Although it is moderate in size, the Nagoya City Tram and Subway Museum, located next to Nisshin Workshops, is well worth a visit if you are in the area. As its name suggests, its exhibits are of two types. One group are trams from the Nagoya City system. The first line opened in May 1898 and lines covered 42.5 kms by the time they became publicly operated in 1922. By 1959 system length reached 108 kms, with 415 cars operating 26 routes. The first one-man tram operation had begun in 1954. However, the system declined with increasing car ownership and the development of the subway system and the last line closed at the end of March 1974.

The busiest section was always between Mei Eki (Nagoya Station) and Sakae, the main shopping and entertainment area. This led to the use of 36 eighteen metre six-axle articulated sets (types 2600, 2700 and 3000). Preserved in the museum is set 3003, in use from 1944 until 1970. Also preserved are cars 1421 (type 1400) and 2017 (type 2000). They were both built by local manufacturer, Nippon Sharyo, with the former operating from 1938 until the end of the system, and the latter operating between 1956 and 1972.

With high car use in the Nagoya area, a major car producing centre, Nagoya’s subway system has not been able to match levels of ridership in Tokyo or Osaka. Now with two standard gauge 600 volts 3rd-rail lines, the Higashiyama and Meijo, and two 1067 mm lines with 1500 volts overhead electrification, the system features through running with Meitetsu (Nagoya Railroad) on the Tsurumai Line and operation over the new 3rd-sector Kamiida Line. The next part of the Meijo Line (line 4) opens in December 2003 and an extension is planned to the Sakuradori Line. The system covers over 80 kilometres and carries 1.1 million passengers a day.

Although subway stock is now all of modern unpainted design, the museum celebrates the yellow painted trains which were originally used on the Higashiyama Line (opened from November 1957) and the Meijo Line (opened from October 1965). Cars 107 and 108 (type 100) were the original type on the Higashiyama Line. Other yellow cars have been rebuilt for use on local private lines in Japan or, like Tokyo Marunouchi Line cars, exported to Argentina for the Buenos Aires subway.

Other exhibits include photos and maps. They are particularly interesting in showing how much Nagoya’s outer suburbs have developed with the growth of the subway. Nearest station to the museum is Akaike (Tsurumai Line). It is then a few minutes walk, including crossing Route 153. The entrance is marked by tunnel shield boring equipment used on recent extension work.

All the photos in this page were taken by the author in June 2003.