Museum
Fundraising has started in earnest for our Museums In Motion program, with the first phase focused on opening our ‘non-moving’ museum in the Hotel Vitale building. Our Board of Directors has kicked off the fundraising by pledging more than $35,000—10% of our goal to build and outfit the museum. Additional contributions from members and friends are beginning to move us closer to our goal. Follow-up on the corporate and business outreach initiated by Market Street Railway President Rick Laubscher and Vice President Carmen Clark is now starting, however, it is clear that we need our member contributions to be as generous as possible if we are to preserve our city’s transportation heritage.

Our museum committee, led by Craig Walker, has begun work on replicating the end of a vintage Market Street Railway Co. streetcar to serve as the focal point of the museum. Another important artifact for the museum, a Wiley ‘Birdcage’ traffic signal, unique to San Francisco from the 1920s-1950s, was moved from long-term storage to our restoration yard on December 11. We are seeking volunteers for its overhaul. Market Street Railway member Grant Ute, of the San Francisco Railway Archives project (story), is leading a team that will design our initial exhibit, telling the story of how streetcars helped accelerate the recovery of San Francisco from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

We still hope to open on the centennial of that momentous event, April 18, 2006, but only if we receive adequate financial support. Members’ contributions are welcomed in any amount, and can be sent to our office address or made online here.

Additional streetcars
2006 should be the year the F-line finally gets an infusion of ‘new’ vintage streetcars. Muni officials still plan to finish 1914 ‘Iron Monster’ No. 162—brought back to San Francisco through Market Street Railway member donations—in time for the summer’s peak season. (They have also pledged to bring 1924 Market Street Railway Co. car No. 798 to completion after No. 162, but that project would be completed no sooner than 2007.) In the meantime, Brussels/Zürich tram No. 737 should be ready to officially enter service early in the new year, and 1927 Kobe/Hiroshima tram No. 578-J should return from upgrade work underway in Seattle in the spring.

On December 12, the MTA Board of Directors approved additional work on the eleven ex-Newark PCCs now under renovation. The cars will have more upgrades on their trucks, plus significant interior work including complete repainting, reupholstering, and flooring replacement. The extra work will cost more than $3 million, but Muni says there will still be sufficient funding to restore three or four 1948 Muni ‘Torpedo’ PCCs (Nos. 1006, 1008, 1011, and perhaps 1009 if not too badly damaged from a fire set by a vagrant years ago).

E-Line
These double-end PCCs, plus their restored mates (Nos. 1007, 1010 & 1015) and the additional double-end vintage cars mentioned above, are important to sustain full-time operation of the first phase of the E-line, from Caltrain to Fisherman’s Wharf, which will not initially have a turning loop at the south end of the line. Muni continues discussions about opening the E-line in the fall of 2006, probably on a limited basis of a single operator shift per day, such as 10:30am-6:30pm, like the Trolley Festivals of the 1980s that proved the concept of the F-line. Much depends on available operating funding, though most of the runs needed for initial E-line operation are already being funded in the form of the current F-line shuttles between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Ferry Building.

The second phase of the E-line continues to move forward as well—the extension from Fisherman’s Wharf to Fort Mason. A seismic study of the historic 1914 railway tunnel under Fort Mason, funded by the National Park Service, has been completed, with no surprises. Strengthening of the tunnel for a resumption of rail use is feasible, the report found, and the cost estimate of around $8 million for the seismic and safety work (not including track and overhead) is in line with earlier informal estimates. Attention now shifts to the commencement of an Environmental Impact Statement, evaluating the different alignments determined in the recently-completed technical feasibility study. As this EIS proceeds in 2006, Market Street Railway will be working with allies to begin identifying additional federal construction funding sources for the extension, which is expected to cost around $50 million overall.

F-line
After a rocky 2005, the F-line faces a turning point in 2006. Delays in training new operators have recently resulted in all weekend Embarcadero shuttles being run by buses. Indeed, buses remain commonplace on the F-line, for one reason or another, despite a steady stream of rider complaints. Overcrowding is rampant, even off-season—a pleasant weekend in early December saw F-line cars crush-loaded on The Embarcadero. The delayed arrival of the Newark PCCs has contributed to this problem, but they should start going into service by summer of 2006. Market Street Railway will be advocating expanded F-line service, particularly on weekends, as soon as the cars are available.

Geneva covered storage
The long-delayed protected storage for the most vulnerable historic streetcars is finally scheduled to break ground in early summer 2006, if no further snags occur. The four-track sheds at Geneva yard will cover 24-25 streetcars, including all of the canvas-roofed fleet.

Car No. 1
The ravages of salt air and fog on these priceless antiques is most notably visible in the deteriorating condition of 1912 Muni car No. 1, which Muni leaders now propose be sent to a contractor for a complete restoration. Market Street Railway is working with Muni to identify sufficient funding to add additional vintage streetcars (including recently acquired New Orleans No. 913) to this project to attract the most qualified bidders, likely to go to bid in 2006.

Cable cars
The 2006 visitor season should be the acid test of whether the new $5 cable car fare drives down ridership. Stuart Sunshine, MTA acting executive director, told our Annual Meeting in November that early statistics saw no ridership drop at all. Market Street Railway will continue to monitor this, and to look for ways to enhance the cable car experience.

For these activities to succeed, Market Street Railway counts on volunteer efforts and financial support from its members. As 2006 beckons, we hope members will review their support level of Market Street Railway and increase it if at all possible.