ストレート車体の似た者同士達？【ご近所 つながる 南武線】#24／Straight‑bodied look‑alikes?“Neighborhood Connections on the Nambu Line” – #24

ストレート車体の似た者同士達？【ご近所 つながる 南武線】#24

撮影日	列車番号	形式・編成	行先	撮影場所
2026年 3月17日	1703	E131系T2編成	浜川崎	浜川崎
2026年 3月17日	1701H	E127系V2編成	尻手	川崎新町
2026年 3月17日	1710H	E127系V2編成	浜川崎	川崎新町
2026年 3月17日	1711H	E127系V2編成	尻手	浜川崎

似た者同士とは鶴見線E131系のストレート車体が新潟のE127系みたいなポジションな上、南武線側は本物の新潟からのE127系がいるので双方の車両は弁天橋駅付近の川崎統括センター鶴見線オフィスの車庫に留置されている事例があるのでね。

Straight‑bodied look‑alikes?“Neighborhood Connections on the Nambu Line” – #24

Date	Train No.	Train Type / Set	Destination	Location
March 17, 2026	1703	E131 Series – Set T2	Hamakawasaki	Hamakawasaki Station, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture
March 17, 2026	1701H	E127 Series – Set V2	Shitte	Kawasaki‑Shinmachi Station, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture
March 17, 2026	1710H	E127 Series – Set V2	Hamakawasaki	Kawasaki‑Shinmachi Station, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture
March 17, 2026	1711H	E127 Series – Set V2	Shitte	Hamakawasaki Station, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Commentary (English for overseas audience)

The reason I call them “look‑alikes” is because the E131 series used on the Tsurumi Line—also located in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture—has a straight‑sided body that resembles the E127 series from Niigata Prefecture.
And on the Nambu Branch Line, the actual Niigata‑born E127 series is in service.

Because both types operate in the same area, it’s not unusual to see them parked side by side at the Kawasaki General Rolling Stock Center (Tsurumi Line Office) near Bentenbashi Station, creating a rare scene of two very similar but unrelated designs sharing the same yard.

About JR East’s unique “experimental culture”

JR East (East Japan Railway Company) is one of the few railway operators in Japan that actively embraces experimentation.
They don’t just test new ideas—they often put prototype trains directly into revenue service to gather real‑world data.

Technically, large‑scale verification projects are handled by a separate organization called JR Research Institute (JR総研).
But JR East itself has a long history of trying bold concepts.

For example, about 20 years before the Governor of Tokyo proposed double‑deck trains to reduce rush‑hour congestion, JR East had already operated double‑deck commuter EMUs in regular service.
The concept didn’t perform as well as hoped, so it never became widespread, but it shows how far JR East is willing to go in the name of experimentation.

This culture of “try it first, evaluate later” is part of what makes JR East so distinctive among Japanese railway companies.