TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Rail fans bid farewell to one of Japan's iconic "Doctor Yellow" bullet trains, used to diagnose faults on the country's high-speed shinkansen lines, as it made its final run Wednesday after about 24 years in service.

As the JR Central-owned T4 edition of "Doctor Yellow" arrived at Tokyo Station around 6 p.m., children erupted in cheers while others took photos of the yellow train, which people felt lucky to spot over the years due to its elusiveness.

"It was cool. Thank you for fixing the railways all this time," said 6-year-old So Fukushima, who came from Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo.

Two "Doctor Yellow" trains, the T4 and T5 editions, have traveled without passengers along the Tokaido and Sanyo shinkansen lines, spanning Tokyo to Hakata Station in Fukuoka.

The T4, which debuted in 2001, will have no successor, with passenger-carrying N700S bullet trains slated to be outfitted with testing and observation equipment. The T5, which belongs to JR West and debuted in 2005, is set to retire after 2027.

The trains have developed a mythical status among Japan's rail enthusiasts as their operating timetables are not disclosed to the public. Their elusiveness has given birth to claims that those who spot them will be blessed with happiness.

The T4 edition will be exhibited at a JR Central railway museum in Nagoya starting around June.