Railway fans take commemorative photos of the 113 before it departs. Chōshi Station, September 23, 2011.
Railway Fans Pack Chiba’s Chōshi Station to Send Off “Suka-Colored” 113 Train on its Farewell Run
Yomiuri Shimbun: 「スカ色」１１３系、ファンに見送られ記念運行
September 25, 2011
JR East passenger train #113, much loved for its kon- and cream-colored exterior (kon is navy blue), made farewell runs on the 23rd and 24th, from Tokyo’s Ryōgoku Station to Chiba’s Chōshi and Tateyama Stations, respectively, in honor of its retirement from regular service.
About a hundred camera-toting railway fans packed into Chōshi Station to reluctantly say farewell.
Train 113 began service in Chiba in 1969. It ran between Chiba and Kurihama, Yokosuka until 1999 (a route which rounds Tokyo Bay, passing through central Tokyo into Yokohama), including stints on the Sōbu Rapid Line and the Yokosuka Line. Its kon and cream paint job was nicknamed “Yokosuka Colors” or “Suka Colors” for short.
On the 23rd, the 113 made a round trip between Ryōgoku and Chōshi Stations on tracks used by the Sōbu and Narita Lines. It departed from Ryōgoku, and it arrived at Chōshi at 12:24 PM. After it had parked at “home”, the passengers and crew took commemorative photos with it.
At 2:05 PM, fans said “thank you” and waved to the car as it departed. 28 people on a “farewell team” assembled by Chōshi tourism attendants wore yellow happi coats for the occasion.
Mr. Hiroshi Sakurai (53), a former passenger, said: “We’ve been fond of this train ever since the Showa Period. There’s an intensity of feeling here and a sad aspect to this retirement as well.”
On the 24th, the train set off from Ryōgoku again and made a farewell run down the Sōbu Line and around the Uchibō and Sotobō Lines (which circle the inner and outer shores of the Bōso Peninsula [Chiba], respectively).
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