Evening Express

Walking back from the village a couple of evenings ago I reached our local level crossing at the same time as the 'up' Shiosai. This far south it gets dark early even in midsummer and as you see by six thirty the light is almost gone. But there's a 30 mph speed limit on the tight curve here which is just about enough to 'freeze' the train for a photographer in the twilight

I wonder what the passengers have been doing out in Choshi all day? Business trips or visiting relatives perhaps. But now, on a very hot humid evening they are already half way back to town. The train will be 'tying up' in Tokyo in another fifty minutes after a sprint down the Sobu-honsen fast tracks from Chiba.

Whatever the purpose of their trip I guess those on the train will glad tonight for the powerful air-conditioning on board. I can hear it humming before I can hear the traction motors! I'm not sure that I really like these brash new 255 Class "Boso View Express" units much compared with their lovely old brown and tuscan red 183 Class forbears but they certainly look comfortable through those smoked glass windows ...