Hiroshi Nakamura of Hiroshima Electric Railway Co. talks about the history of the Type 650 No. 651 tram that survived the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing at the company’s Senda tram depot in Hiroshima. (Nobuhiro Shirai)

Photo/Illutration The No. 651 tram’s floor and window frames are made of wood. (Kenta Fujino)

HIROSHIMA--Streetcar No. 651, which was operating at the time of the atomic bombing 79 years ago, still rattles along the streets of this iconic city in western Japan.

Hiroshima Electric Railway Co.’s Type 650 tram was near Chuden-mae station when the bomb detonated on Aug. 6, 1945.

It was just 700 meters from Ground Zero.

The blast derailed the train, reducing it to a battered shell, with its doors and the rooftop electric pickup unit blown off.

It returned to commercial service by March 1946.

Although normally housed in the company’s Senda tram depot, the tram is put into service during the morning rush hour and on other occasions on an irregular basis.

It bears no trace of damage from the bombing.

The No. 651 tram is one of the four that survived the devastation and is kept at Hiroshima Electric Railway.

It was manufactured in 1942 at Kinami Sharyo Seizo, a now-defunct train builder based in Osaka Prefecture.

The bogie truck, despite renovations to the vehicle body, including the installation of air conditioners, remains largely unchanged, according to Hiroshi Nakamura, an official in charge of vehicle inspections at the Senda tram depot.

The steel-made frame of the vehicle body and the rivets used to fasten the body to the bogey truck, which have both turned reddish brown with rust in places, are also believed to date from the prewar years.

The company said the bogie truck, the vehicle body and the rivets are all different from the types produced after World War II. Records indicate they were never replaced.

The bogey truck can rotate independently of the vehicle body, which was state-of-the-art technology when the tram was manufactured, the company said.

“Since the No. 651 is an analog tram, it is easier to identify where something is wrong compared with the latest models,” said Nakamura, 60. “However, it is demanding because we have to make adjustments based on our sense and experience after replacing parts.”

Hiroshima Electric Railway said it intends to continue to operate the tram not only as a means of transport but also as a symbol of the atomic bombing and postwar reconstruction and an opportunity for people to think about preserving peace.

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