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San Francisco History Expo February 12-13!
For a long time now, many of us in the city’s historic preservation community have talked about how cool it would be if we could all get together in one place. Well, our friends at the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society have made it happen!Next Saturday and Sunday, February 12-13, more than 20 groups focused on one or more aspects of San Francisco history will join together in the first San Francisco History Expo at the Old Mint at Fifth and Mission. Hours are 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. both days.Market Street Railway will be offering photo and film viewings, a hands-on “guess-what-it-is” exhibits, a farebox display, and more. Those of you with memories of streetcars in San Francisco’s bygone days can share them on the spot through an oral history opportunity. Brochures, memberships, and volunteer information on Market Street Railway and information on the San Francisco Railway Museum will be available. We’ll also have some cool transit history items for sale.Best of all, admission is free. So hop on the F-line or the Powell Street cable car if you want to be fully in the swing of things and come on over to the Old Mint Saturday and Sunday, February 12-13, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pssst. We won’t tell anyone if you decide to take one of those newfangled BART trains or even a bus! Just come on down any way you can.)
Photo of the (Past) Moment: Steamed Up at Castro
We’ve got an engaging exhibit at our San Francisco Railway Museum, a series of “then and now” photos of locations along Market Street celebrating 150 years of rail transit along our main drag. One period most folks don’t know about is the time that upper Market was all steamed up. This shot (from the collection of the late Walter Rice) was snapped on Market near Castro, sometime between 1880 and 1888. We’re looking at what’s called a “dummy and trailer” combination. The “dummy,” to the right, is actually a mini steam engine. This being San Francisco, you’re already asking, “Where were the NIMBYs?” But a quick look up the hill reveals precious few neighbors to complain, at least at this end of the line.The car to the left, emblazoned “Market Street Railway Co.” (one of several companies of that name over the decades, including our non-profit today) was probably a former horse car. When this “Market Street Extension” line went in, horse cars ran from the Ferry out Market as far west as Valencia. But even though the city cut through a piece of what’s now called Mint Hill at Dolores and Duboce to extend Market westward, the grades on this part were still too steep for horse power.But not for steam, nor for cable cars, which took over this route in 1888, running from the Ferry Terminal all the way out Market to Castro, then south on Castro over the Hill to 26th Street in Noe Valley. (The Castro Street part of the cable car line lasted until 1941; the Market Street part was replaced with streetcars right after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.)”All the Way Out Market” is the name of the “then and now” exhibit at the museum, which is free, and open every day from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (except Mondays, when we’re closed). We’re at the F-line Steuart Street stop at the south end of Ferry Plaza, behind Hotel Vitale at 77 Steuart Street. Pay us a visit and check out other exhibits, historic films on view, and our unique collection of San Francisco gifts as well!
Call for 2012 Calendar Photos
As many who read this site know well, Market Street Railway is a member supported non-profit organization and the streetcar and cable car preservation partner of the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni). We receive no government funding and depend on membership dues, donations, and proceeds from sales of our merchandise to support our preservation and transit advocacy.
Photo of the (Past) Moment: Circus on Market!
As readers of our member newsletter, Inside Track, saw last month, we found a fabulous photo.
Happy New Year from (Glub) Down Under
If you’ve been following the news at all, you know that Australia is in the midst of historic flooding, following torrential rains that in turn followed an extended (and devastating) period of drought. Our hearts go out to all those affected. But the rain has also replenished reservoirs, brought salvation to farmers and ranchers, and given the country a good rinse — including its historic trams in Melbourne.<
Happy 98th Birthday, Muni! And for your present…
On December 28, 1912, Mayor James Rolph, Junior stepped onto a streetcar platform at Geary and Kearny Streets. He deposited one of the first 40 nickels to be minted in San Francisco into the farebox and took the controls, piloting the streetcar westward out Geary to Tenth Avenue, to open America’s first publicly owned big city transit system. Here’s a picture of that first run, with the Mayor highballing across Jones Street. And as a 98th birthday present, Muni welcomes back that very streetcar, No. 1, from a total rebuilding at Brookville Equipment Company in Pennsylvania. The work took longer than expected — the contract called for delivery in May, but the contractor took great pains to preserve the historic fabric of the streetcar. From initial observation, they did a fabulous job on the appearance of the streetcar. Of greatest importance, of course, is how it runs.One day short of its 98th birthday, it took its first tests after delivery in the Metro East yard, just running back and forth on a track inside the yard. It will not operate on its birthday proper — hey, you should get that day off! — but there is still talk of a ceremony later this week. We will let you know as soon as we hear anything.Market Street Railway is working with Muni on its 2012 centennial, where No. 1 will play a central role. Those wishing to volunteer to pitch in on events for the centennial should send us an email here.
Do Not Open Until (Just After) Christmas!
Muni (and Market Street Railway) got the Christmas present of a lifetime delivered today. At 7:30 this morning, SIlk Road Trucking rolled up to the Metro East light rail facility at Cesar Chavez and Illinois Streets and unloaded a special gift, shrink-wrapped in white, just in time for the holidays. Naturally, like little kids, the temptation was too great to resist, so a little corner of the package was torn open to see what’s inside…and oh, my!!!!But we can’t spoil the surprise. For now, let it be said that this one may be unwrapped for the public as soon as next week in a special ceremony. Check back here for details.
A Powell Promenade!
Our friends at Streetsblog San Francisco offer some solid coverage of an offer Audi has made to the city: install two blocks of pedestrian amenities, including widened sidewalks and seating areas, on Powell Street between Ellis and Geary. We won’t duplicate what they wrote, but will note that beyond the pedestrian benefits, which could be considerable, this should make cable car operation in that area safer and more reliable.With parked automobiles and trucks in the curb lane, running board riders take the risk of getting whacked by vehicle mirrors if they let it all hang out just a little too far. And motor vehicles pulling in and out of the parking spaces can cause significant delays.We’re assured that the design shown above is only conceptual; final decisions will be made locally. We hope so. The concept of the Otis Spunkmeyer lookalike drinking some kind of green Caribbean cocktail on Powell is a tad jarring. To add to the somewhat surreal scene, there’s no cable car in sight, but riding the tracks we can clearly discern — a vintage VW Microbus! Did Ken Kesey design this?Seriously, if they actually intend to install benches like the ones “conceptually” shown, the people who actually occupy them probably won’t look like the folks in the drawing. Will the result be inviting to pedestrians, or will it turn into a gauntlet like you often find in the cable car passenger queue at Powell and Market?Just asking.With the right installation, though, this could be a huge plus for lower Powell Street, giving pedestrians much needed additional room to walk and clearing the way for at least a modest improvement in cable car service.Best of all, if this temporary installation works, it can help pave the way for something permanent, perhaps modeled on the existing one-block cable car plaza between Market and Ellis.The promenade is scheduled to be installed by April 2011. It is being managed by the Union Square Business Improvement District.
First Run of 1071
Another step forward for Muni’s program to get its 11 PCCs from the 1070 class into permanent, reliable service. Streamliner No. 1071, painted to honor its original (1947) owner, Twin City Rapid Transit of Minneapolis-St. Paul, operated under its own power from Muni Metro East, on the T-line at Cesar Chavez Street near Third Street, across town to Geneva Division some seven miles away. It’s believed to be the first time this streetcar, acquired by Muni six years ago, has operated a substantial distance under its own power.Pictured above on The Embarcadero connector track near Howard Street during its move on December 16, this streetcar is the first of its class to be returned to San Francisco following complete rewiring and installation of updated (but still traditional) propulsion components by Brookville Equipment in Pennsylvania. It is part of an $18 million contract that also includes the complete remanufacture of five additional PCCs.No. 1071 was delivered to Metro East on November 20, but some of the new components were out of adjustment and the streetcar would not operate. Muni towed it over to Geneva Division for a ceremony in conjunction with the dedication of the new covered storage facility for historic streetcars, then towed it back, where this week representatives from Brookville and its subcontractors have been making the adjustments. They will incorporate the lessons learned from the renovation of this “pilot car” into the work being done on other streetcars in this group. This streetcar will soon enter acceptance testing by Muni. Look for it on the N-Judah line as well as the F-line and J-line. After acceptance, it will start carrying passengers for the first time since Muni acquired it, as soon as a month from now. (Of the 11 PCCs in this class, acquired third-hand from Newark, New Jersey, only 5 have carried passengers so far in San Francisco.)
