Car No. 1080: New arrival
The first of eleven additional PCC streetcars for Muni’s vintage fleet arrived in San Francisco May 10 for testing and evaluation. Bearing the Muni fleet number 1080, ex-New Jersey Transit car No. 9 continues the Muni tradition of paying tribute to other operators of the Presidents Conference Committee (PCC) streetcar by wearing the 1950s Fruit Salad livery of Los Angeles Transit Lines... (more)

The Real Deal?
Muni’s latest addition to its PCC fleet was on the back of a flatbed somewhere near Reno when I got this email from a member: “Hi, Rick, how did they miss the green color on the PCC No. 1080? It’s obviously off—and the yellow may be a couple of degrees off also. For what Muni paid, why can’t the colors be dead right on?”... (more)

Zurich Tram Debuts
The Saturday morning mob at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market turned their ears southward on June 4, catching the sound of an Alpenhorn, a symbol of Switzerland. The curious who wandered down a half block found the giant horn set up next to a shiny blue and white tram on the Muni tracks in the median of The Embarcadero, surrounded by Swiss flags and cheerful people, many of them sipping wine—at 9:00am—“because it’s cocktail hour in Switzerland”... (more)

Disabled Citizens Help to Maintain Historic Trolleys
On December 3, the San Francisco Examiner took note of Market Street Railway’s car cleaning activities, led by Market Street Railway Director Emeritus and former president Art Michel. The article, reprinted here by permission, highlights our growing outreach to volunteers from other nonprofit groups, and accurately portrays the pride they feel helping keep the F-line cars looking great... (more)

Car No. 162: Closer to home
On September 9, Muni streetcar No. 162 made history, moving under its own power on its home system for the first time in 47 years. It was a baby step—just ten feet inside the safe confines of Market Street Railway’s David L. Pharr Historic Streetcar Facility, to connect up to Muni’s Unimog tractor that towed it over the pit track—but it was “a beautiful sight,” according to MSR project manager Jack Smith. Air pressure on the vintage 1914 car moved up steadily to a normal 90 pounds. Then, “the switch group hissed and clicked and clattered,” and with one point of power, 162 moved... (more)

Resurrection: Philly 'Cream Cheese' livery back...on Car No. 1060
Two wrecked PCC cars have been morphed into one...and returned to the street. Both car Nos. 1054 and 1060 were among the fourteen PCCs purchased second-hand by Muni from Philadelphia’s SEPTA in the early 1990s, and completely rehabilitated. Both received historic liveries honoring cities that ran this famed car type. The 1054 was given the sharp looking silver and electric blue of SEPTA’s predecessor, Philadelphia Transportation Company, that graced its first PCCs in 1938. The 1060 received a less flashy gray and blue livery from Public Service Coordinated Transport of Newark, New Jersey... (more)

The Market Street Railway Mural
A beautiful new mural, currently in progress, is being painted at the corner of Church and 15th Streets in San Francisco, depicting the history of urban transit along Market Street, in incredible detail, from the turn of the Twentieth Century to the present day, and beyond... (more)

Car No. 162: History comes home
History came home on July 10, 2003. After more than 45 years away from its home tracks, 1914 Muni streetcar No. 162 returned to San Francisco, thanks to the generous donations of Market Street Railway members and friends (see list at left). The car was transported to Market Street Railway’s “Mint Division” restoration facility at Duboce Avenue and Market Street from the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Riverside County, California, which had acquired it from Muni in 1958, when the car was originally retired... (more)

Car No. 130 Dedicated to Herb Caen
With considerable support from Market Street Railway, Muni has dedicated historic streetcar No. 130 to the late Herb Caen, the longtime Chronicle columnist widely known as “Mr. San Francisco.” Not so widely known was his strong affection for the city’s streetcars and his celebration of the F-line... (more)

Market Street Railway Buys PCCs for Muni
Hometown streetcars could boost F-line service. Going beyond mere advocacy, Market Street Railway has put its money where its mouth is, acquiring four historic streetcars to bring home to Muni. The cars in question were part of the last batch of the streamlined PCC cars built in North America, delivered to Muni in 1952... (more)