Keisei 'buff'

I see all the 'danger signs' here of me being in the process of becoming a bit of a 'Keisei Railway' buff. Last month I had to make several trips along their main Narita line and enjoyed myself like a kid. Since then I've come across two new books on the Keisei that I just couldn't resist buying.

I've mentioned the Keisei Railway here before - as Keisei Dententsu Kaisha it was one of Tokyo's first private railway systems and their 'main lines' stretch far into Chiba Prefecture. Until about 1960 it was what Americans would consider a classic 'inter-urban' along 'Pacific Electric' lines and I've got some lovely plans of their early cars that would make your mouth water. But unlike PE the system has actually been modernised and extended into a very 'state of the art' railway now although some of the gradients and curves on the Narita line are clearly from the former tramway days.

Here is Keisei's crack express - the 'Skyliner' - that offers the fastest service between Narita Airport and central Tokyo humming along near Yachiyodai.

Watch this space for more on the Keisei Line!

Lonesome Whistle

I was out doing some fieldwork in Chiba City on the 29th January - a lovely day, real 'shirt sleeves weather' with bright sunshine. Somewhere near the level crossing at Tsuga I heard a lonesome whistle and thought "Wow! That sounds just like a steam locomotive!"

That whistle was blowing far away off and on for nearly thirty minutes. Impossible that it could have been a steam locomotive of course, there hasn't been one in Chiba for thirty years. It had to be a crane down in the JFE steel works somewhere but it was VERY convincing - so convincing that I hung aorund that level crosssing for half and hour.

Two days later - I heard from a student I know that it HAD been a steam locomotive. East Japan Railways preserved D51 498 was down from Tohoku and headed through town to run some special trains around Tateyama over two weekends in February. But it had taken the other route south out of the city. I'd been THAT close to seeing a D51 in steam in Chiba!

Here's D51 498 in more familiar country, on the Joetsu line up in the mountains of Tohoku. Beautiful eh?


Nice to be back here after some very difficult family times and a trip to Europe. I hope I'll be writing here regularly again but probably only around once a week for now