Romancecar Museum
Odakyu Electric Railway is one of the main railway companies based in Japanese metropolis. Very popular rail routes are operated by Odakyu’s Romancecar and certainly many tourists in Tokyo have boarded this limited express train for Hakone, Odawara and Enoshima.
As of April 2021, Romancecar has its own museum beside Ebina station (Odakyu Line) in Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture. In an area of 4000 square meters, visitors travel to the history of the most popular train in Japan after shinkansen, through five generations of Romancecar. On the 2nd floor an impressive diorama of 190 sq.m. with 15 train models crossing it, recreates the railway connections between Shinjuku and Hakone. On the same floor a simulator offers a nice travel experience from the driver’s seat. There is also a play area for children, called “Kids’ Romancecar Park”.
Photos: Junko Nagata © Japanbyweb.com
MOHA 1 was the first train built by Odawara Express Railway, a former company of Odakyu Electric Railway.
In service: 1927-1960
Odakyu 3000 series SE (Super Express) was introduced as a high-performance express train in 1957. In the same year it achieved the world’s highest speed of 145 km/h, on a narrow-gauge railway. This record gave impetus for the design of the first Shinkansen, the 0 Series. 3000 series SE was a “Romancecar” electric multiple unit (EMU) train type operated by the Odakyu Electric Railway in the Tokyo area. In service: 1957-1992
Odakyu 3100 series NSE (1963-1999) and Odakyu 7000 series LSE (1980-2018)
The Odakyu 10000 series HiSE operated mainly between Shinjuku Station in Tokyo and Hakone-Yumoto Station (about 88 km). In service: 1987-2012.
Odakyu 20000 series RSE. In service: 1991-2012
