One of the representative streetcars has disappeared from the Tokyo Metropolis. On June 11th this year, the final streetcar of the Toei (the Transportation Bureau of the Tokyo metropolitan Government) 7000 series finished its operation and retired from the track.
The 7000 series was Toei's longest-serving model launched in 1954. A total of 93 units were built by Alna Koki. The 7000 series was a 600V DC streetcar on the 1,372 mm gauge track of the Toei-Arakawa Line. The control system was a classic rheostatic, and the drive system was the classic nose suspended drive. I often visited the Arakawa Line and enjoyed the nostalgic beating sound generated from the nose suspended drive.
What has been the fate of the 7000 series? Most of them have already been scrapped or preserved in public parks, such as unit numbers 7001 and 7022. The good news is that eight units of the 7000 series have been renovated and come back to the track in the new name of the 7700 series, including unit numbers 7018, 7024 and 7026. Their doors have been widened to make it easier for passengers to get on and off, and their traveling system has been totally changed. For instance, the VVVF (variable voltage and variable frequency) inverter has been adopted as an electric control system to save electric power consumption.
Sayonara (good-bye) and arigatou (thank you) to the Toei 7000 series. The 7700 series, welcome to the Arakawa Line.
