Volunteer Your Time and Talent

Market Street Railway depends on the generosity of volunteers to make things happen, and the more help we have, the more we are able to do. The F-Market & wharves line is a testament to what we can accomplish with your help.

E-mail volunteer@streetcar.org or call us at (415) 956-0472 to become a volunteer.

Market Street Railway offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities, some requiring little or no skill (just energy and time!), some requiring basic knowledge, and some requiring advanced skills. We will provide training in some areas.

Below are some of the volunteer opportunities we’re looking for help with.

Streetcar Stewards

Market Street Railway car stewards function as guardians of the historic streetcars. The historic items they work with are big and bulky, and in constant motion, but they are fragile also. They require protection and maintenance like any other museum artifact, which is—in fact—what they are: museums in motion.

On-Board Docents

Market Street Railway volunteers serve as weekend docents, riding the streetcars or stationed at key stops to answer questions from the public and distribute information about the trolleys. It’s an enjoyable social activity.

Web Site & Newsletter Contributors

Our web site and quarterly newsletter, Inside Track, are the primary ways we communicate with members and prospective members. We welcome original contributions, such as photographs (old and new), articles on contemporary issues, articles of an historical nature, interviews, reminiscences, oral histories, et cetera.

Fundraising

We need to grow our membership and win grants from foundations to support and extend the efforts of our organization and our volunteers. Those who are willing to approach merchants along the F-line route, or initiate outreach to community and other groups, or who have experience in writing grant proposals are especially welcome.

School Outreach

Volunteers are needed to help put together a program that reaches out to children who will be the recipients of the legacy we are working so hard to preserve.

Charter Coordinator

Help us take Muni’s historic vehicles around town. Volunteer as our charter coordinator, setting up special trips for our members and the public on the other streetcar lines, such as arranging special Sunday summer trips from the Wharf to the Zoo!

Car Restoration

We have exciting restoration projects underway at our David L. Pharr Historic Streetcar Facility at Duboce & Market. There is work for both those with specific skills (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, signboard lettering, painting) and for the enthusiastic (paint, scraping, sanding, etc.).

Office and field support

We are planning more extensive outreach to the community, requiring people who can print letters and stuff envelopes, run mailing lists, maintain our FileMakerPro database, and so on.

Board of directors

The Market Street Railway Board of Directors are volunteers as well. If you are able to commit a significant amount of volunteer time to leading one of Market Street Railway’s main activity committees (at least twenty hours per month), consider becoming a candidate for the Board. Elections are held annually at our January Board Meeting. Write a brief statement of your interest and background and mail or email volunteer@streetcar.org it to us.