driving simulator lovers and so on. Today, I'm going to show you a new trend, "Hansha-tetsu".

Please look at the top photo. A commuter train travels on an elevated track. That's the EMU E233 series on the JR East Chuo Rapid line. It was shot near Kanda station in downtown Tokyo. The stainless-steel train is beautiful reflecting the sunlight. You can see a black-colored signboard of a Chinese restaurant just below the elevated track. The land use is very efficient, isn't it? Wait a moment! Please look at the overhead wire pole just above the train. They're broken... very dangerous! You can also see a strange phenomenon; the white-colored logo of the "JR" group on the train seems like a flipped image.

Now you get it, don't you? The gimmick is the photo below. You can see the reflection of the train on the windows of the building! "Hansha-tetsu" means a rail fan who loves reflection images of trains. I'm also one of them.

Gimmick of the top photo

Ryutetsu Trains: 2023 Update

Set 5001 of the EMU Ryutetsu 5000 series, "Sakura (cherry)"

I visited the Ryutetsu Nagareyama line for the first time in two years. What's new with this local railway?

To start, let me review the Nagareyama line. It's a short private railway operated by Ryutetsu company in Chiba Prefecture, about 20 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. Connecting Mabashi on the JR East Joban line and Nagareyama terminal, its route length is only 5.7 kilometers. Passengers are commuters and students who go to offices and schools in Tokyo and its surrounding large cities. The track is single and electrified. The gauge size is 1,067 millimeters. The electric system is 1,500 V DC overhead. 2-car trains are operated every 15 to 20 minutes. The EMU 5000 series is the sole model operated on the line. It's the ex-Seibu New 101 series, and moved to Ryutetsu in 2010.

I found that train set 5001 of the 5000 series, namely "Sakura (cherry)", has returned to work. I remember that Sakura was withdrawn from the track due to the expiration of the inspection validity in August 2021. According to the company website, it went back to work in August 2022. In other words, it took one year for the inspection. That must have been tough for the few railway engineers of this small company. Good work for one year! Welcome back Sakura! I also found that set 5004, namely "Wakaba (young leaves)", has changed its body color. It has become deeper green... very beautiful! I like Ryutetsu so much. I can't take my eyes off Ryutetsu!

Set 5004 of the EMU Ryutetsu 5000 series, "Wakaba (young leaves)"

Official information about the Ryutetsu trains (in Japanese):

http://ryutetsu.jp/traingallery.html

Goodbye for Good: The Ueno Zoo Monorail Line

EMU 40 series travels on the Ueno Zoo Monorail line (June, 2012)

On July 21st, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government submitted an abolition notification of the Ueno Zoo Monorail line to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation. Something that I didn't want to happen, happened. As I posted before, the operation of the Ueno Zoo Monorail line had been suspended since October 2019 due to the aging of the rolling stock.

Let me quickly review the Ueno Zoo Monorail line. It was opened in 1957 as the oldest suspension monorail line in Japan. Connecting the East and West gardens, the route length is only 332 meters. A lovely 2-car train was operated by the Transportation Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Although it looked like a ride in an amusement park, it was official public transportation based on the Railway Business Act.

The major reason for the abolition of the monorail line was the high manufacturing cost of the new train. The specification of the Ueno Zoo Monorail line is very unique; therefore, its rolling stock should be a special order one. To make matters worse, the required number of trains is only one set, 2 units. According to the media, it will cost about 6 million USD. The metropolitan government currently plans the other transportation instead. It will be opened in the fiscal year 2026.

I still remember that I took the Ueno Zoo Monorail line with my classmates on an elementary school trip. That might have marked my starting point as a rail fan. Thank you and goodbye for good... the Ueno Zoo Monorail line.

History of the rollingstock on the Ueno Zoo Monorail line (June, 2012)

Tama Riverside Walking: Part 10, Hachioji

EMU JR East E353 series passes through Asakawa Bridge on the Chuo line

It's already mid-October. The weather has become cooler. It's the best season for a stroll. I resumed walking along Tama River and its tributaries. My destination this time was Asakawa in Hachioji City. As soon as I reached the embankment, I found a double-track railway bridge across the river. That was Asakawa Bridge on the JR East Chuo line. You may remember the bridge of the same name on the JR East Hachiko line, but this bridge is located 950 meters downstream side of the Asakawa Bridge on the Hachiko line. It's confusing, isn't it?

Five minutes later, a white-colored train with a purple-colored stripe passed in front of me at high speed. That was the EMU JR East E353 series, a limited express "Azusa". The E353 series has a special air suspension type tilting system to pass through tight curves keeping at high speed. The maximum operating speed of the E353 series is 130 kilometers per hour. It was very fast and breathtaking! After passing under the bridge, I continued walking upstream. Another five minutes later, an oil transportation train pulled by a blue-colored electric locomotive (EL) passed through the bridge. The EL was the Class EH200, "Blue Thunder", operated by JR Freight. Its maximum speed is 95 kilometers per hour on the steep tracks. Being coupled two units, it has a total of eight 565kW induction motors.

In the end, I couldn't help observing trains, even if I was enjoying riverside walking. That's a rail-fan's instinct, isn't it?

Oil transportation train pulled by the EL JRF Class EH200

The Joban Limited Express: Profusion of Colors

Set K1, "Blue Lake", of the EMU JR East E657 series travels on the Joban line

The JR East Joban line has become more colorful. Two more special-colored trains have started to operate on the line. A total of five special-colored trains were eventually assigned to the line.

JR East and Ibaraki Prefecture are jointly promoting the reginal tourism campaign named Ibaraki Destination Campaign. As a part of this campaign, JR East has been changing the colors of the EMU E657 series, limited express trains. These special colors were taken from the old E653 series, which was popular among local people. The E653 series was retired from the Joban line in 2013 while it was missed by rail fans.

JR East had already launched the special-colored E657 series trains, which have green, pink and yellow-colored bodies. Subsequently, blue and orange-colored trains recently debuted. According to JR East, the official names of the new colors are "blue ocean" and "orange persimmon". The former is set K1; meanwhile, the latter is set K3. The Joban line is filled with a profusion of colors.

Incidentally, the E657 series is the AC-DC dual electric system train on the Joban line, and has been operated as limited express trains named Hitachi and the others since 2012. A total of 19 sets were built by Hitachi and the other manufacturers. You might be wondering why the names of the train and its manufacturer are the same. The gimmick is as follows. "Hitachi" was one of the ex-provinces established in 645. The names of the train and its manufacturer both come from "Hitachi" Province.

Set K3, "Orange Persimmon", of the EMU JR East E657 series