International Railroad Discussion > Budd's Legacy in Tokyo, Japan

After obtaining license for stainless steel passenger car manufacturing from Budd, Tokyu Car Corporation started manufacturing the Series 7000 between 1962 and 1966. This was Japan's first all stainless steel passenger car in the form of EMU.

Series 7000 was designed to run through Eidan Subway's (now Tokyo Metro) Hibiya Line, and with the completion of the Hibiya Line in 1964 (to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics... a familiar theme), it started doing that from the west end of the subway line at Naka-Meguro, connecting with Tokyu's Toyoko Line.

Starting in 1987, Series 7000 were renovated and became Series 7700. While the carbodies were in excellent shape and did not need to be rebuilt, the aging mechanical and electrical components were replaced, and the Series 7700 were modernized, powered by AC traction motors. The interior went through minor renovation, including the addition of air conditioning, but otherwise remained unchanged.

Tokyu Corporation (the railroad) announced in August that all Series 7700 will be retired from service by the end of this year (2018). While in Japan last month, I decided to document the remaining 7700 set running in "native territory" on Tokyu's Tamagawa Line to beat the crowd and insanity from the "Sayonara Run" scheduled in November. 

There's no rush for TO members wanting to document Budd's living legacy in Japan. Yoro Railway in Gifu Prefecture (west of Nagoya) has been obtaining the retired Series 7700 from Tokyu since the announcement, and they will run there, continuing Budd's legacy for more than half a century.

Yoro Railway's already made "TO News" with the discussion about "Cat Cafe Train" last year:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?6,4376991

- Original "builder plates" inside the train, built in Showa 41st (1966) and renovated in Showa 62nd (1987).

- Tokyu Corporation logo on the side of the train.

- Video of the "chase" which I'll describe next.

---

---

You must be a registered subscriber to watch videos. Join Today!

I'm riding onboard Tokyu's new Series 7000 in the first clip, hunting for the Series 7700 along the Tamagawa Line. Tamagawa Line only has 7 stops, so it was easy to find all the train sets running along the line and find the 7700. This is at ShimoMaruko Station.

Once I found the 7700, I went to Yaguchi-no-watashi Station to get the 7700 arriving, second clip. I was scouting locations while hunting the 7700, since it was my first time riding the Tamagawa Line. Before 2000, Tamagawa Line did not exist, and this segment was part of the Mekama Line, but even back then, I didn't visit this segment. Mekama Line was modified into Meguro Line in 2000, and supplement the busy quadruple main between Den-en Chofu and Hiyoshi (6 stops) with the Toyoko Line. Hiroshi-san has posted numerous reports along that line here on TO.

I waited for the 7700 to change direction and rode it to get a cab video, third clip. I'm travelling between Yaguchi-no-watashi and Musashi-nitta, and you can hear an automated announcement for the latter station at the end of the clip. During the renovation in 1987, the 7700 got an upgrade to a single lever control stand.

I stayed on the 7700, changed direction, and de-trained at Yaguchi-no-watashi. I waited for the 7700 to come around again to get the fourth clip of it departing the station.

I went to Unoki Station to get the fifth and final clip, to get the 7700 arriving on straight track to get a "conventional" angle.

- 7700 approaching Yaguchi-no-watashi, for my first ride.

- Interior shot. 

- The new Series 7000, which I rode to scout the line and hunt the 7700.

---

---

---

"straight to 8," i love it..........

66

There's supposed to be about half a dozen smaller railroads that still utilize the original Series 7000 and renovated Series 7700 throughout Japan, including the Yoro Railway. Unfortunately, two of them no longer operates the 7000/7700 - Towada Kanko Railway in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan went out of business in 2012, and Chichibu Railway in nearby Saitama Prefecture scrapped all theirs already.

Mizuma Railway (a.k.a. Sui Tetsu) near Osaka modified the original Series 7000 in 2006, and while Budd's legacy still lives, the renovated Series 1000 no longer resembles what the EMU looked like in Tokyo back in the day.

Konan Railway in northern Japan (Aomori Prefecture) still operates theirs, handed to them as Series 7000.

Hokuriku Railroad in Ishikawa Prefecture (Japan Sea side, near Kanazawa) also operates handed-down Series 7000s on their Ishikawa Line.

Fukushima Transportation (in Fukushima Prefecture) plans to retire all of their handed-down Series 7000 by Spring of 2019.

Tokyu Car Corporation, the manufacturing subsidiary of Tokyu Corporation is now a subsidiary of JR East (East Japan Railway) and exists as J-TREC, Japan Transport Engineering Company. The organization has had tremendous impact on passenger rail in Japan, thanks to the seed planted by Budd by licensing their manufacturing methods.

---

Both Tamagawa line and Ikegami line share EMUs and Kamata station is a good spot to visit, actually both lines start from Kamata.  Also, another good spot will be a service yard near Yukigaya-Otsuka station (Ikegami line). It hosts all of remaining class 7700s.

Hope this helps.

Hiroshi

.... and white gloves yet! Classy.