Kobe & Hiroshima, Japan
Built 1927
This car represents a typical Japanese tram design of the 1920s. It was built in 1927 (as car No. 574) for the Kobe City Railways. When Kobe closed its street railways in 1971, this car was acquired by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Company where it ran in passenger service until it came to San Francisco.
The late Maurice Klebolt, longtime Market Street Railway director, worked with Japan's Corporate Railway Assembly, an industry trade group, to bring No. 578 (J) to San Francisco just in time to lead the opening parade of the 1986 Trolley Festival, with Mayor Dianne Feinstein at the controls.
The car had been fully updated during two renovations in 1958 and 1958, and came equipped with electronic destination signs, public address system, and other upgrades. What the car did not have was a hand brake, added to the requirements for operation after the Trolley Festivals concluded. Thus, No. 578 (J) was taken out of service for an extended period. But a hand brake has now been installed and other improvements have been made, bringing this Japanese car closer to a return to San Francisco service.
