Kyoto City Transit Bureau #869

Background

The reconstruction of Japan during its occupation by allied forces after World War II included the re-manufacture of 1920s vintage streetcars. Due to their age, this was a temporary measure. As soon as possible, hundreds of new streetcars were constructed to a more or less standardized design. Factories that had once produced aircraft parts were now used to build trams.

Service History in Japan

Built in 1953, #869 was one of 90 manufactured for Kyoto City Transportation Bureau between 1950 and 1955. As originally constructed, it was designed for two-man operation (motorman and conductor) with four doors, one in each corner.

In 1969 it was renumbered #1869 and converted to one-man operation by enclosing the front right door on each side (since Japanese traffic travels on the left side of the street) and opening a new center door. It continued to run on the city lines in Kyoto until 1974 when service when tram service began being phased out in favor of buses connecting to the subway system.

Six Kyoto cars were then sold to the suburban Hankai Electric Tramway of Osaka and renumbered to #251-256, with #1869 becoming #255. Hankai reversed the boarding and exiting procedure to be consistent with its other trams, so passengers now entered by the center door and paid their fares when exiting by the front door.

Not long after their arrival it became apparent the refurbished trams were not powerful enough to handle the high speeds required on Hankai’s long stretches of segregated right-of-way. As a result, they were only used in emergency service. #255 ran there until June 9, 1992 when it was retired and purchased by Old Pueblo Trolley.