Hankai Sumiyoshi Station' s Decline

[bill937ca]

Since the timetable revision of March 1, 2014, Hankai Tramway's Sumiyoshi Station has been reduced to a part-time terminal with only a few early morning departures. Sumiyoshi was a terminal for many Uemachi line trips, but with the pending arrival of low-floor trams the Hankai Tramway is increasingly looking like a single trunk line configuration.

 

Edited June 21, 2014 by bill937ca

[westfalen]

As we found out when we rode the Hankai Tramway.  We walked down the street to check out the station anyway.

 

 

[kvp]

There are multiple Sumiyoshi stations. One is named Sumiyohsikoen and on the photo above, while the other is at the meeting of the two lines and is named simply Sumiyohsi. For me it looks like, they just moved the stop, so all trams could continue on the Hankai line, which seems like a smart move, because people don't have to switch trams. For people coming from the trains, the tram stop at Sumiyoshitoriimae is near by. They could turn this station into a car storage and/or tram museum.

[Kitayama]

Some pictures from Sumiyoshi and Sumiyoshikōen (and other parts of Hankai):

http://bae.se/kitayama/photos/k_en_hankai.htm

[westfalen]

We got off the tram at Sumiyoshitoriimae and it took us all of 30 seconds to walk from there to Sumiyoshikoen station so it must be really hard to justify the existance of the latter. Running all trams through to Hamadera Ekimae would increase service frequency between there and Sumiyoshi and provide through service to both city terminii, so it seems a logical move.

[Guest ___]

There's low-floors on order!? Does that mean the old guys are going out to pasture soon?

[bill937ca]

There's low-floors on order!? Does that mean the old guys are going out to pasture soon?

 

I don't know how many are on order, but low-floor operation began in March 2014.

 

 

 

Tomytec already has models of the 1001 series, with another coming. I believe there is third sector funding for these new trams. This will modernize one of Japan's most traditional tramways.

 

 

Hankai Tramway and 1001 from a motorists viewpoint.

 

http://youtu.be/tQaaUBw8PqI

Edited June 25, 2014 by bill937ca

[bikkuri bahn]

Beautiful curved scissors crossover at the throat tracks at that station.  Been there a couple of times to photograph.  A shame that the terminus is now a shadow of its former self.　At least there is still this just a short walk away:

[westfalen]

On my last visit there, prior to last month, in 1990 there were trams going in all directions at that intersection.

[bill937ca]

But if that terminal is not being used, it is conceivable one of the Japan's three tram crossovers will disappear.  Many a tram system has three crossovers let alone a whole country.

[westfalen]

Assuming you mean two lines crossing one another rather than a crossover.  Having ridden all the systems except Hakodate and Sapporo during my recent trip I'm thinking of where the other two are, one is obiviously in Kochi where the two routes cross one another downtown but I cannot think of another unless you count where the Matsuyama trams cross the Iyo Tetsudo.

[bill937ca]

Assuming you mean two lines crossing one another rather than a crossover.  Having ridden all the systems except Hakodate and Sapporo during my recent trip I'm thinking of where the other two are, one is obiviously in Kochi where the two routes cross one another downtown but I cannot think of another unless you count where the Matsuyama trams cross the Iyo Tetsudo.

 

Yes, those are the three full  crossovers on tramway lines in Japan.  There are no crossovers on the Nagasaki and Hiroshima systems, just turnouts.

Edited June 30, 2014 by bill937ca

[marknewton]

Bill, these are flat crossings, or in North American usage, diamond crossings. Crossovers are when you have two turnouts allowing movement between adjacent tracks on double or multiple lines.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

[Ken Ford]

I love the curved crossover in the station throat - a very modelable station!  If i ever decide to freelance a tram system, this will be ideal for inspiration.

[westfalen]

The crossing at Otemachi in Matsuyama is really a railway crossing a tramway in the street at a level crossing (although they are both owned by the same company) so I would say there are only two pure tramway crossings in Japan.