The story
Meitetsu was founded on June 25, 1894, as the Aichi Basha Tetsudo, meaning Aichi Horsecar Company.
Over time, Meitetsu has acquired many small railway and interurban companies in the Nagoya area, many of whom were constructed and operated before and during World War II. For example, Meitetsu acquired its Kōwa Line on the Chita Peninsula from its merger with Chita Railroad on February 1, 1943, and it acquired its Mikawa Line from its merger with Mikawa Railroad.
Meitetsu's red trains include its famous 7000 series "Panorama Car" (which was retired in 2009 after a career lasting nearly half a century) and the Panorama Car Super, both of which offered panoramic views through their wide front windows. The most recent cars, however, are not solid red but rather brushed steel as in the case of the 4000 series and 5000 series, or white as in the case of the 1700 series and 2000 series.
While the company used to engage in the freight business and still possesses some freight locomotives, it no longer carries freight on a regular basis.
From Wikipedia’s article on Meitetsu, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5