This car’s exterior commemorates San Diego, which operated PCC streetcars from 1937 to 1949.

For many years, streetcars in both San Francisco and San Diego served the zoo and Balboa Park. But San Diego actually promoted those destinations on all its PCC streetcars, even the ones on routes that didn’t go there. San Diego Electric Railway was originally owned by the sons of San Francisco ‘Sugar King’ Claus Spreckels. They also owned the famed Hotel del Coronado.

San Diego was the first West Coast city to operate PCCs, in 1937. In all, 28 PCCs ran on five different San Diego routes until rail service was abandoned in 1949.

But in 1981, San Diego inaugurated the renaissance of streetcars in America with the bright red ‘San Diego Trolley’, a far different livery than the pea-green PCCs!