The World Famous San Francisco Cable Cars

The World Famous San Francisco Cable Cars PONELL 11 Important parts of a Cable Car THE BRAKES Three different kinds of brakes are used on San Francisco cable cars to slow the car down, especially on steep hills: wheel breaks, track breaks and slot breaks. SAN FRANCISCO MUNICIPAL RAILWAY THE SLOT The opening that runs the length of the conduit holding the cable. The cable car's grips reach through the slot and grabs the cable moving below. THE GRIP The mechanism that picks up and drops the cable to move the car along. There are many patented designs for various types of grips. THE CABLE An endless wire rope made of hemp core wrapped with strands made of groups of small steel wires. The hemp core provides flexibility and the steel strands make it strong. THE POWERHOUSE Originally, the powerhouse was a large building equipped with boilers and coal to heat the water to produce steam to drive the cables. The San Francisco system was converted to electricity in the 1920's. Fun facts about the San francisco cable cars: San Francisco cable cars are the only moving National Historic Landmark, and 9.7 million people take a ride on them each year. The cables pull up to 26 cars at a time on weekdays. ** The cable speed is 9 % MPH per hour according to the museum site. The cars have a capacity of carrying more than 60 people. There are currently 40 cars in service: 28 "single-enders" serve the Powell Street routes and 12 "double-enders" serve the California Street route. The single-ended Powell Street cars are the older of the two types now in service. The Powell cars have one open grip end. The double-ended California type cars were developed later and have been used on California Street since 1891 when Leland Stanford's California Street Cable Railroad (Cal Cable) began replacing their 2-car trains. The Cable Car Museum was established in 1974. It is operated by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum as a nonprofit educational facility. the museum deck overlooks the huge engines and winding wheels that pull the cables. 1909 CABLE CAR MUSE In May of 1949 a contest was held in Union Square to select San Francisco's best cable car bell-ringer. Traditionally held in July in Union Square, the contest has become an annual event that San Franciscans and visitors alike look forward to. The Cable Car Museum houses three antique cable cars from the 1870s. The Sutter Street Railway No. 46 grip car & No. 54 trailer and the only surviving car from the first cable car company, the Clay Street Hill Railroad No. 8 grip car. History of the cable car Andrew Hallidie witnesses a horse-car accident and had inspiration for a cable railway August 2-Andrew Hallidie tests the first cable car system near the top of Nob Hill at Clay and Jones Streets Sept. 1-Clay Street line starts public service at an estimated cost to build of $85,150 Sutter Street Railroad converts from animal power to cable with no break in service April 10-California Street Cable Railroad Company (Cal Cable) goes into service Feb. - Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railroad begins service Jan. - Presidio and Ferries Railroad (Union Street line) opens service August - Market Street Cable Railway starts its first line March 28 - Ferries & Cliff House Railway Company starts Powell Street cable car service Cal Cable experiments with a double-ended car with open sections at the ends August - Omnibus Railroad & Cable Company starts operating Cal Cable replaces its two-car trains with double-ended cars April - First electric streetcars with overhead wires begin running in San Francisco April 18-San Francisco's Great Earthquake damages the cable cars, allowing United Railroads (URR) to convert much of the city to streetcar service May - Eight cable car lines remain in service in San Francisco November - Market Street Railway (formerly URR) ends service on the Pacific Avenue line - April - Castro cable line taken over by buses September - The City and County of San Francisco take over the Market Street Railway with its two Powell Street cable lines. Cal Cable last privately held transit system in San Francisco Committee releases statistics proving cable cars lose less money than Muni buses November - Committee succeeds in getting a charter amendment to save the Powell Street cables on the ballot Mayor Lapham attempts to close down cable car system March 4-Friedel Klussman rallies a new group called the Citizen's Committee to Save the Cable Cars April 3- The Citizen's Committee to Save the Cable Cars begins a petition drive for a charter amendment with the City of San Francisco to save the cable cars May 1- The City Attorney rules against the Utilities Manager James Turner, thereby allowing the citizens of San Francisco to vote on the charter amendment to continue operating the cable car system Nov. 4-Measure 10 wins by a vote of 166,989 to 51,457 forcing the City of San Francisco to maintain and operate the Powell Street cable car system July - Cal Cable's three lines are shut down January- The City purchases and reopens Cal Cable's lines and powerhouse at California and Hyde Feb. - The Jones Street Shuttle is eliminated May - The California Street line is shortened to cover only Presidio to Van Ness Avenues. The O'Farrell, Jones & Hyde line stops running June - The Cable Car Lady, Friedel Klussmann, and her Citizens' Committee are outmaneuvered when they mount a new campaign to save the cable cars. A "Yes" vote on Proposition E meant abolishing half the cable car system; a "No" meant all 5 lines in the system would be saved. Proposition E narrowly passes setting the stage for today's cable car system Sept 2-Car #524 makes the last trip on the Washington-Jackson line December -All the current lines are now running after the installation of a new turntable at Hyde and Beach Streets so the single-ended Powell Street cars can turn around and all the cables are linked to the Washington-Mason powerhouse Oct. 1-Official ceremony at Hyde and Beach designates San Francisco's cable car system a special "moving" National Historic Landmark November - Vote to protect cable car schedules thanks again to a drive by the Cable Car Lady, Friedel Klussmann, and her citizens' group Aug.2-Cable Car Centennial celebrates by loading Clay St. Cable Car #8 onto a truck and driving it on the Clay SL hill Cable car system rebuilt and historic cable cars refurbished June 21- Festivities celebrate the return of full cable car service with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Union Square followed by a parade up Powell Street led by the U.S. Marine band followed by cable cars March 1-SFCableCar.com goes online March 4-Installation of a new collage at the car barn commemorating the 50th anniversary of Friedel Klussmann's saving the cable cars replacement by buses Jan. 15-First female grip operator, Fannie Mae Barnes, operates a cable car after developing the great upper body strength needed for the grip and brakes Sources: http://www.cablecarmuseum.org http://www.cable-car-guy.com/html/cchow.html#turn http://www.sfcablecar.com/history.html 1998 1984 L66L 1973 1971 1956 1954 1954 1954 1952 1951 1947 1947 1929 1912 1892 9061 1891 1888 6885 1883 1882 1880 1878 1873 1873 961 6889 L66L 698L 1961