Container train pulled by the electric locomotive Class JR Freight EH500, "Kintaro"  This is the sequel of my trip to Fukushima City last month. I would like to show you my favorite spot in the city. Yashikishita Railway Crossing is a famous train viewing spot among rail-fans. We can observe four kinds of trains there. I didn't look up the train schedule on purpose, and waited for trains with excitement. Ten minutes later, a red-colored locomotive jumped into my eyes. That was JR Freight's electric locomotive Class EH 500. Cool! The EH500, also known as Kintaro, was launched in 1997. It ..read more

Set Y511 of the EMU Minatomirai 500 series, the 20th anniversary poster train On February 1st this year, Yokohama Minatomirai Company celebrated the 20th anniversary of their Minatomirai line. In commemoration, many events were held by the company. Let me review the Minatomirai line. It's a subway route in Yokohama City, about 20 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. Connecting Yokohama and Motomachi-Chukagai (Motomachi-Chinatown), the total length is 4.1 kilometers. It was opened in 2004 as an access route to the urban development area, Minatomirai 21. The track is double and electrified. The elect ..read more

EMU Keisei 3000 series passes through a vast tulip field near Keisei-Usui station I'm continuing railway mini-travels to find the advent of spring. My next destination was a vast tulip field located in Sakura City of Chiba Prefecture, about 60 kilometers east of Tokyo. I got off at Keisei-Usui station on the Keisei main line, and headed to the bank of Kashima River. After strolling for about 30 minutes, a windmill jumped into my eyes and in time, I could see the whole tulip field. Where am I? Is this the Netherlands? Joking aside, I fully enjoyed this colorful tulip field for a while. The eve ..read more

Set AB-2 of the EMU Abukuma Express AB900 series, "Lapras and Lucky Train" This is the sequel of my post before last. Sorry for jumping from one topic to another. After observing the preserved train at Soneda station on the Iizaka line, I shifted my attention to the adjacent track. 10 minutes later, the train, which I really wanted to see, was approaching me. That was the EMU Abukuma Express AB900 series. Abukuma Express, also known as Abukyu, is a local railway company straddling Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures. Connecting Fukushima and Tsukinoki stations, its operating length is 54.9 kilom ..read more

EMU Seibu New 101 series travels on the Tamagawa line It's getting warmer and warmer in Tokyo. The maximum daytime temperature is nearly 20 degrees Celsius. The spring outing season has just started. I recently visited the Seibu-Tamagawa line for the first time in three years. To start, let me quickly review the Seibu-Tamagawa line. It's a short local route in the western part of Tokyo. Connecting Musashi-Sakai on the JR East Chuo line and Koremasa near Tama River, the route length is 8.0 kilometers. The track is a 1,067 millimeter-size single and electrified. The electric system is 1,500 V D ..read more

Set 7101 of the EMU Fukushima Kotsu 7000 series is preserved at Soneda station This is the sequel of my last post. After enjoying the latest trains, the EMU 1000 series, on the Iizaka line of Fukushima Kotsu Company, I hit upon a question... "Where have all the old trains gone?" "All scrapped?" Please don't worry! I found that one set of the old train was being preserved at Soneda station. That's Set 7101 of the EMU 7000 series. Set 7101 is composed of 2 cars, namely DeHa 7101 and DeHa 7202. It's amazing that Set 7101 is preserved as the whole set, not just one car. Even more surprising, Set ..read more

Set 1103 of the EMU Fukushima Kotsu 1000 series travels on the Iizaka line I visited Fukushima City for the first time in 9 years. What was new with the local railways in this northern city? Let me quickly review Fukushima City to start. It's the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in Tohoku District, some 270 kilometers north of Tokyo. The population is about 270,000. The urban area is rather small, but it's bustling with throngs of local people. The city is surrounded by beautiful nature, and famous for the production of delicious peaches. Now, let's get down to the main topic. After arriv ..read more

A 6-car train, Set 10081 of the EMU Yokohama Municipal Subway 10000 series It's the end of March already. Time really flies. I recently visited the Green line of Yokohama Municipal Subway for the first time in three years, and found an advent of spring. Let me quickly review the Green line. It's the second subway line in Yokohama City, opened in 2008. Connecting Nakayama on the JR East-Yokohama line and Hiyoshi on the Tokyu-Toyoko line, the route length is 13.1 kilometers. The electric system is 1,500 V DC with overhead catenaries. The gauge size is 1,435 millimeters. Linear motor technology ..read more

Set G2 of the EMU JR East E8 series travels on Yamagata Shinkansen On March 16th, JR East changed their timetable for the first time in a year. What was new with Japan's largest railway? The big news was the debut of a new model on Yamagata Shinkansen. Let me quickly review Yamagata Shinkansen to start. It's a branch line of Tohoku Shinkansen, and a kind of "mini-shinkansens". Connecting Fukushima station on Tohoku Shinkansen and Shinjo terminal in Yamagata Prefecture, its line length is 148.6 kilometers. This route was originally constructed as a conventional line with a narrow gauge (1,067 ..read more

The seat fabric of the EMU Seibu 20000 series is being temporarily repaired Generally speaking, Japanese trains have comfortable seats. Fabrics for passenger seats are clean and strong; however, they are not perfect. I recently found that the seat fabric of the Seibu train was being temporarily repaired. Please look at the top photo. The bright blue-colored seat is very beautiful, but the seat surface is covered by a special cloth for temporal repair. The train illustration looks to be "crying"; however, there is a message on the cloth, saying "This seat can be used safely". Passengers will b ..read more