The Cable Car Home Page by Joe Thompson

I want to use this site to share my knowledge about and interest in cable cars (also known as cable tramways). I want to keep it simple. I welcome input from any source, especially about cable cars in cities other than San Francisco. I hope to build this page up gradually as time permits. I welcome information, photographs, and suggestions.

Where Should I Go from Here? Visit the Map

Tales From the Grip: "Rookie Bites" I am proud to be the host of gripman Val Lupiz's column: Tales From the Grip.

The Feel of the Rope Reflections on Life at the San Francisco Cable Car Division I can highly recommend Nick Tomizawa's dvd The Feel of the Rope: "a tribute to the men and women that carry on a San Francisco tradition that has continued for over 130 years. Through the words of employees past and present representing two generations of operators, managers, maintainers, trainers, and car builders, you will get an insider's look at what makes the cable cars the most unique transit system in the world." Read my Review. Read about or see some other Cable Car Videos.

Of Cables and Grips: The Cable Cars of San Francisco Second Edition by Robert Callwell & Walter E. Rice, Ph.D. The second edition of Of Cables and Grips: The Cable Cars of San Francisco -- not yet available in a print-and-paper book format -- is available on this web site.

A front-end view of my favorite tin cable car 512. See more collectible items on my Cable Car Kitsch page. See toys, magazine ads, and other new items.

Table of Contents

• What is a cable car? (updated 01-Sep-2005)
• How do cable cars work? (updated 01-Aug-2007)
• Where and when did cable cars operate? (updated 01-Jul-2008)
  • San Francisco (updated 01-Jan-2010)
  • Other California Cities
    • Los Angeles (updated 01-Dec-2009)
    • Oakland (updated 01-Jul-2009)
    • San Diego (updated 01-Jun-2009)
  • Chicago (updated 01-Feb-2010)
  • Kansas City (updated 01-Aug-2008)
  • New York/New Jersey (updated 01-Nov-2007)
    • Hoboken (updated 01-May-2008)
    • Newark (updated 01-May-2008)
    • Binghamton (updated 01-May-2008)
    • Brooklyn (updated 01-Sep-2006)
    • New York (updated 01-May-2006)
  • Pacific Northwest (updated 01-Dec-2008)
    • Portland (new 01-Feb-2003)
    • Seattle (updated 01-Dec-2008)
    • Tacoma (new 01-Mar-2003)
    • Spokane (new 01-May-2003)
    • Butte (new 01-Jun-2003)
  • Australia/New Zealand (updated 01-Jan-2009)
    • Melbourne (updated 01-Dec-2001)
    • Sydney (new 01-Dec-2001)
    • Dunedin (updated 01-Sep-2005)
  • UK (updated 01-Sep-2007)
    • Douglas, Isle of Man (updated 01-Aug-2004)
    • Glasgow (new 01-Oct-2001)
    • Liverpool (new 01-Oct-2001)
    • London (updated 01-Dec-2009)
  • Other Cities
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (updated 01-May-2008)
    • Providence, Rhode Island (new 01-Jul-2008)
    • Denver (new 01-Mar-2006)
    • Paris (new 01-Nov-2003)
• Who Was Important in the History of the Cable Car? (updated 01-Jan-2010)
• Why do I Maintain This Site? (updated 01-Apr-2008)
• News (updated 01-Jan-2010)
  • News Archive
• 2010 Anniversaries (updated 01-Jan-2010)
  • Anniversaries Archive
• Thanks/Links (updated 01-Sep-2009)
• What's New (updated every month)
  • What's New Archive
• Ten Years Ago (updated every month)
  • Ten Years Ago Archive
• San Francisco Cable Car Chronology by Walter Rice and friends (updated 01-Jul-2009)
• Miscellany (updated 01-Feb-2010)
• Site Map (updated 01-December-2009)
• Bibliography (updated 01-Jan-2010)
• Guest Book (new 01-Sep-1998)
• Picture of the Month (updated every month)
• Search This Site (updated 01-Oct-2006)
• Legal Stuff (modified 01-Jul-2001)

News

Book: Carville-by-the Sea by Woody LaBounty - 29-December-2009

I received Woody LaBounty's new book, Carville-by-the-Sea, San Francisco's Streetcar Suburb as a Christmas gift. I enjoyed learning more about San Francisco's Carville neighborhood. He gives a well-documented history of the growth of Carville from a single shack to a neighborhood with water, electric power, a school, and a firehouse.

He frames the story with his dream of buying a house in San Francisco.

I also appreciated the way the author included Gelett Burgess and his writings about Carville.

Order the book using the supporting website: http://www.carville-book.com/

Saint Paul Cable Car Remnant - 16-December-2009

Workers relocating utilities on Fourth Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota to make way for the proposed Central Corridor light-rail line found a yoke from the Selby Avenue cable car line, a portion of which had been converted to an electric line in 1898. Part of the line became a counterbalance. John Diers, a local rail historian had warned them that they might find artifacts. I'm happy they listened to him. The yoke may be preserved and included in a historic display at Union Depot.

Sudden Stop Injures Passengers - 21-November-2009

A cable problem caused a sudden stop by a Powell Street car. 4 people were injured.

Another Big Rainfall Stops Cable Cars - 19-October-2009

A short but heavy rainfall this afternoon, flooded the Van Ness Muni Metro station. Flooding at Bay and Taylor stopped the Powell/Mason line.

Big Rainfall Stops Cable Cars - 13-October-2009

2.48 inches of rain fell in downtown San Francisco this afternoon, flooding intersections and freeway entrances. High winds knocked down a tree on Hyde Street, which blocked the Powell/Hyde line.

City to Buy Cable Car Museum Collection - 07-October-2009

The Examiner reports that the City and the Cable Car Museum have reached a deal for the city to purchase the historic cable cars and other artifacts in the museum's collection. There was a dispute over the value of the priceless items.

City Van Hits Cable Car - 29-September-2009

There are two new videos about cable cars:

• Virtual Field Trip - Cable Cars in San Francisco

  Meet Me at the Corner produces what they call Virtual Field Trips on video. The videos are aimed at home schooled kids, but they are suitable for everyone. They just rolled out a video about cable cars. A seventh grader interviewed me and did a really good job. You can see the video here:
  Meet Me at the Corner

  There are lots of other videos on interesting topics (check out the one on falconry at the US Air Force Academy), and guidelines for kids who want to make their own and submit them.

• Lords of the Rings

  Judy Tierney has produced a video about the Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest called "Lords of the Rings" -- great title. "Lords of the Rings is a documentary about the San Francisco Cable Car Bell Ringing contest, profiling three champions who have won the title multiple times. Leonard Oats, winner of the last three contests, 5-time champion Bryon Cobb and 3-time champion Ken Lunardi describe the contest, talk about their own individual styles and offer a glimpse of what it is like to prepare for and compete in the annual event at Union Square."

  You can see the video here:
  http://vimeo.com/6283427

City Van Hits Cable Car - 07-September-2009

An inbound Powell Street cable car collided with a city van at Washington and Mason Streets. Four people were injured.

Introducing Cubbie the Cable Car - 22-June-2009

EM Nelson has produced an animated video for preschoolers about a new character, Cubbie the Cable Car. You can view it here:
"Monkey With a Fare"

The show is set in 1890 San Francisco, and the views of Victorian houses and cable cars are very well done. The characters are cute.

New Car 15 Debuts - 22-June-2009

New Powell Street car 15 went into service after a ceremony at the Washington/Mason car barn. Byron Cobb pulled grip and Duane Allen was conductor.

New Car 15 Tested - 10-June-2009

New Powell Street car 15 made its first test run.

47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest - 09-June-2009

Leonard Oats won his third consecutive title at the 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. I thought it was held in June instead of July because of the 25th anniversary of the return of the cable cars in 1984, however they never mentioned it at the contest.

A sign on the side of car 9 advertises the 2009 Bell Ringing Contest. Photo by Joe Thompson.

Another Transformer Explosion - 05-June-2009

An underground transformer near Polk and O'Farrell exploded, scaring crews and passengers at the outer end of the California Street line. A transformer exploded on 24-June-2008 near California and Drumm, shutting down service for a while.

Cab Hits Cable Cars - 03-June-2009

A runaway cab hit two cable cars which were laying over on Powell near Ellis. Damage to the cable cars, 10 and 24, was not major.

Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest Controversy - 08-May-2009

A confusing report in Phil Bronstein's blog says that there may be a boycott of the 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest because of dispute between labor and management.

Cable Car Museum Collection Dispute - 25-April-2009

Rachel Gordon reported in today's San Francisco Chronicle that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is arguing with the Friends of the Cable Car Museum over the ownership of the Cable Car Museum's collection. The collection includes unique items such as the Clay Street Hill Railroad's grip car 8, the only surviving car from that pioneering line, and the Sutter Street Railway's grip car 46 and trailer 54, which ran on the Pacific Avenue fragment after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire and then operated in a pageant at the 1939 fair on Treasure Island. The Friends and the city are far apart in their ideas of the value of the collection.

Powell Street Cable Problems - March, 2009

The Powell Street cable had several problems during March. The vendor sent representatives to see why an almost-new cable kept having loose strands and other problems.

SUV runs into Cable Car - 26-January-2009

On a drizzly afternoon, an inbound California Street car slid down from Mason to Powell and clipped an inbound Powell Street car, which was waiting to pick up the rope after crossing the California Street tracks. No one was hurt.

News Archive

Go to top of page.

2010 Anniversaries

175 years ago - 1835
Nov 30 - Samuel Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri

150 years ago - 1860
Nov 06 - Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States
Dec 20 - South Carolina seceded from the Union

125 years ago - 1885
Oct 08 - In Los Angeles, the Second Street Cable Railway started service
Oct 21 - The National and Pacific Cable Companies agreed to share the national market
Nov 06 - The Binghamton, New York experimental cable car line started running
Nov 11 - The first cable tramway service in Australia began to Richmond in Melbourne, Australia

New York Giants record: 85-27, 2nd place. Manager: James Mutrie. Mutrie began calling his players "My Giants". The name caught on.

100 years ago - 1910
Mar 29 - A car of Kansas City's Metropolitan Street Railway derailed on the 12th Street incline and was struck by the following car.
Apr 22 - Mark Twain died

New York Giants record: 91-63, 2nd place. Manager: John McGraw.

75 years ago - 1935
Feb 27 - A runaway automobile hit the California and Powell signal tower. Signalman James Chiamps later died.
Apr 30 - The Inner Circle of the Glasgow District Subway last ran with cable traction
Nov 30 - The Outer Circle of the Glasgow District Subway last ran with cable traction

New York Giants record: 91-62, 3rd place. Manager: Bill Terry.

50 years ago - 1960

San Francisco Giants record: 79-75, 5th place. Managers: Bill Rigney, Tom Sheehan.

25 years ago - 1985

San Francisco Giants record: 62-100, 6th place. Managers: Jimmy Davenport, Roger Craig. This was the only time the Giants have lost 100 games.

Anniversaries Archive

Go to top of page.

What's New

• 01-February-2010
  • Picture of the Month: A stereo view of "State Street north from Madison" in Chicago.
  • On the Chicago page, more about the widely hated North Chicago Street Railroad, including a selection from the 1898 Report of Special Committee of the City Council of Chicago on the Street Railway Franchises & Operations, an advertisement for investors, a cartoon and some contemporary newspaper articles:
    • Chicago -- Patent Lawsuit (Sacramento Daily Record-Union, Wednesday, December 21, 1887)
    • Chicago -- Runaway Horse Car (San Francisco Morning Call, Sunday, October 03, 1890)
    • Chicago -- Cable Cars to Carry Bicycles (Saint Paul Daily Globe, Sunday, May 30, 1897)
    • Chicago -- Making Money From Cable Cars (Omaha Daily Bee, Saturday, July 1, 1899)
  • On the Cable Car Models page, photos and a video of Garden Scale Cable Cars
  • On the Horse Car Home Page, a John Stephenson ad and a Chicago newspaper article
  • Archived November 2009 What's New
• 01-January-2010
  • Picture of the Month: A stereo view of "State Street north from Madison" in Chicago.
  • On the Chicago page, more about the Chicago City Railway, including a selection from the 1898 Report of Special Committee of the City Council of Chicago on the Street Railway Franchises & Operations and contemporary newspaper article:
    • Chicago -- Gripman Killed (Saint Paul Daily Globe, Friday, February 03, 1882)
    • THE CABLE-CAR LINE/Progress of the Work -- Eleven Trains and the Horse-Cars Still Running (Omaha Daily Bee, Wednesday, February 15, 1882)
    • Chicago -- Third Fatality (Sacramento Daily Record-Union, Saturday, March 25, 1882)
    • Chicago -- Fifteenth Victim (Saint Paul Daily Globe, Monday, September 04, 1882)
    • Killed by a Cable Car. (New-York Tribune, Wednesday, November 6, 1893)
    • STOPS CHICAGO CABLE LINES./The City Begins Active War on Street Car Company. (New-York Tribune, Thursday, January 18, 1906)
    • CABLES MAKE LAST RUN ON STREET IN CHICAGO (San Francisco Call, Sunday, July 23, 1906)
  • Added Bibliography item about Mayor Newsome's proposal to fill in part of Hallidie Plaza and install a reservoir or cistern below it
  • Added News and Bibliography items about the discovery of a relic of Saint Paul Minnesota's Selby Avenue cable car line
  • Archived October 2009 What's New, 2009 Anniversaries, and July-December 2008 News items.
• 01-December-2009
  • Picture of the Month: The proposed incline and improvements in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. From the Los Angeles Herald, 27-August-1905.
  • On the Los Angeles area funiculars page: Roll out a new article about the proposed Griffith Park Incline Railway, including newspaper articles:
    • Griffth Park Incline Proposed (Los Angeles Herald, Sunday, August 27, 1905)
    • Griffth Park Incline Needs More Time (Los Angeles Herald, Thursday, November 28, 1907)
  • Also on the Los Angeles area funiculars page: More about the Industry Hills Incline including its current status
  • On the Cable Trams in the UK, more about London's Highgate Hill Cable Tramway, including an entry from Baedeker's guidebook for 1889. Also an illustrated paper, Cable Tramways, concentrating on Highgate Hill, that engineer William Newby Colam presented to the Society of Engineers in 1885
  • With Christmas coming, it's a good time to visit Joe Lacey's article Christmas on the Cables, and the Decorated Cable Cars page.
  • Added a new photo of Janelle Wang of Channel 7 performing with the 49er Cheerleaders at the 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest
  • Added News and Bibliography items about Woody Labounty's Carville book
  • Added News and Bibliography items about a sudden stop on Powell Street and the last Carville house
  • Archived September 2009 What's New

What's New Archive

Go to top of page.

Ten Years Ago

• 01-Feb-2000
  • Picture of the Month: North Chicago cable trains at the La Salle Street tunnel, Chicago
  • Add North Chicago Street Railway to Chicago page.
  • Add article about the Patent Trust to the Miscellany page
  • Add C T Yerkes to the Who page
  • Move Thanks/Links to a separate page
  • Add postcard of former cable car used on Mount Tamalpais railroad to San Francisco/Omnibus page
  • Add information about iron pergola in Seattle
  • Add information about modern Portland, Victoria tourist cable tram project to the Melbourne page
• 01-Jan-2000
  • Picture of the Month: State Street, Chicago
  • Roll out Chicago page with Chicago City Railway and excerpt from The Pit by Frank Norris.
  • Add Miscellany page
  • Add C B Holmes and Asa Hovey to the Who page
  • Add items about Muni's New Year's Eve plans to news and bibliography
  • Add links to Library of Congress page about cable cars and Don's Railspot
  • Archive news stories, 1999 Anniversaries, and Jul-Dec 1999 What's New
• 01-Dec-1999
  • Picture of the Month: Highgate Hill, London
  • Roll out Highgate Hill Cable Tramway on the Other Cities page (later moved to the Cable Trams in the UK) page. Add thanks to Stuart Jenkins
  • Roll out Los Angeles area funiculars/ Industry Hills and Getty Center on the Other California Cities page
  • Add IW Hellman to the Who page
  • Add California/Drumm and old Cal Cable barn photos to the More California Pictures page
  • Add National Geographic Carville article to bibliography

Ten Years Ago Archive

Go to top of page.

Guest Book

Note: Guestbook entries will not appear online until I have reviewed and approved them. The amount of text available is limited, so please keep your entry brief.

Sign My Guestbook
View My Guestbook
View My Old Guest Book

Search This Site

Visit the Advanced Search page.

Legal Stuff

The opinions expressed in The Cable Car Home Page are mine.

All copyrights and trademarks belong to the people or firms that own them. I have always tried to give credit where credit is due. If I have failed and you can correct me, please let me know immediately. In such cases, I apologize beforehand and I mean no harm.

In general, the contents of The Cable Car Home Page (unless otherwise noted) are the copyright of Joe Thompson.

Following the links on this site may cause you to leave the Cable Car Home Page and enter the website of a third party. I have no influence whatsoever over the design and content of such websites and can accept absolutely no responsibility for them.