Friday 20 April 2018

Classic Streetcar in Kochi City

Electric car Tosaden Kotsu 202 of the 200 series travels on the Sambashi Line

Kochi is the main city of Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island. It has grown as the castle city of the lords of Tosa Province since the early 17th century. Currently, Kochi has a population of 332,000, which is a mid-sized city in Japan.

To my joy, Kochi has a superior tram network operated by Tosaden Kotsu. They have three routes in the city. The total line length is 25.3km, which is the second largest tram network in Japan. The eclectic system is 600 V DC overhead. The gauge size is 1,067 mm.

One of my favorite streetcars is the 200 series, which was commissioned in 1950. A total of 21 units were built by Hitachi, Teikoku Sharyo and Tosaden's own factory. Although more than 60 years have passed since it debuted, 14 units are still operated as leading electric cars. They have 11 m-long short steel bodies with two 38 kW DC motors. They are old nose suspension drive cars.

The 200 series is a sister car of the Toei 6000 series, which was operated in Tokyo Metropolis from 1947 to 2001. There are only minor differences between the two models such as the positions of the front lights.

I like the 200 series, specifically car number 201 and 202. They have large air-conditioner boxes and a bow collector on the roof. These air conditioner boxes were installed later. The large central window on the front mask was also different from the original design.

Electric car Tosaden Kotsu 202 of the 200 series stands at Kochi-ekimae Stop