Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) turned to Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan in the late 1970s to design their next generation of streetcars for the city’s surface and subway-surface transit routes. The Kawasaki single-end car was 50’ long, seated 51 passengers, could accelerate to 50 mph on level track, and had other advanced features that made for greater passenger comfort and convenience and operating performance. The first cars were delivered in 1981 and by 1982 all were in service. All 112 single-ended cars are still in service today, a testament to the SEPTA maintenance division and to Kawasaki 

The models are entirely injection-moulded styrene plastic, a first for IHP. IHP’s model of these cars is only the second US-prototype LRV in HO scale to be produced in plastic. It features all the detail of the original cars as well as an accurate paint scheme representing the original paint scheme first applied to the cars after delivery. The models are being produced as unpowered display models in a commemorative limited run honoring the 30 years of service the cars have given to SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia from 1982 to 2012. All models are fully painted and assembled and come in special commemorative packaging.