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“The Clangor of their Coming and Going…”
History Spotlight
Memorial Day Tradition: Streetcar to the Cemeteries
Memorial Day has always been a time to honor the departed. For many decades in San Francisco, thousands of people paid their respects by streetcar. From 1902 until 1949, the 40-line ran out Mission Street and continued south all the way to San Mateo, passing the cemeteries of Colma along the way. So many riders would head for the cemeteries on Memorial Day that extra streetcars would be added, many of them running on an extended version of the 14-Mission line or (like the streetcar pictured around 1940 in Colma) a shortened version of the 40-line.
Third & Market, 70 years ago
July 1 marks the 150th anniversary of rail transit on Market Street. No, that’s not a typo. Rail transit started on Market before the Civil War with a steam engine. We’re putting together an exhibit on this anniversary for our San Francisco Railway Museum, to open this summer, and have come across some interesting shots we’ll be sharing here from time to time.
Remembering The Loop, As It Was in 1930
Our friends over at Muni Diaries recently steered us toward this vintage film from 1930. It appears to be home movie, and the good stuff starts at around 0:23, when we get a superb view of The Loop — the once-famous streetcar turnaround at the foot of Market Street — as seen from the second floor of the Ferry Building. Check out all those Iron Monsters!Also worth noticing: The pedestrian bridge that used to connect the Ferry Building to the rest of Market street, lots and lots of ferries, and a big-gunned Navy battleship at anchor in the Bay. Noticeably missing: The Bay Bridge and Treasure Island! Enjoy…
Truth about the “Trip Down Market Street” video on You Tube
How does a video suddenly “go viral” after more than a century? Amazingly, we’re hearing from people all over the world, asking about a video (or more accurately, a film) made on Market Street that has gained 1,100,000 views on You Tube at this writing. Here’s the You Tube version — but it’s only a shadow of what we have.
Lost Streetcars of San Francisco, Now Lost in Missouri
ex-Muni PCC streetcars in St. Charles, Missouri. Scott Tiek photo.
Great Video of the “Not-So-Good Old Days” on Market Street
Our first post about Carl Nolte’s Chronicle column on the “not-so-good old days” on Market Street mentioned that back when there were four streetcar tracks on Market, there was less than two feet of clearance between Muni and Market Street Railway Co. streetcars — including the stops where passengers had to stand while behemoth streetcars bore down on them.
The Not-So-Good Old Days
Streetcars gridlocked on Market Street in 1922. In the foreground, Lotta’s Fountain is visible on the corner of Market & Kearny. San Francisco Municipal Railway photo.
Shaping San Francisco
One of San Francisco’s under-sung heroes is Rick Prelinger, founder and curator of the Prelinger Archive. He has uncovered and preserved countless movie clips that document our city’s past.
The Key System’s March of Progress
Before BART and AC Transit, the East Bay was served by the Key System, an extensive streetcar network which linked to San Francisco over the lower deck of the Bay Bridge and arriving at the Transbay Terminal. This 1945 promotional film shows the once great Key System at its peak.
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