Working at the Cable Car Division is different than being at a regular Muni division. After a while, it becomes easy to forget that you’re responsible for a world-famous, National Historic Landmark. Episodes like the one I’m about to describe help to remind you that this is definitely not the 38-Geary.
History came home on July 10, 2003. After more than 45 years away from its home tracks, 1914 Muni streetcar No. 162 returned to San Francisco, thanks to the generous donations of Market Street Railway members and friends (see list below). The car was transported to Market Street Railway’s ‘Mint Division’ restoration facility at Duboce & Market from the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Riverside County, which had acquired it from Muni in 1958, when the car was originally retired.
With considerable support from Market Street Railway, Muni has dedicated historic streetcar No. 130 to the late Herb Caen, the longtime Chronicle columnist widely known as “Mr. San Francisco.” Not so widely known was his strong affection for the City’s streetcars and his celebration of the F-line.
One proposal for extending historic streetcar service would use the tracks of the F-line and N-line to reach Ninth Avenue and Irving Street, then head north on new tracks into Golden Gate Park with a terminal at the park concourse to serve the rebuilt deYoung Museum and California Academy of Sciences.
As I headed out from Market Street Railway’s venerable Flood Building office one day during the holiday season a few years back, I encountered a stunning site at Powell and Market.
