Tokyo City Streetcar 3000 series

Tokyo City Streetcar 3000 series
Replicas of 3079 and 3184 manufactured for filming purposes
Technical specifications
Manufacturer(s)	Fujinagata Shipyards, Kisha Seizō, Nippon Sharyo, Tanaka Sharyō
Type of locomotive	Light rail vehicle
Constructed	1923 – 1924
Number built	610 cars
Dimensions	11,600 mm × 2,210 mm × 3,500 mm
Gauge	1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in)
Power supply	600 V DC
Electric system(s)	Trolley pole
Traction system	Resistor control
Traction system model	Mitsubishi KR-8 Shibaura RP-200 Tōyō Denki KR-8
Service information
In service	April 1923 – October 1952
Formation	Single car
Number in service	None
Fleet numbers	3001 – 3610
Scrapped	1923, 1929, 1943 – 1945
Preservation information
Preserved	None
Number scrapped	414 cars

The Tokyo City Streetcar 3000 series was a Japanese streetcar type operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei) on the Tokyo City Streetcar network (now Tokyo Toden) from April 1923 to October 1952.

History

The 3000 series was an early streetcar type in operation in Tokyo. First introduced into service in April 1923, 100 cars were initially manufactured; the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake would destroy 13 of the cars, leading to a production ramp up to replace the shortfall of cars. 510 additional cars were manufactured by July 1924 by four different manufacturers, leading to a total of 610 cars. Initially deployed at Mita and Aoyama Depots, they were later redeployed to virtually all of Tokyo and became the face of the Tokyo City Streetcar network due to their sheer numbers.

Hundreds of cars were destroyed during World War II, with many bogies and frames reclaimed from destroyed cars to build new cars such as the 6000 series cars; some were later rebuilt into other cars. By May 1948, 196 cars were in service and all remaining cars were renumbered from 3001 to 3196; it is unknown what the cars' old numbers were prior to their renumbering. From 1950, the cars would be rebuilt with steel bodies, with all cars rebuilt by October 1952. The wooden bodies of 3233 and 3234 were transferred to Nippon Kensetsu, which converted them into steel bodies; these were reused for the Akita City Tram 30 series cars 31 and 32.

Nippon Sharyo would construct a number of replicas of the 3000 series in the 1970s for use in filming.

Design

The 3000 series cars were painted green and were noted to have a modern design for their time, integrating the passenger doors with the body.

Specifications

Construction was of wood. Electrical systems for the streetcars were manufactured by Tōyō Denki, Mitsubishi and Shibaura Seisakushō. The cars had two trolley poles to collect power, one for each direction.