Keisei Kanamachi Line

As part of the new Keisei airport service, the short Keisei Kanamachi Line which now operates between Keisei Kanamachi Station and Oshiage Station will become a three station shuttle terminating at an elevated terminal at Keisei Takasago Station next Monday (July 5, 2010). This would free up track capacity between Takasago and Aoto for new Skyliner and Cityliner services starting on July 17th.

This line is one of only three lines with single track operation in Tokyo.  Four car trains are the rule,  although the Shibamata station can accommodate six car trains.  Rolling stock is usually 3300 series. Micro Ace offers models of the very similar Keisei 3200 series.

Quashlo has some photos taken in October 2009 of the construction of the ramp to the new elevated terminal.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=48733281&postcount=616

There is a diagram of the new arrangement on this blog.

http://blog-imgs-35-origin.fc2.com/t/a/k/takuya870625/keisei-takasago10b.png

http://takuya870625.blog43.fc2.com/blog-entry-146.html#trackback

This You Tube video shows the whole Kanamachi Line in just over 6 minutes. On leaving Takasago Station Takasago vehicle base is immediately visible.The new ramp is to the left of the car and is only visible for a short time.

There are photos of the Aoto-Takasago stretch of the Keisei Main Line towards the bottom of this web page on Keisei overpasses.

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~gx2t-ktym/keisei/index.htm

This is an interesting little line which could serve as the basis for a short branch on a layout. Takasago is an interesting multi track station, with a small elevated terminal for this branch line and a vehicle base dating back to 1912.  Although the vehicle base dates to 1912, the structure probably dates from the 1920s as the original structure collapsed in a rain storm in 1921.  Past Takasago Station and just past the vehicle base,  the Keisei Main Line splits into the Main Line to Narita and the Hokuso Line.

The other end of the Kanamachi Line T-bones the JR Joban line Kanamachi Station which is another multi-track station.

At Takasago in particular you will find various Keisei trains including the 3300s (MA offers the similar 3200s in four paint schemes), the old Skyliner now Cityliner, the new Skyliner, plus Toei subway 5300 series trains and various Keikyu trains some of which layover overnight at the Keisei Takasago vehicle base.

I'll have a take a trip to the Kanamachi Line just to ride the 3300s.  These sixties designs are getting thinner on the ground, witness the retirement of the similar Keikyu 1000 series recently.

Today (July 5, 2010) is the first day of the shortened Kanamachi line, running from an elevated terminal at Takasago. The connecting track was installed between the final train on Friday, July 2 and the first train on Monday, July 5.Trains now run every 15 minutes as opposed to every 20 minutes before the change.

Operations during the installation of the connecting ramp over the weekend.