On 21st, I photographed Tobu 50090 Series being in service as a special train between Ikebukuro Station and Yorii Station on Tobu Tojo Line, featuring Masumi Toyooka, who is known as a railfan and used to be the pioneer of the railfan girls, and Yusuke Minamida from Horipro Inc., who managed Toyooka when she belonged to Horipro and known as a railfan and sometimes appeared on TV programmes.
51092F set has a livery the same as 5310 Series, which used to run on Tojo Line as "Flying Tojo" limited express service in 1950s and 1960s, navy blue with yellow line since November, 2015.
"Flying Tojo" limited express had been in service between 1949 and 1962. At first, it ran as a express train without seating reservation on holidays in spring and autumn. In 1952, four cars of 5310 Series, a car used to be in service as limited express trains on Tobu Isesaki Line (section commonly called "Tobu SKYTREE Line" in the present) and Nikko Line between Asakusa and Tobu-nikko, moved to Tojo Line and started to operate as "Flying Tojo". At the same time, "Flying Tojo" upgraded to limited express seating reservation was required.
5310 Series for "Flying Tojo" was consisted of four cars including the one called "music car", installing music audio instruments, which was moved from an old car when it operated as express.
"Flying Tojo" operated by 5310 Series ran Ikebukuro Station and Yorii Station, but in express train period it went through Chichibu Railway Chichibu Main Line to Nagatoro Station. Instead of "Flying Tojo", holiday express trains started to run as the going-through service to Chichibu Main Line (holiday express would change to limited express without seating reservation and continued until 1992). Because of the shortening its operating section, the number of passengers on "Flying Tojo" grew at a sluggish pace and stopped collecting additional fee in 1956. However, 5310 Series kept being in service until it moved to Isesaki Line for reserved-seat express train, become the predecessor of "Ryomo" limited express, in 1962.
During 5310 Series was in service on Tojo Line, it also ran as special train for party of tourists or students.for school excursion named "Blue Bird". This time, because of a special train by the same-coloured car, 51092F set had a"Blue Bird" front sign.
To photograph an image creating the atmosphere of 5310 Series running at the base of Chichibu mountains, I photographed at between Tobu-takezawa Station and Obusuma Station, an artificial pond was located in the ground of Honda's automobile factory aside of the railway. The pond functions stormwater reservoir for flood control, but photographed against the nature it looked as if it was a tourist attraction.
Since 2005, on the section between Ogawamachi and Yorii, conductorless local trains operated by 8000 Series are only in service. This time a train from Ikebukuro came there for the first time in years.
Though there are some differences between "Flying Tojo" and "TJ Liner" or 5310 Series and 50090 Series such as main target, "Flying Tojo" mainly had carried passengers going on excursion but "TJ Liner" operates in the morning and evening to carry commuters, and seating layout, 5310 Series had transverse ones but 50090 Series does convertible seatings between longitudinal and forward-facing, the two services are the train additional fee is required. It can be seen that 50090 Series is the most suitable car to revive the body colour of 5310 Series.
In my opinion, it may be good that 50090 Series runs as rapid express trains on Saturdays and holidays in forward-facing seating mode like "TJ Liner" after suspension of collecting additional fee.