Toden 150 series

Toden 150 series
175 in May 2025
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Kawasaki Sharyō, Nippon Sharyo, Tanaka Sharyō
Type of locomotive	Light rail vehicle
Constructed	1927
Number built	23 cars
Dimensions	11,888 mm × 2,337 mm × 3,555 – 3,607 mm
Gauge	4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm)
Power supply	600 V DC
Electric system(s)	Bow collector
Traction system	Resistor control
Traction system model	Mitsubishi KR-8
Service information
In service	1927 – 1968
Formation	Single car
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	151 – 157, 161 – 168, 171 – 178
Scrapped	1967 – 1968
Preservation information
Preserved	1 car
Number scrapped	22 cars

The Toden 150 series is a Japanese streetcar type operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei) on the Tokyo Toden network from 1927 to 1968.

History

The 150 series was a series of streetcars manufactured for the Tokyo Toden network; the cars were originally built for the Ōji Electric Tram Company (Oden for brevity) as their first steel cars with raised bogies and originally classified as the Ōji Electric Tram Company 200 series. The cars were numbered as such due to them taking the last digit of the year of the era in which they were manufactured, Shōwa 2 (1927); the earlier 300 series cars (later the Toden 120 series) were manufactured in Taishō 13 (1924) and the 400 series cars (later the Toden 100 series) in Taishō 14 (1925). 23 cars were manufactured, numbered 201 to 223.

In 1942, the Ōji Electric Tram Company was merged with what would become the Tokyo Toden network, with the 23 cars reclassified into three different types; 201 to 207 were reclassified as the 150 series, 208 to 215 as the 160 series and 216 to 223 as the 170 series, with all renumbered accordingly. The routes on which the cars previously operated on were also integrated into the Tokyo Toden network as Routes 27 and 32 (today the Toden Arakawa Line). None of the 150, 160 or 170 series cars were damaged or destroyed during World War II.

In 1950, all 150 series cars and some 170 series cars were rebuilt into 3000 series cars, with the removed 150, 160 and 170 series bodies being resold to various companies such as the Enoshima Electric Railway, the Akita City Transportation Bureau, Ugo Kōtsū and the Kawasaki City Transportation Bureau. The abolition of a significant number of lines on the Toden network starting in the mid-1960s resulted in the withdrawals of most of the class; all cars were withdrawn by 1968. Throughout their service lives, all cars were only based at Arakawa Depot and never operated on any other lines apart from Toden Routes 27 and 32.

Design

The 150 series cars were the first Oden cars to feature steel bodies.

Specifications

Construction is of steel. Electrical systems for the streetcars were manufactured by Mitsubishi.

Preservation

The following 150 series cars have been preserved:

Number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Location	Notes
175	Kawasaki Sharyō	1927	1968	Sanwa Tekki Railway Square, Utsunomiya, Japan	Displayed near E223-23 and D51 947; appointment required for viewing