In January 2020 I took a trip to San Francisco. This section is less history-specific and more about the different types of rail transport I saw and used in the city.
After writing this page, I posted some of my photos to G-Scale Central. Other members added their own bits of information and photos. It's worth a read: "from San Francisco - GSC".
After writing this page, I posted some of my photos to G-Scale Central. Other members added their own bits of information and photos. It's worth a read: "from San Francisco - GSC".
The three existing San Francisco Cable Car lines began running in 1878 with the California Street line. Ten years later the Powell-Mason line began running and then the Powell-Hyde line officially opened in 1957 (it is the remains of several original lines). The three lines are all open to the public at $8 one-way per ride per person (as of Jan, 2020). The two Powell lines end on manual turntables, using single-ended cars. The California Street line instead uses double-ended cars, so the lines don't have turntables at either end.
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Cable cars are a very unique bit of engineering. The cable, buried in the street, is always moving. Basically, the car has a grabber that will grip the cable when it needs to move and release to slow down. Watching the operator run the car down the hills of San Francisco was very interesting. It seems a very physical job.
Cable cars run mostly along-side general traffic through the streets of San Francisco, however there are some sections of road painted red and marked "MUNI ONLY". Personal vehicles are not allowed in these lanes. I haven't been able to find much information on the system, but the cable cars do have their own traffic lights at intersections such as off Jackson Street in the photo below. There seem to be two systems for public transit. One uses red/green Xs and the other uses red/white horizontal lines. The wikipedia page for the cable car system includes many great photos of the system's inner-workings. |
A few shots of the exterior and interior of the cable cars
I took the cable cars once from Bay Street south to Market Street. The ride took some time, as the cars don't go very fast, but it was much easier than walking up and down all those hills! The ride isn't very smooth, but it is a very cool experience and a great way to get across the city.
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Some of the traffic control systems for SF public transit
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Some of the other rails in the streets of San Fran are for street cars instead of cable cars. They run on electricity picked up from overhead catenary lines. You can just see the overhead wires about a quarter of the way down the following image. It was taken outside of Pier 39 on The Embarcadero. This section of road has specific sections of road for the cable cars, but a few blocks down the cars are a part of general traffic.
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Header: One of the cable cars at the Fisherman's Wharf turntable