Friday 16 May 2014

Must-see Spot for Rail Fans

Streetcar 2100 series (left) and EMU 700 series (right) are seen near Ootemachi Station
 
Following the must-see spot for cinema fans, I am going to introduce you to a must-see spot for rail fans in Shikoku Island, some 700km west of Tokyo. It is located near Ootemachi Station in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture. We have a busy and giant subway Ootemachi Station in Tokyo, but this Ootemachi Station is small and quiet.

Where is the must-see spot in Ootemachi?

It is a level intersection of a railway and a tram line. This kind of intersection is only seen here in Japan. The railway is the Takahama Line; meanwhile, the tram is the Matsuyama City Line of Iyo Railway Company (Iyotetsu).

Please look at the top photo. You can see that the southbound Takahama Line train, EMU 700 series, is passing through the intersection, while the Matsuyama City Line tram, the 2100 series, is waiting for the passing train. The following photo shows that the northbound train, EMU 3000 series, is passing through the intersection and the streetcar, 2100 series, is waiting for the passing train. This spot holds rail fans' attention, as it is a precious picturesque spot for them.

For your information, the EMU 700 series is the ex-Keio 5000 series train. It was transfered to Iyotstsu from 1987 to 1994 after its retirement from the Keio Line. The EMU 3000 series also came from Keio Electric Railway in 2009 after its retirement from the Inokashira Line.

These ex-Keio trains are also atractive for rail fans.

 
Streetcar 2100 series (left) and EMU 3000 series (right) are seen near Ootemachi Station