Kurama Denki Tetsudo (Kurama Electric Railway) (鞍馬電気鉄道)
Kurama Denki Tetsudo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kurama Electric Railway Company Limited) was a railway company that operated a railway line from Yamabana (current Takaragaike Station) in present Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, to Kurama Station. This railway line is now operated by Eizan Electric Railway Co., Ltd. as their Kurama Line.
Summary
December 1, 1927: Kurama Denki Tetsudo was established as a subsidiary company of an electric power corporation Kyoto Dento, and inaugurated services on December 1, 1928. August 1, 1942: It merged with Keifuku Electric Railroad Co., Ltd.
History
December 1, 1927: Kurama Denki Tetsudo (Kurama Electric Railway) was established as a subsidiary company of an electric power corporation Kyoto Dento.
December 1, 1928: The company inaugurated services for the section (5.3 kilometer) between Yamabana (current Takaragaike) and Ichihara. It possessed four electric railcars, type DENA 21, of Eizan Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
October 20, 1929: It began services for the section (3.1 kilometers) between Ichihara and Kurama-kari (temporary station of Kurama). It additionally introduced two electric railcars, type DENA.
December 20, 1929: The company started operation of a section between Kurama-kari and Kurama (0.4 kilometers) whereby the company became able to offer full services for the whole line (8.8 kilometers). The station of Kurama-kari was abolished. The company extended its line from Yamabana Station direct to Demachiyanagi Station of the Eizan Dentetsu line by entering into the line of Eizan Dentetsu of Kyoto Dento (current Eizan Mainline of Eizan Dentetsu).
February of 1930: Its power collection system was changed to an overhead single wire system.
1930: The company purchased Rakuhoku Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Rakuhoku Auto Company Limited, later Rakuhoku Areal Office of Kyoto Bus).
This buyout was made as a result of various adverse effects caused by fierce competition to attract passengers between the two companies.
1931: (Former) Keihan Electric Railway transferred all its stocks to Kyoto Dento. It became an affiliate of Kyoto Dento.
1933: It bought out Kumogahata Bus Kabushiki Kaisha (Kumogahata Bus Company Limited, later Kumogahata Areal Office of Kyoto Bus).
This buyout took a process similar to the case of Rakuhoku Jidosha. By this event, adjustment of traffic facilities in the Rakuhoku area was completed.
September, 1939: The section between Nikenchaya and Ichihara was altered to a single track railroad, though not because of the designation of nonessential and nonurgent lines.
March 2, 1942: Its parent company, Kyoto Dento, dissolved according to the government's ordinance to control power distribution, and transfered its power generation and transmission business to Japan Electric Generation and Transmission Company, and its power distribution business to Kansai Haiden, the predecessor of Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. At the same time, Kyoto Dento separated its railway business to a newly established Keifuku Denki Tetsudo (Keifuku Electric Railway).
August 1, 1942: Keifuku Denki Tetsudo merged with Kurama Denki Tetsudo. Accordingly, the railway line of Kurama Denki Tetsudo became the Kurama Line of Keifuku Dentetsu.
Railway lines:
The data dates back to the time of the completion of all lines.
Kurama Line of Eizan Dentetsu: From Yamabana (current Takaragaike) to Kurama Station, 8.8 km long with nine stations
Track gauge: 1435mm
Double tracked section: Between Takaragaike and Ichihara
Electrified section: Complete line (direct current of 600 volts, overhead double wire system)
Garage: One (adjacent to Kino Station)
Rolling stock:
Six units of newly built electric railcars, Type DENA 21, with car numbers in the 120s.
Electric railcars of Eizan Dentetsu DENA 21
Operation mode:
Almost all trains depart directly from Demachiyanagi jStation on the Eizan Line. Mainly Kurama Denki Tetsudo's own cars, equipped with electric brakes, were operated up to Kurama, while cars on the Eizan Line were running on a comparatively flat section up to Nikenchaya, but sometimes electric cars, Type DENA 21 of Eizan Line were also used up to Kurama.
Other
Generally, the Eizan Line and Kurama Denki Tetsudo were not distinctly acknowledged, but rather known as 'Eiden' as a unit. At present, too, the Kyoto Bus has assumed from Kurama Dentetsu its corporate mark of a Japanese fan made of feathers, and adopted it as its corporate emblem.