This page covers the current standard paint scheme for Powell Street cable cars. Car 2 is the lowest number in this group; the same livery appears on Powell cars 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, and 28.

After Muni took over the Powell cable car lines in 1944, the green and white paint scheme on those cars was gradually changed to green and cream; all 28 cars were painted identically, except for minor lettering differences. While the cable car tracks, carbarn and powerhouse were being completely rebuilt between 1982-84, Muni repaired and repainted all the cable cars, and decided to replace the green and cream Muni livery adopted in the 1940s (already gone from buses) with a simpler version of the original 1888 Powell Street Railway Company maroon and blue livery, a more detailed and authentic version of which had been applied to Powell cable car No. 1 for the 1973 centennial of the first cable car line.

Subsequently, with the encouragement of our nonprofit, Market Street Railway, more Powell cable cars were repainted in authentic paint schemes that Powell cars wore during different period in the lines’ long history.

(The details at the bottom of this page pertain to cable car No. 2. Specific histories of each cable car can be found on the cable car roster page.)