California Street Cable Car 49 was built from scratch by Muni’s Cable Car Carpentry Shop in 1992, replacing a 1910 car built by in-house by the California Street Cable Railroad Co., which was damaged in an accident and scrapped.
Memorial Day has always been a time to honor the departed. For many decades in San Francisco, thousands of people paid their respects by streetcar. From 1902 until 1949, the 40-line ran out Mission Street and continued south all the way to San Mateo, passing the cemeteries of Colma along the way. So many riders would head for the cemeteries on Memorial Day that extra streetcars would be added, many of them running on an extended version of the 14-Mission line or (like the streetcar pictured around 1940 in Colma) a shortened version of the 40-line.
July 1 marks the 150th anniversary of rail transit on Market Street. No, that’s not a typo. Rail transit started on Market before the Civil War with a steam engine. We’re putting together an exhibit on this anniversary for our San Francisco Railway Museum, to open this summer, and have come across some interesting shots we’ll be sharing here from time to time.
Our friends over at Muni Diaries recently steered us toward this vintage film from 1930. It appears to be home movie, and the good stuff starts at around 0:23, when we get a superb view of The Loop — the once-famous streetcar turnaround at the foot of Market Street — as seen from the second floor of the Ferry Building. Check out all those Iron Monsters!Also worth noticing: The pedestrian bridge that used to connect the Ferry Building to the rest of Market street, lots and lots of ferries, and a big-gunned Navy battleship at anchor in the Bay. Noticeably missing: The Bay Bridge and Treasure Island! Enjoy…
Some of you may have seen the Examiner article discussing the proposed streetcar extension to the western Wharf, Aquatic Park, and Fort Mason. We’ve talked about the extension here before. The planning process has been moving along with preparation of a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS), expected to be ready for public comment early next year when, to the surprise of virtually everyone involved in the project, Supervisor Michaela Alioto-Pier pops up and asks that no city money be appropriated for design or construction of the project until the EIS is complete and a funding plan is prepared. (To which we say, fair enough — that’s pretty much the way the process works anyway.)
Streetcar no. 1006 being readied to travel cross-country. Charles Darke photo.
