Market Street Railway president Rick Laubscher speaks with mayor Gavin Newsom on the day of the inauguration of cable car No. 42 back into the historic fleet in 2005. Market Street Railway's volunteer restoration corps played a big role in the restoration of this very special cable car.

There are three cable car lines in operation: the California Street line, from Market Street to Van Ness Avenue, which originally opened in 1878, and two lines that share Powell Street. The Powell-Mason line, dating back to 1888, still runs its original route between downtown and Fisherman’s Wharf. The Powell-Hyde line was created in 1957 using parts of two 19th century lines, and links downtown and Aquatic Park (the western edge of Fisherman’s Wharf).

Market Street Railway is expanding its initiatives involving the cable cars, complimenting the work of another organization, Friends of the Cable Car Museum.

"Cable cars have always been an integral part of our mission, but we wanted to achieve many of our historic streetcar goals first," says Market Street Railway President Rick Laubscher. "Now we have specific volunteer skills that can help Muni, so we’re moving on it."

The first of these new cable car-related projects helped Muni upgrade the information kiosks at the outer ends of the two Powell cable lines and at California and Market. These big kiosks, installed in the 1983-84 rebuilding of the cable car system, originally housed ticket machines, now long gone. The kiosks themselves were increasingly shabby looking. The large translucent panels containing information on fares, hours, and the history of the cable cars were faded to the point of being almost unreadable. In collaboration with Muni Marketing Manager Marc Caposino, Market Street Railway volunteered to design and install entirely new display panels, with more historical context and updated information. The MSR team, led by David Dugan, had the work done within a few weeks.

Market Street Railway is taking the leading role in working with Muni to restore—and possibly return to limited service—three cable cars representing bygone eras of San Francisco’s system.

Market Street Railway has designed and paid for these large public informational kiosks located at each end of each cable car line.

Market Street Railway helped Muni reacquire 1907 O’Farrell, Jones & Hyde cable car No. 42 in the mid-1990s, and MSR volunteers cosmetically restored the car to its original grandeur on Muni’s behalf. In early 2005, Muni began refitting the running gear of the car for special service on the California and Hyde Street portions of the cable car lines, and in June 2005, mayor Gavin Newsom officially christened Car No. 42 into the cable car fleet.

MSR is also working with Muni to restore the last surviving original Powell-Mason line cable car. All but one of these original 1888 cable cars were destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. The one that survived, an open-sided car, had been stored outside the fire zone with a group of cars from the Sacramento-Clay line. The Sacramento-Clay cars were switched to the Powell lines, and the sole surviving Powell-Mason car, was enclosed in 1923 to match the rest of the Powell fleet in appearance and renumbered to 509 (later 9). This car was retired from active service in 1995 and replaced in 2000 with a new car 9. Market Street Railway, working with Muni, aims to restore old car 9 to its open configuration at the time of the 1906 earthquake as a visible commemoration of that awful event.

MSR also successfully urged Muni to restore Sacramento-Clay car No. 19, which the cable car carpentry shop did several years ago. MSR continues to encourage Muni to complete minor modifications that should allow that long car to clear curves and crests on the California line. MSR volunteers also restored the unique cable car shunter, built in the late 1920s with a Ford Model A engine, that moved cable cars around the barn. After the restoration, MSR conveyed it to Friends of the Cable Car Museum for possible future display.

In a reciprocal gesture of collaboration between the two organizations, The Friends of the Cable Car Museum made, by far, the largest single donation to MSR’s special fund to bring 1914 Muni streetcar No. 162 back to San Francisco. The $12,000 donation covered the streetcar’s four motors. As past Friends Chairman Walter Rice noted, “Both our organization and MSR are concerned with preserving historic transit in San Francisco. MSR did a wonderful job in bringing back O’Farrell car No. 42 and restoring it, and we’re delighted to return the favor by helping out on No. 162.”

Muni paid homage to the original Market Street Railway Co. by painting cable car No. 9 (built 1997) in the MSRy 'White Front' livery used on Powell Street cable cars from 1928-1944.

Both organizations are strong supporters of the heritage liveries worn by five Powell cars. MSR lobbied to expand the heritage livery program in the 1990s, and was rewarded in 2000 with new cable car No. 9, which proudly bears the “White Front” color scheme and emblem of our namesake, the Market Street Railway Co., which operated the Powell cable lines from 1921-1944. We are now joining with the cable car museum to advocate that forthcoming “new” Powell car No. 15 be painted in the 1890s yellow and cream livery of the original Market Street Railway Co.

There are, of course, many additional cable car projects that could be taken on by MSR as part of this expanded focus. Those interested in suggesting projects—and in volunteering to help make them happen—should email us at volunteer@streetcar.org.