Tuesday 24 March 2015

Tokyu 8007F from Danish Rail-fan's Photo Album

Set number 8007F of the EMU Tokyu 8000 series travels on the Toyoko Line (1995 or 1996)
Photo: Nicolai Okkels 
 
I am going to show you an old train picture in the Tokyo metropolitan area from a Danish rail-fan's photo album again. My thanks go to Mr. Nicolai Okkels, who kindly sent me the picture.

The top photo is set number 8007F of the EMU Tokyu 8000 series on the Toyoko Line. When I was a high school student, I took the Toyoko Line to school. It was a 10-minute trip from Shibuya Terminal and I used the 8000 series every day. The 8000 series was the main fleet of the Toyoko Line at that time, but, the final set of the 8000 series was retired from the track in 2008.

I was probably inseparable from the 8000 series. I ran into the 8000 series again in Jakarta, Indonesia, when I was stationed there several years ago. The local railway operator, PT KAI (Indonesian National Railways) was pursuing the modernization of the trains in Jakarta. Three sets of the 8000 series were moved there to spend a new life after retirement from Tokyu.

Specifically, 8007F was my favorite in Jakarta. Its shining corrugated stainless steel body with blue-colored stripes is engraved in my mind's eye (see the following photo). The interior of the train was nostalgic, as there were many remnants from the days of Japan in the train. For instance, some cautionary statement stickers, which were written in Japanese, were still inside the train.

The EMU Tokyu 8000 series... it is my unforgettable train.
 
Set number 8007F stands at Gambir Station, Jakarta, Indonesia (December, 2007)