March 13, 2010

Good Ole Yellow Train


When you say Seibu Railway here, people automatically think of this yellow train.

The first yellow train was made in 1969, when the Seibu Chichibu Line opened. Since then there have been several different types of yellow trains. This one in the photo, the 9000 series, was made in 1993. It is a 10-car train and can be seen on all current Seibu lines.

Although newer trains that are no longer yellow have been developed, with nicer seats and 15-inch liquid-crystal displays, I still like the yellow trains the best.

10 comments:

Louis la Vache said...

«Louis» (who has yet to visit Japan) imagines that these trains are very busy!

VP said...

You caught your beloved train perfectly. I like it either, hope the new one will be nice either.

Leif Hagen said...

I loved riding the trains and subways in Japan! Not much opportunity for me do to that here in Eagan!

Tall Gary said...

I prefer the yellow Seibu trains also. You showed us a nice comparison between the yellow trains and the silver ones with a colored stripe on January 16th. What is to distinguish the silver-and-stripe trains from, say, Chiyoda Line trains; the Yamanote line; the Tozai Line; or the Saikyô Line? Just to mention a few. Yellow rules!

gogouci said...

15 inch LCD screens...wow. That's commuting in style.

Deden said...

LCD screen display on the seats.. Hmm, that is not very common here at the public space. I like Japanese people regard the public facility..

Kaori said...

Thank you everyone for the comments! Yes, the trains are becoming very high-tech. The displays not only show us what the next station is, but they show news topics, today's horoscope, and quick tips or quizzes to entertain you.

Tall Gary, I'm not sure but the new silver train still have different colors that show which line it is. You can also tell from the shape of the train. But many of the lines these days have started reciprocal running so sometimes you see the train of a different line because it later connects onto that line. The Kanto railway can be quite confusing ;)

arabesque said...

wow, this foto makes me want to go see japan right at this moment!

Tall Gary said...

Because the silver trains are newer they also have wider bodies which means they can hold more people—so the distinctive, attractive yellow trains would be more crowded with the same number of people in them. Still, the yellow trains seem somehow “homier”, I think. The future however, as it looks now, is silver. And as we all know, bigger is better, isn’t it? Especially when compared with the past, such as this? Being able to hold more people is important, isn’t it?

Kaori said...

Yes, that's why I like the yellow trains too! One more reason the silver trains look so alike with other train lines is because they are being made together to cut manufacturing costs :)

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