Toden 7500 series

Toden 7500 series
7512 in March 2011
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Nippon Sharyo, Niigata Tekkō Alna Kōki (new bodies)
Type of locomotive	Light rail vehicle
Constructed	1962
Number built	20 cars
Dimensions	12,520 mm × 2,203 mm × 3,890 mm
Gauge	4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm)
Power supply	600 V DC
Electric system(s)	Pantograph
Traction system	Resistor control
Traction system model	Nippon Sharyo NCH-602-RUD Nippon Sharyo NC-533
Service information
In service	17 December 1962 – 13 March 2011
Formation	Single car
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	7501 – 7520
Refurbished	1977 – 1978, 1984 – 1987
Scrapped	1972, 1978, 2008 – 2011
Preservation information
Preserved	4 cars
Number scrapped	16 cars

The Toden 7500 series is a Japanese streetcar type operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei) on the Tokyo Toden network from December 1962 to March 2011.

History

The 7500 series was a series of streetcars manufactured for the Tokyo Toden network; the cars were introduced in December 1962 as a new type of rolling stock to replace the 8000 series cars which were designed to have a service life of between 8 to 10 years and were already showing signs of deterioration. They were deployed on all lines apart from the Suginami Line.

The abolition of a significant number of lines on the Toden network starting in the mid-1960s resulted in the withdrawals of many of Toden's streetcar types, with most cars transferred to other depots. By 1972, 18 cars remained in service, only operating on Routes 27 and 32 on the Toden network, with two cars scrapped that year for spare parts. Although the Toden system was scheduled to be abolished, the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation made the decision to merge both Routes 27 and 32 into a singular line named the Arakawa Line; all 18 cars would continue their operation on these lines.

In preparation for wanman operation on the line to be implemented in 1978, 16 of the 18 cars were refurbished with improvements from 1977 to 1978; the two cars part of these modifications, 7509 and 7514, were withdrawn from service in 1978, with 7514 preserved at Arakawa Depot and 7509's body scrapped and its equipment used for maintenance-of-way equipment on the Toei Shinjuku Line which uses the same gauge. 13 of the 16 cars were then rebuilt with new bodies by Alna Kōki from 1984 to 1987, while the three cars which were not part of the modifications, 7502, 7504 and 7508, were withdrawn. Due to aging, withdrawals of the rest of the class commenced in 2008 with the introduction of the 8800 series cars, with all withdrawn by March 2011. One car, 7510, was rebuilt into the Hana 100 series "flower train", seeing service until 2018.

Design

When built the 7500 series cars featured a standard streetcar design typical of the 1950s; they were painted in Toden's corporate colors of yellow with red accents. The cars were later rebuilt with a more modern angular body design. The cars were later repainted in Toei's new corporate livery of cream with green accents.

Specifications

Construction of the cars is of steel. The cars use a Nippon Sharyo-manufactured resistor controlled traction system and nose suspension driveshaft.

Preservation

The following 7500 series cars have been preserved:

Number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Location	Notes
7504	Nippon Sharyo	December 1962	December 2001	Toden Memorial Square, Tokyo, Japan	Displayed near 5501; formerly stored serviceable at Arakawa Depot
7506			January 2008	Ikenohata Children's Park, Tokyo, Japan	Displayed outdoors within fence; first rebuilt set to be withdrawn from service
7508			March 1986	Itabashi Traffic Park, Tokyo, Japan	Unrebuilt body; displayed outdoors, interior open for public viewing
7514	Niigata Tekkō		April 1978	Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Tokyo, Japan	Unrebuilt body; displayed outdoors, formerly preserved at Arakawa Depot

The following 7500 series cars were preserved in the past but have since been scrapped:

Number	Manufacturer	Date manufactured	Date retired	Last location	Notes
7502	Nippon Sharyo	December 1962	March 1986	Haginaka Park, Tokyo, Japan	Displayed outdoors; removed 2006 and scrapped due to significant deterioration
7512	Niigata Tekkō		March 2011	Kunitachi Fujimidai Kindergarten, Kunitachi, Tokyo, Japan	Unrebuilt car body only; scrapped 2014 due to redevelopment of facility

Trivia

• 7511 to 7520 were the only pieces of rolling stock manufactured by Niigata Tekkō for the Tokyo Toden.