Tuesday 12 August 2014

EMU E3-2000 Series: New Color

Set number L64 of the EMU JR East E3-2000 series (new color) stands at Tokyo station
 
JR East has started a coloring change of its EMU E3-2000 series, "Tsubasa (wing)" on the Yamagata Shinkansen. The first new colored train, set number L56 was launched on April 26th of this year.

The EMU JR East E3-2000 series debuted in December, 2008 to replace the old model, the EMU 400 series. The largest characteristic of the E3-2000 series was an increase of its maximum speed to 275 km/hour. As you may know, the maximum speed of the old models, such as the EMU 400 series and the E3-1000 series, was 240 km/hour.

I like the new color design. Specifically, the dark purple stripe on the front mask is my favorite, as it is almost like an eggplant color. For your information, this dark purple color was not taken from an eggplant, but from a stripe of mandarin duck, which is a local bird in Yamagata Prefecture. Some of Yamagata's local products, such as cherries, butterbur sprouts and safflowers are also emblazoned on the side of the train bodies.

JR East also launched a special sightseeing Shinkansen train, "Toleil" of the EMU E3-700 series, recently on the Yamagata Shinkansen. Toleil is a combination of an English word for "train" and a French word for "soleil". This train has a footbath to relax travelers as a passenger service. I will also report on this new Shinkansen train sometime in the future.

I can't take my eyes off the Yamagata Shinkansen.

 
Side view of unit number E325-2004 and E322-2004 of the EMU E3-2000 series (new color)