I recently visited a hot spring in Yamanashi Prefecture. It was an ultimate relax time for me, but there was more. On the way home, I could observe a preserved electric car of the ex-Yamanashi Kotsu line.
To start, let me quickly explain the Yamanashi Kotsu line. Yamanashi Kotsu is currently a local bus and taxi company in Yamanashi Prefecture, but this company once owned a tramline named Yamanashi Kotsu line. This route was opened in 1930 as a commuting route between the city center of Kofu and its suburban residential areas. Connecting Kofu-ekimae and Kai-aoyagi, its route length was 20.8 kilometers. The gauge size was 1,067 millimeters and the electric system was 600 V DC. The Yamanashi Kotsu line was unfortunately closed in 1962 due to spreading automobiles and deterioration of the facilities.
Although most of the vehicles on the Yamanashi Kotsu line had been scrapped, one unit is still preserved in Tonegawa Park in Fujikawa Town, which is close to the abandoned track. Please look at the top photo. That's Unit MoHa 7 of the electric car 7 series. Unit MoHa 7 was built in 1948 by Kisha-seizo. It's a 13.8-meters-long car with a semi-steel body, and weighs 22,000 kilograms. It has four 37.5 kW DC motors. Finally, I would like to note as an aside that Unit MoHa 7 was being protected by three strong bouncers. They were small and quiet, but flint-eyed. Who were they? Please take a look at the picture below and identify them yourself.
