This image from a computer screen just popped up on our Facebook group (search for Market Street Railway and join!). It shows the last of the 16 PCC streetcars to be renovated by Brookville Equipment Company at its Pennsylvania facility, under a Muni contract. It’s sitting outside, and looks complete.

It’s a very special streetcar for our organization, in large part because of the tribute livery it wears.

Could this mean that this long-delayed streetcar is finally about to head home? We’ll run a a celebratory post when it gets here, documenting its amazing resurrection and explaining why it and its brothers are essential for permanent start up of the E-Embarcadero line.

Copyright 2013, Jeremy Whiteman.

Muni’s shops continue to make gradual progress on 1946 Melbourne tram No. 916, a 2009 gift to the City of San Francisco from the Australian State of Victoria. The retired tram needed extensive modifications to meet Muni and California operating standards, and to operate on the opposite side of the road from its native city. (Door controls, for example, had to be reversed.)

Market Street Railway has assisted in procuring needed parts. With staffing very tight, the work has moved forward gradually as time was available. On February 19, though, the tram emerged from the electronics shop at Green Division and motored across town under its own power, following the F-line, the future E-line, and finally the T-line (here crossing the historic Fourth Street Bridge) to Metro East at Illinois and 25th Street, where its wheels are being reprofiled to Muni specifications. No firm date for it to join the fleet, but it is coming along nicely.

Your support, as a member or donor, makes it possible for us to help Muni acquire and restore historic streetcars and trams like this one. Thanks.

PCC No. 1009, honoring Dallas, near the San Francisco Railway Museum on the F-line, January 17, 2013. Brian Leadingham photo.

Dallas didn’t operate PCC streetcars very long — just 11 years. When they did, just after World War II, they called them “Gliding Beauties” for their streamlined grace.

Today, Muni pays tribute to the streetcars of “Big D” with the first day of passenger service for PCC No. 1009, painted in the original Dallas livery.

Dallas is one of the few cities to ever operate double-end PCC streetcars. (Only the handful of the 5,000 PCCs built in the U.S. between 1936 and 1952 were designed to operate in passenger service from either end.) After Dallas ended streetcar service in 1956, it sold its PCCs to Boston, where railrans referred to them as “Texas Rangers.” Today, Dallas has a vibrant historic streetcar operation on McKinney Avenue and recently acquired one of the original Dallas PCCs for future restoration.

Dallas is also about to start construction of a modern streetcar line serving Oak Cliff (a neighborhood served by its PCCs back when) and has already decided to extend that new line.

Streetcar No. 1009, now wearing the Dallas Terminal & Railway tribute livery, is one of ten double-end PCCs bought by Muni in 1948. It carried San Franciscans on Muni routes until the 1980s. (Go here and click on the other preserved cars in this group, Nos. 1006, 1007, 1008, 1010, 1011, and 1015, to learn about them.)

After retirement, No. 1009 was stored by Muni for possible future restoration but terribly vandalized over the years, capped by a fire that almost destroyed it. Because of its flexibility (operable from either end) and capacity (one of the largest PCCs ever owned by Muni), it was nonetheless sent to Brookville Equipment Company in Pennsylvania for a complete remanufacturing, with spectacular results. No. 1009 has completed testing and is now in passenger service.

What was left of Muni streetcar No. 1009 as it left San Francisco for restoration in June 2011.

The interior of streetcar No. 1009 before restoration.

This leaves one additional double-ended Muni PCC yet to rejoin the fleet. No. 1011 is still at Brookville but should return to San Francisco, fully restored, within the next month.

Muni’s first streetcar, No. 1, poses at 11th and Market streets December 28, 2012. Moments earlier, it passed Market and Geary almost exactly 100 years to the minute from its first ever trip from that same location, out Geary with Mayor "Sunny Jim" Rolph at the controls to inaugurate America’s first major publicly owned transit system. Here, it’s flanked by Muni’s oldest operable trolley coach, 1950 No. 776, and its oldest operating motor coach, 1938 No. 042. All carried passengers for free rides that day. Rick Laubscher photo. Click to enlarge.

Muni’s Centennial Day December 28 was a success, in large part thanks to Market Street Railway’s members and friends who came out to celebrate by riding vintage vehicles, including those pictured here. Muni’s governing body made all rides on the system free that day to honor the centennial. The cable cars were packed, with long lines at the Powell line terminals in particular, taking advantage of the unprecedented freebie. (If you think about it, a round trip from Powell and Market to the Wharf for a family of four is $48 regularly, so this was some bargain!)

Muni officials have stated they intend to continue the centennial celebration into 2013, and we’ll be there to help. We’ll also be advocating for restoration of additional historic Muni vehicles, and the establishment of an annual “Muni Heritage Day,” scheduled well in advance to let friends from around the world come to town for special rides on historic streetcars, cable cars and buses.

We’ll also continue our advocacy for more frequent and efficient historic streetcar service, including start up of the E-Embarcadero line and its extension to Fort Mason on the west and Pier 70 on the south, creating a line five miles long that links all the historic attractions along San Francisco’s northeast and central waterfront.

We need your help to do these things. If you’re not a member already, please consider joining. You can also support us with a donation. Thanks, and Happy 2013.

1938 White motor coach No. 042 on display outside the San Francisco Railway Museum November 11, 2012. Brian Leadingham photo. Click to enlarge.

We just got word that Muni’s oldest surviving bus, a 1938 White model, will mark its return to the operating fleet on Centennial Day, December 28. Motor coach No. 042 will make at least one trip from our San Francisco Railway Museum to Coit Tower and back between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sorry, but we don’t have any more specific information than that to offer here, but we’ll have the latest information on site at the museum, located at the F-line Steuart Street stop.

The 74-year old bus will be wearing its original 1938 orange and black Muni livery for the first time since early in World War II, when the bus fleet was repainted blue and yellow. It’s also wearing its original number, 042, clearly establishing it as one of the first 50 buses Muni ever owned. After World War II, most of this group of buses was scrapped, but three were kept to work the 39-Coit route, which requires a tight turn around the tower parking lot. This coach was renumbered 062 at that time.

Following its retirement from regular service in 1975, the bus was painted into the 1950s green and cream “Wings” scheme and used in parades and other special events. Time finally took its toll on the engine and other components. Muni’s Woods Division team rebuilt the engine, resheeted some of the steel side panels, rebuilt the rusted out stepwells, and made many other repairs. In the process, the original paint scheme and number were restored to the bus. It was on display in November for one of the Sunday Centennial Celebration days, but was only cleared to carry passengers this week.

Also carrying passengers from 10-2 December 28: 1950 Marmon-Herrington trolley coach No. 776, a big hit on the November Centennial Sundays. It will depart from the Steuart Street bus stop next to the museum for short trips around downtown. All rides will be free on December 28 — in fact, the entire Muni system is free that day, in honor of the 100th anniversary of Muni’s very first day of operation, December 28, 1912.

1950 Marmon-Herrington trolley coach No. 776 in service at Spear and Market Streets, November 4, 2012. Rick Laubscher photo. Click to enlarge.

These are just added attractions to the streetcars expected to carry passengers on the F-line, as explained in our last post. Note, too, that we will be offering our Members and volunteers refreshments at the museum starting at 2 p.m. to thank them for their support.

If you can’t make it down for Centennial Day tomorrow, note that Muni plans to continue to celebrate the centennial in 2013. We are working with them for more special operations of vintage streetcars and buses, this time with much more notice so our Members and friends can plan their trips to enjoy these great vehicles.

1954 Hamburg, Germany tram No. 3557 (right) and two ex-Muni PCC streetcars are among the historic vehicles awaiting restoration at Muni’s "boneyard," as the streetcar storage facility is informally known. Todd Lappin photo.

Recently, a group of Market Street Railway board members joined a tour of Muni’s storage facility for streetcars awaiting restoration. This facility, near Islais Creek, exists in part because of our active advocacy, begun three decades ago, to preserve retired streetcars to meet possible future service needs. Already, several have been plucked from this purgatory and restored to service. We are working to see that more follow, as demand grows for additional service on the F-line and future E-line.

The photo above comes from Market Street Railway board member Todd Lappin, who tells all about the trip here, with many more photos. You can find more information on the tram on the right, from Hamburg, Germany, here.

The visit has also been chronicled by Market Street Railway board member Jeremy Whiteman, who co-chairs our calendar committee, and Jon Wollenhaupt. (Enjoy viewing these photos, but please respect the artists’ copyright rules as posted on their sites.)

As Todd points out, not all the streetcars in the “boneyard” will ultimately be restored. Some, with badly rusted or accident-damaged bodies, have already given up many parts needed to keep the current fleet running. We’re currently working with Muni to help determine the most viable candidates for restoration, to set priorities as the need comes up. You can see which streetcars are in storage and get a general idea of their condition by reviewing our complete streetcar roster.

As year-end approaches, it’s a good time to note that we depend entirely on memberships and donations to do what we do, along with thousands of hours of volunteer time and proceeds from gift sales at our San Francisco Railway Museum. Since you’re reading this post, you probably have some interest in our efforts, so please consider helping us. Thanks very much.