50 plus DC - Cable Cars

California Street Cable Car climbing hill

Not only does this picture show people hanging on the outside of a cable car, it also brings home the advantages of the cable car system. No electric streetcar (tram) could go up a hill that steep and although a bus could get up the hill it would create a lot of pollution and the wear and tear would considerably shorten its life. The cable car network was completely rebuilt 1982 to 1984 and it is reckoned then that the rebuild would keep it going for a good 100 years.

California Street Cable Car at Grant Street

The California Street cable cars are different from those on the other two lines, as they have open seats front and rear with the gripman’s levers replicated at both ends of the car. This eliminates the need for a turntable and the at the end of the line the gripman just switches to the other end of the car and sets off back along the line. If you are used to the lengthy turn round procedure on the Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines the speed of turn round particularly at the Van Ness Avenue terminus can take you by surprise.

Interior of Cable Car, Hyde Street Terminus

In this picture of a Powell and Hyde car the levers operated by the gripman are visible behind the seats at the front. The role of gripman requires considerable skill, strength and knowledge of the line. There are places where the cable is not accessible, for example the junction of Powell and California Streets where the lines cross one another. The gripman knows exactly when to release the cable and use momentum to get across the junction. The wear visible in the interior of the car is testimony to the popularity of the cable car system, not just amongst tourists but also with commuters. The cars have to rebuilt from time to time, but great care is taken to retain their character as each car is a designated historic monument.

Cable Cars

London has Tower Bridge and red double deck buses, San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars. Parts of San Francisco are unbelievably hilly, so steep that in the early days the sight of horse drawn traffic struggling to get up hills was common. An Englishman called Andrew Hallidie came up with the idea of a cable hauled tram and from the first trial in 1873 his system proved a success. Cable cars sprang up across San Francisco until the 1906 earthquake severely damaged the lines. When the city was rebuilt all but eight routes were converted to electric tram (streetcar) service. The 1940s and 1950s saw several lines close and many attempts to completely close the cable car system, but three lines survived, to the delight of tourists.

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Vintage streetcars, Embarcadero near Pier 1

Although this page is primarily about the Cable Cars, it is worth mentioning the streetcars (trams) that replaced many cable car routes after the 1906 earthquake. Several routes still operate with modern streetcars, but Route F uses vintage streetcars. The route runs from Castro Street along Market Street to the Ferry Building then along the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf. Car No. 1061 served in Philadelphia from 1948 to 1989 and this picture shows it near Pier 1 with a former Milan streetcar behind it.

Cable Car Barn, Mason Street

If you are interested in the cable cars, a visit to the cable car barn is a must. Not only does this building in Mason Street house the cable cars at night, it is also the power house for the entire network. A gallery gives you a good view of the whirling wheels that transmit the power needed to haul the cars up the steep hills of San Francisco. From the barn each cable travels the length of a cable car route before returning to the barn. The Barn also has a museum with some early examples of cable cars.

Powell & Hyde Cable Car, Market Street Terminus

The Powell-Mason and Powell-Hyde lines share the same track from the Market Street Terminus to the Cable Car Barn which provides the power for the network. They also share the same cars which have open seats at the front. The gripman (driver) operates the levers that make the car accelerate or stop from behind these seats. As the gripman must be at the front of the car, there is a turntable at each terminus. Each car rolls onto the turntable using its momentum, then the gripman and conductor turn the car round by hand then push it off the turntable.

- They may not go very fast, but hanging on to the outside of a Cable Car while travelling through San Francisco is an experience not to be missed.

- The whirling wheels in the Cable Car Barn.

- Long waits for Cable Cars at busy periods. The queues at the terminii can be very long and picking one up further along the route doesn’t work as the cars are likely to be full.

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