The cable cars that run today on Powell Street were built in three groups. The first group, in 1887-88, were built by several carbuilders in the Bay Area for Mahoney Brothers, who were the general contractor for the overall Ferries & Cliff House Railway Company system (F&CH). This first group of cars, augmented by six more built by F&CH itself.
SFMSR
Formerly ‘Uncategorized’ which is a default term for Stories, and may be left checked even when a post is assigned categories. The Slug is generic & meaningless but it looks better when the public views articles.
Members remember
Streetcars and cable cars have stirred the imaginations of countless young San Franciscans for 150 years. Here, lightly edited, are childhood memories of three of our members. Market Street Railway continues to work to interest today’s young San Franciscans in the importance of clean, safe, efficient public transit.
The fall of Market Street Railway
May 15, 1932 was perhaps the peak of San Francisco’s streetcar era. True, a few unimportant lines had been abandoned in the previous few years, but on this day, San Francisco celebrated a brand-new streetcar line: Market Street Railway’s 31-Balboa. It would be the last new line with substantial new trackage until the F-line opened along the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf 68 years later.
It was 25 years ago this month…
…that the F-Market streetcar line became the F-Market & Wharves streetcar line, with the opening of the extension from First and Market Streets to Jones and Beach, connecting Downtown to the Ferry Building, The Embarcadero, and Fisherman’s Wharf. On March 4, 2000, the extension created what we call the “Steel Triangle” of rail: the two Powell cable lines and the F-line.
The rise of Market Street Railway
By Rick Laubscher, Market Street Railway President
2026 calendar photos wanted
What? Some of us are still hung over from New Year’s Eve, and you’re already thinking of 2026?
Yep.
Santa Claus Was Coming to Town
2025 calendar going fast!
This year marks the 20th anniversary of our popular “Museums in Motion” wall calendar. To celebrate, we’ve included a page showing thumbnails of all 20 calendars. It’s quite a tour of Muni’s historic rail fleet in and of itself. Shout out to our dedicated and most talented designer, David Dugan! (We like that collage of 20 calendar covers so much that we made a 300-piece puzzle out of it.
Boat tram, ‘Swiss Navy’ sailing for Fleet Week
In support of Fleet Week, SFMTA/Muni has dispatched two “vessels” to cruise The Embarcadero, shuttling happy passengers between Pier 39 and the Ferry Building. They’re supplementing regular F-line service between the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf (Jones and Jefferson) and Castro, via The Embarcadero and Market Street.
Muni Heritage Weekend Sept. 21-22
FINAL UPDATE: The popular Muni Heritage Weekend is coming up on Saturday and Sunday, September 21-22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The traction (and bus) action will again center around our San Francisco Railway Museum, across from the Ferry Building on Steuart Street.
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