Friday 21 February 2014

Tokyo Snow Scene: JR East Nambu Line

EMU JR East 205-1200 series arrives at Inagi-Naganuma Station on the Nambu Line
 
Snowfall changes an ordinary looking railway scenery into an extraordinary silvery world. Snow-capped white tracks are very beautiful after the snowfall has let up and the sun has come out. The JR East Nambu Line is no exception.

The Nambu Line is one of the transportation arteries in the eastern part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was opened in 1927 to transport gravel from the Tama riverbed to large cities for constructions. Connecting Kawasaki and Tachikawa, the route length is 45km. The track gauge is 1,067mm and the electric system is 1,500V DC overhead.

When I was a child, I often took the Nambu Line with my school teacher and classmates to go pick some pears in autumn. Our destination was Inagi-Naganuma Station, where there were many pear farms around the station. My teacher told us that the Inagi-Naganuma area is suitable for pear cultivation, because the land is well-drained. It is situated on the gravel from the Tama riverbed.

Today, the scenery of the Inagi-Naganuma area has totally changed. It has become a large commuter town in the Tokyo metropolitan area. New houses line the street. The station has also been renovated with the construction of new elevated railway tracks. It is clean; but I can't expect a lot from modernization, as I am a rail fan with nostalgic eyes.

Everything flows, nothing stands still; only the snow scene is the same both now and in the future.

 
EMU JR East 205 series arrives at Inagi-Naganuma Station on the Nambu Line