Will you look this good at 118? This Powell Street cable car (at least part of it) has been riding the rails since 1890. On May 28, it returned to service in the flamboyant livery it wore at the time of the 1906 earthquake and fire. Neither of the landmarks it shares the frame with — Coit Tower (1933) and Sts. Peter & Paul Church (1924) — go back that far. Rick Laubscher photo.
Several years ago, artist John Kuzich began collecting Muni Fast Passes for an art project that is nearing completion. He’s created a number of small collages and completed three out of a set of four large panels using the passes. Along with flyers posted around town and word of mouth, Market Street Railway helped John connect with riders and their accumulated passes through our website, and our member newsletter, Inside Track. The public response to his appeal for donated passes has been phenomenal.
During the reacquisition and restoration of 1914 Muni streetcar No. 162, we sought out vintage photos of the car, almost all of which we’ve featured in our member newsletter Inside Track already — except these two. Seems that our ‘newest’ vintage streetcar has never been afraid to get into a scrape … literally.
The New York Times published a piece last week about the resurgence of the streetcar in cities throughout the US, focusing on Cincinnati (with a brief mention of San Francisco). Click here for the main story, and here for the accompanying slideshow.
Our Photo of the Week is a great shot of F-line PCC No. 1055 on The Embarcadero, shot from inside car No. 130 on its way to Fisherman’s Wharf. We think this image really captures what a unique and beautiful experience it is to ride along San Francisco’s grand waterfront boulevard on the F-line, and we hope you enjoy it.
Market Street Railway’s 2009 Museums In Motion calendar is available for purchase. This 11×16 inch full color calendar features thirteen beautiful photos of Muni’s historic streetcars and cable cars in action on the streets of San Francisco, along with 24 historical black & white images from the city’s rich transit past.
The O’Farrell, Jones & Hyde line was the last complete cable car route built in San Francisco, opening in 1891. By rule, anytime a new cable car line crossed an existing one, the cable of the new line had to be routed beneath the older line’s cable.That meant that operators gripping the new line had to drop (“let go”) their cable at such crossings. The O’Farrell, Jones & Hyde line had 22 cable drops on a round trip. That’s why this 1901 poem by Gellet Burgess says “You are apt to earn your wages, on the Hyde Street Grip.”
African-American employment and leadership has become a proud Muni tradition. San Francisco Municipal Railway photos.
Market Street Railway photo.
Eight years ago, at the opening celebration for the F-line extension to Fisherman’s Wharf, several Market Street Railway directors were discussing Muni’s delays in committing to start up the E-Embarcadero line. (The trackage for that line, from Fisherman’s Wharf to Caltrain, was just being completed along with the F-line extension.) The discussion was interrupted by a familiar voice saying, “You’ll get your E-line.” It was then-Mayor Willie Brown.
