Muni’s flagship streetcar, No. 1, made its last F-line run for awhile today, operating under its own power from Geneva Car House to Metro East at Illinois and Cesar Chavez Sts., where it is being stored under cover until vendor Brookville Equipment Company picks it up in a few weeks for transport to its shops in Pennsylvania for a complete rebuilding.
The 97-year old car operated without incident, under its own power. (Wiring problems have left it operable from only one end.) En route, the car passed fellow Muni veteran No. 162 at the shuttle terminal just south of the Ferry Building, the 1914 No. 162 just having entered regular revenue service following its own rebuilding. It’s the first time the cars have passed each other on the streets of San Francisco since at least 1951, when Car No. 1 finished its first operating career.
Then it was over the Fourth Street Bridge on the T-line and down Third Street to its temporary home, where other out of service F-line cars are gradually being moved to prepare Geneva Division for construction of the canopy cover to protect No. 1 and its vintage cousins in the future.
Car No. 1 is expected to be restored and back in San Francisco late next year, ready to play a starring role in Muni’s 2012 Centennial.
That was a sight, yesterday, seeing the two cars posed at the Ferry!
Very impressive. However, it would be great if Muni could replace
at least some of the of the rail lines taken out during the latter 1940’s. Perhaps the replacement of Diesel Buses to rails down the entire length of Geary Blvd as the #38 Surface Rail for openers. No?