June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Cable car celebration kickoff June 13, California & Market Sts.

June 12, 2023June 12, 2023 Rick Laubscher Cable Car History, Muni News, News, SFMSR 150 years of cable cars, cable car 150th anniversary, San Francisco cable car

As we’ve mentioned, the civic celebration of 150 Years of Cable Cars kicks off at 11 a.m., Tuesday, June 13 at California and Market Streets as Mayor London Breed is joined by Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, Cable Car Inventor “Andrew Hallidie” (or a reasonable facsimile) and the oldest and largest cable car in the fleet, Sacramento-Clay Car “Big 19”, which will carry the dignitaries up through Chinatown and over Nob Hill to Polk Gulch and Van Ness Avenue, parallel to Hallidie’s original Clay Street line two blocks north. Here’s “Big 19” taking a spin on the cable car barn turntable, getting ready for its closeup.

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May 16, 2023May 16, 2023 Rick Laubscher

These cable car displays are instant time travel

May 16, 2023May 16, 2023 Rick Laubscher Cable Cars, History Features, San Francisco Cable Car Fleet, SFMSR 150yearsofcablecars, cable cars, cablecarhistory, California street cable car, Powell cable car, sfmta artchive

For years, our nonprofit support group has called the cable cars and historic streetcars of San Francisco “Museums in Motion”. Indeed they are – authentic transit vehicles ranging in age from 71 to 140 years, still providing reliable transportation to San Franciscans and visitors alike, thanks to the hard work of SFMTA (Muni), which owns and operates them.

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May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Why yes. Muni DOES have two boat trams

May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Muni News, SFMSR, Streetcars and Cable Cars, Wheels of the World, WOW Blackpool, boat tram, red boat tram

In 2013, Market Street Railway brought 1934 Blackpool, England “boat tram” to San Francisco, underwritten by a generous donation from the Thoresen Foundation, with shipping help from FedEx. We did it because the boat tram we brought over for Muni in 1984, thanks to Bechtel, had proven to be the most popular single vintage streetcar in Muni’s fleet.

With only one, though, it was impractical to schedule regular operation of the popular car. And even after the second boat tram (#233) arrived, most folks thought Muni still only had the one (#228). When the time came to do some work on 228, we suggested to Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum that they do what Blackpool itself had done more than a dozen years before: paint the trim on one boat a bright red, to contrast with the traditional green and make it obvious that there are two of them. She thought it was a great idea.

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April 27, 2023October 30, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Rebuilding the cable car system, 1982-84

April 27, 2023October 30, 2023 Rick Laubscher Cable Car History, Cable Cars, Features, History Features, History Spotlight, Route Histories, SF Famous Cable Cars cable car reconstruction, Dianne Feinstein, rebuild cable car system, San Francisco 1980s, San Francisco cable car, Tony Bennett

Cable cars, a giant leap forward in urban transit technology when Andrew Hallidie invented them in 1873, dominated San Francisco streets until the earthquake and fire of 1906 decimated both cable machinery and the cars themselves. After that, cable cars were largely limited to steep hills while larger, faster electric streetcars carried the heavy loads on main routes. High operating costs gradually pared down the remaining cable car lines. In 1947, an attempt by a misguided mayor to junk the Powell Street cables was slapped down by a women-led civic coalition helmed by Friedel Klussmann, but even her heroic efforts seven years later could not avert the loss of half the remaining cable car trackage.

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April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 Rick Laubscher

When cable cars were hi-tech

April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 Rick Laubscher Cable Car History, Cable Cars, History Features, History Spotlight, Posts with Photos, SF Famous Cable Cars, SFMSR 150 years of cable cars, 1906 earthquake, cable car 150th anniversary, cable cars, hi tech, high technology, San Francisco cable car

Innovation born in San Francisco triggered a hi-tech revolution that changed America and much of the world. We’re not talking here about the digital innovations from Silicon Valley. Nor the analog innovation by Philo T. Farnsworth, in a little building on Green Street in 1927, that gave birth to television. We’re talking about mechanical innovation 150 years ago that began a revolution in how people move around cities.

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April 14, 2023May 15, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Market & California, now and then (and then, and then…)

April 14, 2023May 15, 2023 Rick Laubscher Cable Car History, California, Double-Ended Cable Cars, History Features, History Spotlight, San Francisco Cable Car Fleet, SF Famous Cable Cars, SFMSR cable cars, California and Market Streets, California Cable Car Line, Ferry Building, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Robert Frost, San Francisco cable car

The California Street cable car line has terminated at Market Street since 1891. For the past 50 years, its neighbor has been the Hyatt Regency, the innovative hotel designed by John Portman, now iconic in its own right. When the hotel’s current management generously supported the celebration of 150 Years of Cable Cars, they asked us if we had some old photos of the location.

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March 27, 2023March 28, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Red Arrow hits target

March 27, 2023March 28, 2023 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, PCC, PCC - Big Ten Class, SFMSR, Streetcars and Cable Cars 1007, F-line, PCC, Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co., Red Arrow

After a spectacular restoration, a 1940s streetcar paying tribute to Philadelphia’s “Red Arrow” lines is again carrying passengers on the streets of San Francisco.

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March 23, 2023March 24, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Cable car plea: fix the ficus

March 23, 2023March 24, 2023 Rick Laubscher Cable Cars, Muni News, Powell, SFMSR cable cars, falling trees, ficus trees, San Francisco cable car, san francisco storm

Wind and wet felled hundreds of trees in the Bay Area this winter, but one species in particular is dangerous to the cable cars. On March 21, most cable car lines were shut down by blown-down Ficus macrocarpa ‘Nitida’ trees and limbs.

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March 18, 2023March 20, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Color cable car flashback

March 18, 2023March 20, 2023 Rick Laubscher Cable Car History, Cable Cars, SFMSR, Video cable cars, cable cars 1950s, Powell cable car, powell turntable, San Francisco cable car

As part of our celebration of 150 Years of Cable Cars, we’re sharing clips and photos we’ve found online that take you back to earlier decades.

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February 19, 2023March 18, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Muni Heritage Weekend: Sept. 23-24

February 19, 2023March 18, 2023 Rick Laubscher Muni News, SFMSR Blackpool boat tram, Muni Heritage Weekend, Muni Heritage Weekend 2023

Mark your calendars! We’ll be celebrating Muni Heritage Weekend on September 23 and 24 this year, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m or so each day. We’re back to a two-day event for the first time since 2019.

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