May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Why yes. Muni DOES have two boat trams

May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Muni News, SFMSR, Streetcars and Cable Cars, Wheels of the World, WOW Blackpool, boat tram, red boat tram

In 2013, Market Street Railway brought 1934 Blackpool, England “boat tram” to San Francisco, underwritten by a generous donation from the Thoresen Foundation, with shipping help from FedEx. We did it because the boat tram we brought over for Muni in 1984, thanks to Bechtel, had proven to be the most popular single vintage streetcar in Muni’s fleet.

With only one, though, it was impractical to schedule regular operation of the popular car. And even after the second boat tram (#233) arrived, most folks thought Muni still only had the one (#228). When the time came to do some work on 228, we suggested to Director of Transit Julie Kirschbaum that they do what Blackpool itself had done more than a dozen years before: paint the trim on one boat a bright red, to contrast with the traditional green and make it obvious that there are two of them. She thought it was a great idea.

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March 27, 2023March 28, 2023 Rick Laubscher

Red Arrow hits target

March 27, 2023March 28, 2023 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, PCC, PCC - Big Ten Class, SFMSR, Streetcars and Cable Cars 1007, F-line, PCC, Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Co., Red Arrow

After a spectacular restoration, a 1940s streetcar paying tribute to Philadelphia’s “Red Arrow” lines is again carrying passengers on the streets of San Francisco.

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April 13, 2022July 11, 2022 Rick Laubscher

Cable Car 8: art, craft, or both?

April 13, 2022July 11, 2022 Rick Laubscher Cable Cars, Fleet Updates, Muni News, Restoration, SF Famous Cable Cars, SFMSR, Single-Ended Cable Cars, Video cable car restoration, femail cable car grip, Friedel Klussmann, New cable car, Powell cable car

For 149 years, San Francisco’s cable cars have been exemplars of craft, sculptures in wood and metal reflecting the talents of carpenters, metal workers, painters, electricians, and others. They absorb the jolts and lurches inherent in their daily operation, carrying millions of passengers over decades of daily service before their joints finally loosen and rot and rust take a big enough toll to require rebuilding.

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August 9, 2021August 9, 2021 Rick Laubscher

Patriarch Streetcar Turns 125

August 9, 2021August 9, 2021 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, History Spotlight, Posts with Photos 125th streetcar birthday, 578, dinky, dinky 578, vintage streetcar

According to our historian, the redoubtable Emiliano Echeverria, 125 years ago, August 10, 1896 (give or take a day), a new streetcar was delivered for service in San Francisco. Streetcars themselves had only become a viable transit technology eight years before in Richmond, Virginia. San Francisco had opened its first streetcar line only four years earlier, in 1892, but transit companies led by Market Street Railway Company were busy already, replacing some cable car lines with streetcars and building new lines with the electric vehicles.

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December 9, 2020December 23, 2020 Rick Laubscher

Final restored PCC back home

December 9, 2020December 23, 2020 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, PCC - Big Ten Class, Restoration 1007, PCC streetcars, Philadelphia Suburban Transportation Company, Red Arrow Lines

The last of 16 streamlined PCC streetcars completely rebuilt for Muni by Brookville Equipment Company was delivered to its owner today.

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October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 Rick Laubscher

Keeping the streetcars ready

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, News, Posts with Photos, Streetcars F-line, F-line streetcars, historic streetcars, San Francisco streetcars, vintage streetcar

They’re not back yet. At least not for passengers. But the streetcars in Muni’s historic fleet are at least more visible these days where they belong: on the streets of San Francisco.

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July 9, 2020July 9, 2020 Rick Laubscher

When will the cable cars and streetcars return?

July 9, 2020July 9, 2020 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Muni News, SFMSR Cable Car COVID, cable car safety, cable cars, F-line, Muni Covid 19

The short answer is: we don’t know; it’s up to the virus and what we all do together to shorten its grip on our society. But Muni can be ready for that day, and we’re encouraging them to do so.

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April 6, 2020April 6, 2020 Rick Laubscher

Status update April 6, 2020

April 6, 2020April 6, 2020 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Muni News Harvey Milk streetcar, L-Taraval, Milan, Muni Covid 19, streetcar training

Muni has announced its most drastic system cutback yet, going into effect the next couple of days. Here is their announcement. It includes a map of the routes that will continue to operate and details on why the service is being further reduced.

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September 6, 2019September 6, 2019 Rick Laubscher

Great Kickoff to Heritage Weekend

September 6, 2019September 6, 2019 Rick Laubscher Cable Cars, Double-Ended Cable Cars, Fleet Updates, Muni Heritage Weekend, San Francisco Cable Car Fleet, San Francisco Railway Museum Mayor London Breed, Muni Heritage Weekend 2019, Sacramento-Clay Car 19

Muni Heritage Weekend got off to a great start last night (Thursday), with a VIP reception at our San Francisco Railway Museum. Upwards of 70 invited business, neighborhood, and civic leaders heard Mayor London Breed extol San Francisco’s history and the role transit played in making the city what it is today. Market Street Railway President Rick Laubscher paid tribute to transit pioneers through the decades, whom he described as “fighters for equality, for inclusion, for opportunity”, and lauded the team that brought Sacramento-Clay Cable Car 19 back to life. They include: Project Manager Arne Hansen, the shop superintendent; Electric Transit Mechanic Dave Kerrigan, who installed a complete braking system, Master Carpenter Antoni Cunha, who repaired and strengthened the running boards; Painters Danny Hicks and Henry Pegueros, who did a masterful job of painting, polishing the brass, and detailing the cable car.

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August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 Rick Laubscher

Boat Tram Sails Again

August 12, 2019August 12, 2019 Rick Laubscher Fleet Updates, Muni Heritage Weekend, Wheels of the World 228, Blackpool, boat tram, Muni Heritage Weekend

Blackpool (England) Boat Tram 228 is scheduled to resume its special service on the waterfront Tuesday, August 13 at 11 a.m., following a time in “dry dock” for motor repairs. You can ride the boat Tuesdays and Wednesdays the rest of August and into September between our San Francisco Railway Museum (across from the Ferry Building) and Fisherman’s Wharf between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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