Editor’s Note: Right after posting the photo of Car No. 1040 (preceding post), we coincidentally received this email, which the author, Joel Salomon, has generously let us post here. Yet another reason to remember moms – not just on Mother’s Day, but every day of the year.
Click to enlarge. Muni PCC No. 1040 on Market Street in 1955, about to turn onto First Street to reach the Transbay Terminal (which would have been shown as "BRIDGE" on the roll signs of the day). Following common practice of the time, the operator has already changed the destination reading to "OCEAN" on the L-Taraval line (revised on later roll signs to "46TH-ZOO"). That’s the Hunter-Dulin Building, home to the fictional detective firm of Spade & Archer, above the car in the background, at 111 Sutter. (It’s still there.) We left the photo uncropped, the better to see the cool storefronts on Market. No, "Navy Blues" is not the predecessor of Old Navy. Several military uniform stores used to be quartered in this section of Market. Photo by Joel Salomon’s mom.
Having been in San Francisco last month I have been on a bit of a Muni fixation of late. I remembered that in my father’s collection I got were 35mm slides that my mother had taken in 1955 when she visited San Francisco while on a trip to see her sister, who lived near Sacramento. My parents were not married at the time, but my father gave my mom his slide camera to use on the trip. My mom took numerous train and trolley pictures and I decided to search them out and go through them the other week.
Imagine my surprise when I came across the enclosed shot of car 1040!
It’s so ironic that my mom took this picture of this particular car in 1955 and I discovered this in 2012, the year Harry [Donahue, head of a Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys] is planning the trip with this car. So I guess it must be fate that I go along on this fan trip in August.
So, here’s to you Mom, thinking of you a bit extra on this Mother’s Day as I type this message. Thank you for all the things you did for us a kids and while growing up beyond my teenage years! Thank you for taking me (and my two brothers) to San Francisco when I was nine years old in 1972 and instilling all the good things in my life that you did and helping with my love affair with trolleys and trains. Yes my dad had a hand in that too, but Mom, you also encouraged it. Cannot believe it’s been 14 years since you have been gone. I think of you often.
I thought this shot of 1040 had significant meaning on this day, due to the person that took it.
Joel
Postscript: a comparison of this 1955 shot of No. 1040 shows how faithful its recent restoration is. The only thing missing today is the “Enter Front” decal by the front doors, which has been left off in anticipation of Muni changing to all-door boarding later this year. The black anticlimber (front bumper) was repainted silver on these cars not long after this photo was taken.
