You may remember that, almost two months ago, I wrote about the Toei 8500 series running past the roses in full bloom on the Arakawa Line. At that time, I mentioned that I would save the refurbishment story of the 8500 series for a future post.
Now, I finally have the chance to introduce it here. So, let’s take a closer look.
The photo above shows refurbished tramcar 8501 of the Toei 8500 series, operated on the Arakawa Line by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei).
Tramcar 8501 was built by ALNA in 1990. When new, it carried a pearl-white body with a green stripe, but after 36 years of service it has now received a major refurbishment under the concept of “a fun tramline.” The car returned to service on April 16 this year.
Its new chrome-yellow livery is based on the colour scheme once seen on Tokyo tramcars around the 1970s, so it gives the car a distinctly nostalgic look. I think this style will be especially popular with long-time tram and railway fans. I was also surprised to see that even the pantograph has been painted chrome yellow. By the way, “TODEN” on the body refers to Tokyo’s historic tram system.
The interior of tramcar 8501 is even more distinctive. Please take a look at the photo below. The first thing that stands out is the elaborate wood-grain design used throughout the saloon. I forgot to mention this earlier, but both the exterior and interior were designed by Eiji Mitooka, well known for his work on many Japanese trains, including JR Kyushu’s KiHa 72 series DMU, the 787 series and the 800 series EMUs.
I was very impressed by the design itself, but as a railway enthusiast I was also curious about the materials used inside the car. At first glance, the interior looks as if it is made almost entirely of wood, so I wondered how it had passed Japan’s strict fire-safety standards for railway vehicles. In fact, the surfaces are not solid timber; flame-retardant wood-grain films have been applied over metal fittings and panels. It is a clever way of creating a warm heritage-style atmosphere while still meeting modern safety requirements.
One more point worth mentioning is that tramcar 8501 is not a special event car or a one-off display vehicle. It runs in ordinary passenger service, which makes it even more enjoyable for enthusiasts. Its daily operation can be checked via the official app, “Tokyo Sakura Tram (Toden Arakawa Line) Real-Time Location Information.”
I am sure I will be riding tramcar 8501 again before too long.
