November 21, 2008August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher

End of the Line, 1955

November 21, 2008August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher Features, Posts with Photos

We’re going to post photos from time to time that we think are iconic in one way or another. The Ocean Beach terminal of the N-line is an iconic place in general, at least to railfans, with that lonely loop and mission-style shelter hard by the sand dunes that form the last barrier to the Pacific (if you don’t count the public convenience station). (The city knew that most folks would reach the beach by streetcar back when Muni built its Sunset District lines, so there are matching bathrooms and tunnels under the Great Highway at Judah and Taraval.)

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August 4, 2008October 11, 2014 David Dugan

What Have We Learned?

August 4, 2008October 11, 2014 David Dugan Features

Market Street Railway photo.

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July 21, 2008February 8, 2022 Rick Laubscher

1980s Trolley Festivals paved way for F-Market streetcar line

July 21, 2008February 8, 2022 Rick Laubscher Features, History Spotlight, Route Histories Muni trolleys, Trolley Festival, Trolley Festivals

If you’re of a certain age, it was like a Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland movie. Or, if you’re of a certain younger age, it was like Disney’s High School Musical. You know, “Let’s get the kids together and put on a show”—the innocence of youth not understanding the challenges that could get in the way, but cheerfully conquering those that did.

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July 20, 2008October 11, 2014 David Dugan

Vintage Streetcar Artist

July 20, 2008October 11, 2014 David Dugan Features

Carole Gilbert with 1940s-era PCCs at Muni’s Geneva Division. Telstar Logistics photo.

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January 15, 2007August 9, 2014 David Dugan

Tales from the Grip: Rain, rain, go away…

January 15, 2007August 9, 2014 David Dugan Features

Ah, rain…you can’t help but smile at the children laughing and happily splashing in puddles…the wonderful, clean scent after the storm passes…a glorious rainbow extending across the horizon…

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May 10, 2006February 14, 2025 David Dugan

The Octopus Moves the Mail

May 10, 2006February 14, 2025 David Dugan Features, History Features, History Spotlight

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December 31, 2005August 9, 2014 David Dugan

Tales from the Grip: A cable car Christmas tale

December 31, 2005August 9, 2014 David Dugan Features

For the past several years, I’ve been fortunate to be involved in what has become a holiday tradition at the Cable Car Division–decorating a cable car for the holidays. In previous years, this was a real grass-roots affair, with the costs being borne by the gripmen and conductors, for the simple joy of it.

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July 1, 2005August 9, 2014 David Dugan

Tales from the Grip: California, here I come

July 1, 2005August 9, 2014 David Dugan Features

Last summer, I switched from the Powell Street cable car lines to the California Street line, or the Cal line, as it’s colloquially known. Now, this may not seem to be such a noteworthy event, but it’s not quite as simple as changing the color of your bathroom towels. (If you’re like my ex-girlfriend, that’s not simple, either.)

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January 15, 2005August 9, 2014 David Dugan

Tales from the Grip: When push comes to shove

January 15, 2005August 9, 2014 David Dugan Features

I’m coming down California into Grant when, all of a sudden, the entire car is engulfed in unnatural silence. All of the sensations that normally accompany a cable car–the rattling, the humming, the vibrations–disappear in a heartbeat. It’s as if the car just passed out in a narcoleptic fit. This can mean only one thing.

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January 10, 2005December 10, 2021 Rick Laubscher

“Fair, Please”: Streetcars to the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition

January 10, 2005December 10, 2021 Rick Laubscher Features, History Features, History Spotlight 1915, 1915 fair, 22-Fillmore, 22-line, A-line, C-line, Chinatown, F-Stockton, Fillmore Hill, G-line, H-line, Harbor View, J-line, Marina District, North Beach, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Stockton Tunnel

During the first weeks of 1915, Pancho Villa proclaimed himself in charge of Mexico. Germany began open submarine warfare in the Atlantic as the Lusitania prepared to sail to England. California’s only active volcano, Mount Lassen, was erupting–spewing ash for hours at a time. And as bad weather pelted San Francisco, workmen toiled ’round-the-clock on the city’s northern shoreline to complete preparations for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE). Initially conceived in 1904 to occur upon the completion of the Panama Canal, this event had become a celebration of the rebirth of San Francisco following the devastating Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Millions of dollars went to develop the site and to promote San Francisco as the host city. When San Francisco was selected for the Fair over New Orleans, President William Howard Taft stated, “San Francisco knows how.”

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