Of all the disappeared streetcar lines in San Francisco, the B-Geary is probably the most lamented. It opened as part of Muni’s very first day of service on December 28, 1912. For its first few months, it was a shuttle along Geary from Tenth Avenue (where it connected with the A-line, which originally went downtown to Market Street) and 33rd Avenue. Within a few weeks, though, the B jumped past the A in importance, with the A-line becoming the shuttle (along Tenth Avenue to Fulton), with the B heading downtown, running from “Bay” (Ferry Building) to “Breakers” (Ocean Beach via Geary, 33rd Ave., Balboa, 45th Ave., and Cabrillo) by June 29, 1913.
The B-Geary was Muni’s most heavily used streetcar line, and its final years included lots of drama. We wrote about that in detail, back in 2002.
The last day of service on the B-Geary was December 29, 1956, 59 years ago today (as this post is written). The last regular service car to leave the Playland terminal was No. 77 (identical to preserved 130 and 162), captured in this excellent color shot by Jack Tillmany, and preserved by our friends at outsidelands.org. The next day, 38-Geary line buses replaced the B’s streetcars.
The B-Geary streetcar operated for 44 years and one day. It has now been gone 15 years longer than it ran. Still, it’s far from forgotten, and hope abounds among transit supporters that one day, Geary will again see rail transit service (not just the Bus Rapid Transit currently proposed).
