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The Cable Car Home Pageby Joe Thompson |
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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 |
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Leonard Oats won his third consecutive title at the 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest held on Tuesday, 09-June-2008 at noon in Union Square. |
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June, 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the return of the cable cars after the 1982-1984 reconstruction. Read San Francisco: Cable Cars Are Here to Stay by Val Lupiz and Walter Rice. Pay a visit to Bruce Kliewe's website full of photos of the 1982-1984 reconstruction. June 03 - The California Street line reopened after the Great Reconstruction June 04 - The Powell/Hyde Street line reopened and the rebuilt Washington/Mason carbarn and powerhouse was dedicated after the Great Reconstruction June 21 - The Powell/Mason Street line reopened and the city held a major celebrtion after the Great Reconstruction |
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Tales From the Grip: "Rookie Bites" I am proud to be the host of gripman Val Lupiz's column: Tales From the Grip. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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-Jul-2009)
- Other California Cities
- Los Angeles (updated 01-Apr-2009)
- Oakland (updated 01-Jul-2009)
- San Diego (updated 01-Jun-2009)
- Chicago (updated 01-May-2008)
- 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)
- Australia/New Zealand (updated 01-Jan-2009)
- 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-Jan-2001)
- 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-Jul-2009)
- Why do I Maintain This Site? (updated 01-Apr-2008)
- News (updated 01-Jul-2009)
- 2009 Anniversaries (updated 01-Jan-2009)
- Thanks/Links (updated 01-Jun-2009)
- What's New (updated every month)
- Ten Years Ago (updated every month)
- San Francisco Cable Car Chronology by Walter Rice and friends (updated 01-Jul-2009)
- Miscellany (updated 01-May-2009)
- Site Map (updated 01-July-2009)
- Bibliography (updated 01-Jul-2009)
- 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
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.
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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.
27th Annual Senior Luncheon - 18-December-2008
The people of the Cable Car Division hosted a group of more than 175 senior citizens for the 27th annual holiday luncheon.
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| Val Lupiz created this invitation for the luncheon. All rights reserved. |
SUV runs into Cable Car - 17-December-2008
Two people were hospitalized after an SUV ran into a cable car near the end of the Hyde Street line.
Powell Cable Stopped - 16-October-2008
The Powell Street cable was stopped for most of the day by an early-morning loose strand.
Trainz Cable Car Simulation - 30-September-2008
Norm Phythian, working from Australia, has created a Trainz simulation, referred to as a map, representing San Francisco's cable car lines. Sel Churchward has created representations the tracks and of cable cars to run on the lines. They both do nice work.
You can learn more on the Trainz discussion forum:
http://forums.auran.com/trainz/index.php
(search for "cable car")
You can see screen captures from the cable car lines and many other interesting-looking
simulations on Norm's website:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/norm_phythian
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| A screen capture looking down Hyde Street from Norm Pythian's map. Car 23 by Sel Churchward. All rights reserved. |
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| Sel Churchward produced this version of Cal Cable 57. All rights reserved. |
Updated 31-October-2008: Added more about the simulation on the Cable Car Models page.
Pedestrian Dies - 25-August-2008
The Chronicle reported that an elderly lady who was hit by a cable car at Mason and Broadway early in the morning on 24-August-2008 had died in San Francisco General Hospital.
California Street Collison - 29-August-2008
The Chronicle reports that an inbound California Street cable car rear-ended another cable car car at California and Drumm this morning.
Runaway and Derailment - 13-July-2008
Powell Street car 12 ran away at Washington and Mason and derailed while making the turn at Powell Street. Four passengers were injured. The inbound Powell/Mason car failed to coast through the turn from Mason to Washington. This curve was poorly redesigned when the system was rebuilt in 1982-1984. The crew got off of the car to push. When it started rolling down the hill on Washington, the gripman jumped on the back platform and passed through the cabin. He found that the front cabin door was jammed and he could not get through. The car hit the curve into Powell too fast and derailed. Muni stated that the crew may have broken the rules by not keeping one person the car while it was out in the street.
Val Golding, RIP - 02-July-2008
San Francisco transit fan and historian Val Golding passed away in Seattle. He was a good guy and was always generous about sharing his knowledge. Val wrote a very good article about his memories of transit in San Francisco, "San Francisco: That Was the City That Was".
Go to top of page.
2009 Anniversaries
200 years ago - 1809
Feb 12 - Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky
125 years ago - 1884
May 29 - The Highgate Hill Cable Tramway, the first cable tramway in Europe, started service.
Jun 30 - The Telegraph Hill Railroad, a funicular, started service.
New York National League club (not yet Giants) record: 62-50, 5th place. Managers: James Price, Monte Ward.
100 years ago - 1909
May 30 - Benny Goodman was born in Chicago
New York Giants record: 92-61, 3rd place. Manager: John McGraw.
75 years ago - 1934
May 09 - West Coast longshoremen, led by Harry Bridges, go out on strike
Jul 05 - Bloody Thursday -- San Francisco police shoot and kill two maritime strikers, Howard Sperry and Nick Bordoise
Jul 16 - A three day general strike led to the settlement of the maritime strike and the recognition of the International Longshore Workers' Union
New York Giants record: 93-60, 2nd place. Manager: Bill Terry.
50 years ago - 1959
May 14 - Sidney Bechet, important early jazz musician, died in Paris
San Francisco Giants record: 83-71, 3rd place. Manager: Bill Rigney.
25 years ago - 1984
Apr 26 - Bill "Count" Basie, piano player and swing band leader, died
Jun 03 - The California Street line reopened after the Great Reconstruction
Jun 04 - The Powell/Hyde Street line reopened and the rebuilt Washington/Mason carbarn and powerhouse was dedicated after the Great Reconstruction
Jun 21 - The Powell/Mason Street line reopened and the city held a major celebrtion after the Great Reconstruction
Aug 12 - A suicidal driver ran head-on into Powell/Hyde car 12, causing it to run away backwards downhill. Gripman Ray McCann and his conductor, both seriously injured, were able to stop the car
San Francisco Giants record: 66-96, 6th place. Managers: Frank Robinson, Danny Ozark.
Go to top of page.
What's New
- 01-July-2009
- Picture of the Month: Henry Casebolt's patent drawing for his overhead cable car line
- On the Other California Cities page: More about the Henry Casebolt's experimental overhead cable car line, including his patent and some contemporary newspaper articles, and the earlier patent issued to General Beauregard
- On the Who page: Henry Casebolt's obituary from the Daily Alta California. Also added a woodcut of Casebolt from his obituary.
- On the More Muni Photos page: Thanks to Val Lupiz, photos of new Powell Street car 15 on its first test run. Also photos and a video I took two days after it went into service
- On the Roster page: New car 15
- Added video of grand master Carol Payne giving an exhibition at the 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. Also added photos
- On the Cable Car Video page:
- Powell Street car 15 at Powell and Market, two days after it made its debut
- F Line views of Melbourne W-2 tram 496 in February and May this year
- Added News and Bibliography items about the 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. Also about an accident and an explosion.
- Added information about new Muni fare changes.
- Archived April 2009 What's New and January-June 2008 news items
- 09-June-2009
- Added results and videos of the 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest
- 01-June-2009
- Picture of the Month: An engraving showing a San Diego Cable Railway combination car, Las Penasquitas. From Charles B Fairchild's book Street Railways: Their Construction, Operation and Maintenance/A Practical Handbook for Street Railway Men
- On the Other California Cities page: More about the San Diego Cable Railway, including new images and Light Cable Road Construction, a paper written by Frank Van Vleck, who designed and built the line
- On the More Muni Photos page: Thanks to Val Lupiz, photos of new Powell Street car 15 with a fresh coat of yellow paint.
- June, 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the return of the cable cars after the 1982-1984 reconstruction. Added a new banner pointing to San Francisco: Cable Cars Are Here to Stay by Val Lupiz and Walter Rice
- On the Cable Car Video page:
- Powell Street car 3 signed as a training car
- Powell Street car 5 inbound on Powell from Pine to Bush
- Powell Street car 25, in its bright red paint, passes the Saint Francis Hotel
- An F Line view of 1007 in the livery of Philadelphia's Red Arrow Lines
- An F Line view of 1818, the green Milan car
- Added News and Bibliography items about the upcoming 47th Annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. Also about the 25th anniversary of the return and an obituary for Levit Chavez, who worked in the Cable Car Division.
- Archived March 2009 What's New
- 01-May-2009
- Picture of the Month: An engraving showing a Consolidated Piedmont cable car as it pauses on the gravity loop at the entrance to Blair Park.
- On the Other California Cities page:
More about the Consolidated Piedmont Cable Company, including
advertisements and contemporary newspaper articles
- The Gravity Loop -- a series of articles about a unique feature of the Consolidated Piedmont.
- First Cable Arrives (San Francisco Morning Call, Friday, May 09, 1890). "The two flat-cars that arrived with the wire cable for the Piedmont cable road are ... low set heavy structures, weighing nineteen tons each, supported by two double trucks, a total of eight pairs of wheels on each, which is twice the number on an ordinary flat..."
- Consolidated Piedmont Nearly Ready for Testing (San Francisco Morning Call, Sunday, May 25, 1890). "The experimental car for trial on the Consolidated Oakland and Piedmont Cable Company's line ... will shortly be tried on the section between Piedmont and the cable-house before the contract for the rolling stock is let."
- Consolidated Piedmont Real Estate News (San Francisco Morning Call, Monday, January 05, 1891). "The cable system has greatly increased the value of suburban property, bringing land on the outskirts nearer to the center of the city, and opening up tracts which formerly seemed inaccessible."
- Consolidated Piedmont Real Estate News/2 (San Francisco Morning Call, Thursday, January 29, 1891). "E. A. Heron is offering many inducements in the way of pretty home sites in Linda Vista, on the Piedmont cable road."
- New Transit Lines in Oakland (San Francisco Morning Call, Sunday, March 29, 1891). "It will do as much for its section as the Piedmont cable has done for Piedmont."
- Consolidated Piedmont Receivership (San Francisco Morning Call, Thursday, November 02, 1893). "Oaklanders were treated to a genuine surprise yesterday when the rumor was spread about the streets that the big concern known as the Piedmont Cable Company was in the hands of a receiver."
- Consolidated Piedmont Hard Feelings (San Francisco Morning Call, Tuesday, December 11, 1894). "Mr. Bishop scowled at Mr. Garthwaite and Mr. Garthwaite scowled at Mr. Bishop, and the matter was ended."
- Consolidated Piedmont Hard Feelings/2 (San Francisco Morning Call, Saturday, January 05, 1895). "... Ira Bishop will be compelled to appease the wrath of Mrs. Phoebe Blair, who is after him with a sharp stick."
- Baseball Field Unprofitable (San Francisco Morning Call, Saturday, January 05, 1895). "Yesterday the Piedmont Railway Company began demolishing this fence and taking down the grand stand ... the grounds do not pay."
- Consolidated Piedmont Foreclosed (San Francisco Morning Call, Sunday, January 13, 1895). "... a considerable barrier of prior liens is piling up between the bondholders and their security ..."
- Consolidated Piedmont Sold at Auction (San Francisco Morning Call, Wednesday, March 20, 1895). "Ever since the road began going down hill..." (lol - JT)
- Consolidated Piedmont Assessment (San Francisco Morning Call, Thursday, May 16, 1895). "Mr. Dalton says he will not accept these figures and will place a valuation of his own on the road."
- Consolidated Piedmont Sale Contested (San Francisco Morning Call, Wednesday, July 10, 1895). "... holders of ten bonds of the Consolidated Piedmont Cable Company, have sued the stockholders of that company ... They allege that when the sale of the road was made on the 19th day of March, 1895, all of the proceeds went for the payment of the receiver's indebtedness, leaving no part for the payment of the bonds."
- Consolidated Piedmont -- Bitter Feelings (San Francisco Morning Call, Wednesday, August 14, 1895). "Mr. Garthwaite accused Mr. Bishop of peculiar tricks with reference to a franchise which had been obtained from the Council for a few blocks down Washington street."
- Consolidated Piedmont -- Revenge of Mrs Blair (San Francisco Morning Call, Sunday, May 17, 1903). "It is said C. R. Bishop and J. R. Spring have made good their proportion of the amount, which aggregated $2268 20."
- Consolidated Piedmont -- Attempted Suicide of Receiver Bishop (New-York Tribune, Sunday, November 06, 1904). "..while suffering from depression, due to ill health."
- Consolidated Piedmont -- Death of Receiver Bishop (San Francisco Morning Call, Thursday, February 23, 1905). "He was at one time proprietor of the Piedmont Baths in Oakland, and was manager of the Oakland street railway system at the time of its sale to the Oakland Transit Company."
- I have some more articles that I will add in future months.
- Also on the Other California Cities page:
Two more contemporary newspaper articles about the Oakland Cable Railway:
- Cable Car Nearly Struck by Steam Train -- The 1894 collision was not the first time a train came too close to a cable car.
- New Cable (San Francisco Morning Call, Sunday, April 12, 1891). "The putting in of the new cable of tbe Oakland Cable Company was not completed until about noon yesterday."
- Added News and Bibliography items about a threatened boycott of the bell ringing contest
- Archived February 2009 What's New
Go to top of page.
Ten Years Ago
- 01-Jul-1999
- Picture of the Month: Henry Casebolt's overhead cable line.
- Roll out Casebolt overhead cable line on the Other California Cities page
- Added magazine articles about New Orleans trade and St Paul history to bibliography
- Added thanks for links to Mike Irlam, Tad Lane Creations, the Australian Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Society, and the Blickpunkt Straßenbahn.
- Change url on NMRA directory link
- Archive news stories and Jan-Jun 1999 What's New
- 01-Jun-1999
- Picture of the Month: Converted San Diego Cable Railway car.
- Roll out San Diego Cable Railway on the Other California Cities page
- Add link to new French site about cable cars. The third site on the web.
- Add Scott Ostler column about turntable problems to the bibliography
- 01-May-1999
- Picture of the Month: California Street cable car in Muni colors.
- Roll out Consolidated Piedmont Cable Railway on the Other California Cities page
- Add More California Street Pictures page
- Add item about California Street reopening to the news
Go to top of page.
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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.
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since 01-Apr-1998.