Saturday 6 July 2013

Sotetsu New 7000 Series, Two Kinds of Coloring


EMU Sotetsu New 7000 series (new color) passed through Nishiya Station

What made you like trains? For me, many answers that come to mind are..., because I love traveling, because I like cameras. But, the prime reason is that I am excited with the coloring of trains! Once I see a beautifully colored train, such as the Shinkansen E5 (see my blog on April 3rd, 2013) or E6 series (see my blog on April 2nd, 2013), my heart beats faster. I am sure you are no different.

The coloring change of trains is the greatest pleasure for many rail fans. Look at the top photo. It is an EMU Sotetsu New 7000 series passing through Nishiya Station. The body color is light gray with blue and orange colored pencil stripes. It is muted pastels, isn't it? On the other hand, the following picture shows the old coloring of the same train. The bare silver aluminum body with red and vermilion colored heavy stripes gives a stronger impression than that of the new coloring.

The coloring of trains must be intimately bound up with the corporate identity. Sotetsu is probably changing their identity from "powerful commuter railway" to "environment-conscious railway". Even just the coloring of trains provides no end to the amusement for rail fans.

For your information the EMU Sotetsu New 7000 series was commissioned in 1986. So far, a total of 60 units have been manufactured by Hitachi. The appearance of the New 7000 is completely different from the original 7000 series (see my blog on January 7th, 2013).

EMU Sotetsu 7000 series (old color) arrives at Ebina Station