December 18, 2010October 11, 2014 Rick Laubscher

First Run of 1071

December 18, 2010October 11, 2014 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Muni News, Posts with Photos

Another step forward for Muni’s program to get its 11 PCCs from the 1070 class into permanent, reliable service. Streamliner No. 1071, painted to honor its original (1947) owner, Twin City Rapid Transit of Minneapolis-St. Paul, operated under its own power from Muni Metro East, on the T-line at Cesar Chavez Street near Third Street, across town to Geneva Division some seven miles away. It’s believed to be the first time this streetcar, acquired by Muni six years ago, has operated a substantial distance under its own power.Pictured above on The Embarcadero connector track near Howard Street during its move on December 16, this streetcar is the first of its class to be returned to San Francisco following complete rewiring and installation of updated (but still traditional) propulsion components by Brookville Equipment in Pennsylvania. It is part of an $18 million contract that also includes the complete remanufacture of five additional PCCs.No. 1071 was delivered to Metro East on November 20, but some of the new components were out of adjustment and the streetcar would not operate. Muni towed it over to Geneva Division for a ceremony in conjunction with the dedication of the new covered storage facility for historic streetcars, then towed it back, where this week representatives from Brookville and its subcontractors have been making the adjustments. They will incorporate the lessons learned from the renovation of this “pilot car” into the work being done on other streetcars in this group. This streetcar will soon enter acceptance testing by Muni. Look for it on the N-Judah line as well as the F-line and J-line. After acceptance, it will start carrying passengers for the first time since Muni acquired it, as soon as a month from now. (Of the 11 PCCs in this class, acquired third-hand from Newark, New Jersey, only 5 have carried passengers so far in San Francisco.)

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December 11, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher

Chicago’s “Green Hornet” Livery Coming to the F-line

December 11, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Posts with Photos

When Muni created its F-line PCC streetcar fleet in the early 1990s, they decided to paint the streamliner streetcars in the liveries (paint schemes) of some of the 30 North American cities that once operated this great streetcar design. Storage limitations at the time restricted the “palette” of colors they could use to eight. That meant choices had to be made. Everyone wanted a streetcar to pay homage to Chicago, because the Windy City had one of the largest PCC fleets ever. But the best-remembered paint scheme used by the Chicago Transit Authority, nicknamed the “Green Hornet” livery, required an unusual shade called Mercury Green. So it was decided to use the later darker green scheme, which was pretty close to Muni’s old livery and was not distinctive.But five years ago, No. 1058 went out of service after a bad accident, when a trolley bus swerved directly in front of it. With short-staffed maintenance crews, it has taken a long time to get the extensive body repairs done. Since it needed an entire new paint job anyway, the paint shop, led by Carole Gilbert, agreed to add the Mercury Green color to their palette (which has expanded significantly). The exact shade was determined through a check with the Illinois Railway Museum, which has an original Chicago PCC in that livery. The trim colors, which come from Muni’s existing palette, are very close matches to the original Chicago colors of “Croydon Cream” and “Swamp Holly Orange.” The Muni painters who did this great job are Willie Alexander, Leon Bernal, Arthur Leary, and Carlos Montes. Thanks to all of them!No. 1058 is still a few months from returning to the streets, with electrical work still to be repaired in the operator’s cab, but we got a sneak peak recently during our streetcar decorating party at the Geneva Yard and share it here. (The car number, which will be in the original Chicago Railroad Roman font, and the orange CTA logo, are on hand and will be applied when No. 1058 is ready to return to service.)

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December 3, 2010October 11, 2014 Rick Laubscher

RIP Transbay Terminal Streetcar Hump

December 3, 2010October 11, 2014 Rick Laubscher History Spotlight, News, Posts with Photos

A wrecking ball knocked the triple-track streetcar “hump” on the Transbay Terminal into oblivion today. The 71-year old building itself is next, really the final chapter in clearing the site for the billion-dollar terminal that will replace it, hoped to include stations for both high speed rail and Caltrain in addition to buses.The “hump” was a streetcar ramp built in front of the terminal between First and Fremont Streets, just south of Mission. When it opened on January 15, 1939, some of the streetcars that had been going down Market to the Ferry Building — both Muni cars on the outer tracks and Market Street Railway Company cars on the inner tracks — were diverted to the new terminal, but the operation was such a mess (photo, below) that it caused what is still considered the worst traffic jam in Market Street history.At first, there were two streetcar tracks, one for each company, southbound on First and northbound on Fremont, switching into three tracks on the hump. They brought passengers to the trains that ran across the Bay Bridge: three companies with trains that ran as far as Chico. But within a couple of years of opening, only the Key System trains serving the inner East Bay cities survived.After Muni and the old Market Street Railway merged in 1944, First and Fremont were reduced to one track each, with two tracks on the ramp. By mid-1949, Muni was sending all its streetcars to the terminal: the B and C Geary lines, plus the J, K, L, M, and N. That ended when Muni Metro opened full-time in 1982, though vintage streetcars used the terminal hump during the Trolley Festivals of the 1980s, then again when the permanent F-line opened in 1995, until the Wharf extension opened in 2000. The tracks on First and Fremont were torn up soon after, and only Muni buses have used the hump since.Now, there are only photographs and memories…

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December 2, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher

It’s Official: Geneva Canopy Dedicated

December 2, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher Muni News, News, Posts with Photos

SFMTA CEO Nat Ford (pictured at the microphone above) led the cheers today at the dedication of the new Geneva Canopy project — the covered storage facility for 24 streetcars in Muni’s historic fleet. The building was erected under a $6.9 million design build contract with Shimmick Construction. An SFMTA press release put the total project cost at $10.1 million dollars, meaning that so called “soft costs” came to about a third of the total, despite the fact that design and engineering was wrapped into the construction contract. Market Street Railway President Rick Laubscher also spoke at the dedication, paying tribute to two former MSR board members, Art Michel and George Miller, for leading our advocacy efforts on the much-needed project for years. He also thanked the San Francisco Municipal Railway Improvement Corporation, a special purpose financing entity, which provided major funding for the project.A few streetcars have been using the facility on a test basis for the past month while the contractor was finishing up work. Now, it will be filled with F-line cars every night, just in time to avoid the coming storms.

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November 20, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher

First Rewired PCC Back Home; Another Leaves

November 20, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Muni News, Posts with Photos

Muni had PCCs coming and going today at Metro East. Muni crews unloaded the first of 11 vintage streamliners from Muni’s 1070 class following its complete rewiring at Brookville Equipment Company in Pennsylvania.The rain led them to welcome the streetcar back home inside the spacious light rail facility at Cesar Chavez and Illinois Streets, just off the T-line. The 1070 class streetcars originally ran in Minneapolis-St. Paul when new in the late 1940s, and this one, No. 1071, is painted in the bright yellow and dark green of its original owner, Twin City Rapid Transit. (This group of cars was sold to Newark, New Jersey in the early 1950s, and purchased by Muni from New Jersey Transit in 2004.) The 1070-class streetcars were given a cosmetic restoration by Muni, but this did not include the wiring, which was original and caused major reliability problems, such that only five of the 11 streetcars have actually carried passengers on the F-line (Nos. 1075, 1076, and 1077, which are currently operational, and 1078 and 1079, which are sidelined with significant problems). No. 1078 is already at Brookville, and No. 1079, honoring Detroit Street Railways and pictured at right, was loaded on the same trailer that delivered No. 1071 and sent back to Brookville today. No. 1071, the prototype for the rewired 1070-class, It features an entirely new accelerator assembly under the floor, designed in the Czech Republic as an updated version of the reliable Westinghouse type propulsion components used on many of the 5,000 PCCs that once ran in North America. This new accelerator has been tested for the past nine months in PCC No. 1055, and has provided very reliable service. The 1070 class of PCC streetcars had General Electric components until the renovation, but Muni is gradually standardizing on a single type of PCC propulsion system, to reduce maintenance training and parts requirements.No. 1071 will be tested by Muni maintenance staff for up to 30 days to ensure it meets all specifications and will then be put into service. This will come none too soon, because the shops are struggling on a daily basis to meet the demand for service on the F-line. Having 11 reliable 1070-class streetcars available will make a big difference, but it may take another year before all of these are complete.

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November 13, 2010October 11, 2014 Rick Laubscher

O’Shaughnessy’s Map Now Available at the Museum

November 13, 2010October 11, 2014 Rick Laubscher History Spotlight, Posts with Photos

M. M. O’Shaughnessy is the engineer who built the backbone of the San Francisco we know today. Think Robert Moses in New York without the colossal ego and disregard for people. Among his enduring legacy of public works in our city, count 68 miles of Muni streetcar lines (including the J, K, L, M, and N lines), the Twin Peaks Tunnel from Castro to West Portal, the Sunset Tunnel under Buena Vista Park, the Stockton Tunnel, the Great Highway, and his crowning achievement, the Hetch Hetchy project, which still supplies the city and the Peninsula with its water.As part of the current exhibition All the Way Down Market at our San Francisco

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November 1, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher

Waiting Since 1958: Giants’ Bus Finally Comes

November 1, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher History Spotlight, Posts with Photos

I first saw the Giants play the year this photo was taken. It’s April 1958 and a packed Marmon-Herrington trolley coach, already about 10 years old, is filled with Giants’ fans at Seals Stadium, 16th and Bryant Streets. If you think your wait for a Muni bus or streetcar today is long, think about my wait from that first day at Seals Stadium. I was hooked immediately and have stayed hooked ever since, more than 52 years now.When I was a teenager, I regularly rode the 30X Ballpark Express (usally an old Mack bus, once in awhile an even older White) from Fourth and Market to Candlestick, even at night, to see the Giants. Mays. McCovey. Cepeda. Marichal. Alou (Felipe and Matty). Bonds (Bobby). From those days all the way through the N-line and shuttles to Third and King, I’ve ridden many generations of Muni vehicles and watched many generations of Giants. Clark (Jack). Clark (Will). Dravecky. Williams. Bonds (Barry). Kent. Alou (Moises). And so many more. All the while hoping “this will be the year.”Now it is. For every San Francisco Giant, every Giants fan, everyone who rode Muni home in elation or despair after those thousands of games since 1958 — this is for all of us.Congratulations, Champs!

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October 30, 2010November 30, 2015 David Dugan

Market Street Railway x Dress-Lace Inc Mini Lace Dress

October 30, 2010November 30, 2015 David Dugan Posts with Photos

Market Street Railway x Dress-Lace Inc Mini Lace Dress – Gray / Elbow-Length Sleeves

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October 29, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher

Come Out of the Rain!

October 29, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher Muni News, Posts with Photos

The long-awaited shed at Geneva Division is covering its first streetcars tonight. Vulnerable canvas-roofed streetcars including 1914 Muni No. 130 and 1926 Johnstown, PA No. 351 (left) were joined by venerable 1916 work car No. C-1 in taking shelter under the new canopy structure, after the 600 volt overhead wires were activated today. Regular F-line revenue streetcars, including PCCs, Milan trams, and older vintage cars, are pulling into the shed tonight.Market Street Railway is working with Muni to schedule a formal dedication of the facility, which our organization has advocated for more than a dozen years, helping Muni arrange funding from the San Francisco Municipal Railway Improvement Corporation (SFMRIC), among other sources.What a warm sight on a rainy night! Congratulations to all at Muni who have supported this effort.

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October 28, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher

The Giants-Cleveland-F line Connection

October 28, 2010August 9, 2014 Rick Laubscher News, Posts with Photos

Our friends at Curbed SF posted this photo as part of their Giants’ coverage. No doubt because of the orange and cream livery. Doubt they know that F-line PCC No. 1075 actually pays tribute to Cleveland Transit System! Wait, there’s actually a connection, though. Cleveland Transit System’s streetcars were painted in this livery in 1948, the last time the Indians won the World Series (one of only two teams with a longer championship drought than the Giants (the Chicago Cubs are even more hapless) . And it was in 1954 that Cleveland Transit System’s last streetcars stopped running, the same year that the Giants last won the World Series, beating — the Cleveland Indians! (But streetcars in Cleveland continued rolling on the suburban Shaker Heights line, with PCCs giving way to LRVs in 1983.)(The baseball futility scoreboard – most years since last World Series win: Giants 56; Indians 62; Cubs, 102 and counting!)And yes, Muni has a PCC honoring Chicago too. We’ll share a surprise about that one next week.GO GIANTS!

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