Car 25 is arrives from the Woods Shops on a transport trailer. Taken at the Washington/Mason barn.
26-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
On the morning of 26-February-2008, Val
Lupiz was excited to see Powell Street cable car 25, which had been
away at Woods Shops for refurbishment and rebuilding for at least two
years, arrive back at the carbarn at Washington and Mason.
"It has a new roof, front and rear ends, cabin sides, and running
boards. The bulkheads and chassis seem to be original. I didn't get a
chance to get a closer look but it seems to be nearly 80 to 90% new. It's
sitting a couple of rows over from the Sac-Clay 19. It needs paint and
brake rigging, but that won't take too long. The shop plans to have 25
back to work by late summer."
Car 25 is lowered from the transport trailer at the Washington/Mason barn.
26-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Car 25 rides the rails at the Washington/Mason barn again after being away for two years or more.
26-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
The interior of car 25 after delivery, looking forward from the back platform.
27-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Car 25's number painted over the cabin door.
27-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
On 27-February-2008, Val found that a new Bombay roof car had been delivered.
It has not been officially assigned a road number, but it may be the new Number 15.
Val points out that both cars look beautiful in bare metal.
A rear view of the new Bombay roof car at the barn after delivery.
27-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
The open section of the new Bombay roof car at the barn.
27-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Looking back from the open section of the new Bombay roof car at the barn.
27-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
The new Bombay roof car with Car 25.
28-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
A rear view of the new Bombay roof car with Car 25.
28-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
The front ends of the new Bombay roof car and Car 25.
28-February-2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
In March, Val reported that shopmen were working on Car 25 to get it ready for service, and that
the new car had been moved to a quiet track between wreck-damaged California Street Car 55 and
O'Farrell-Jones-Hyde car 42.
New car 15 between wreck-damaged California Street Car 55 and O'Farrell-Jones-Hyde car 42.
The windows behind the cars look out on Mason Street.
March, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
New car 15 with two preserved historic cars: O'Farrell-Jones-Hyde car 42 and Sacramento/Clay car 19.
March, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Val called Sacramento/Clay car 19 and O'Farrell-Jones-Hyde car 42 "hangar queens." 19 may not be
able to make the turn to leave the barn. 42 does not have end-doors to allow grips to be changed,
so it is not used in normal operations.
March, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
In late March, Val was surprised to find that car 25 had been painted a vibrant
shade of red.
Val took this photo of car 25 in late March after it had been painted a startling
shade of red. Val wondered if it had joined the San Francisco Fire Department. Engine
25 is stationed at Third Street and Cargo Way.
March, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Another view of 25 in its vibrant new color.
March, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Val took this unique view of new car 15 through the headlight hole.
April, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved. May, 2008 Picture of the Month.
The United Railroads of San Francisco color scheme is beginning to take shape.
April, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Another view of the United Railroads of San Francisco color scheme.
April, 2008. Photo by Val Lupiz. All rights reserved.
Car 25 will resemble Sacramento/Jackson cable car 455, which was destroyed by the falling chimney
of the Washington/Mason powerhouse on the morning of
18-April-1906. Val Lupiz made this model of the car for Walter Rice. Val says it is a
strange feeling to see car 25 looking more and more like the model which sat on his
desk for a long time.
Both images Walter Rice collection. All rights reserved.
==> April, 2008 Picture of the Month ==>.
I won a conductor's bell at the raffle to support the annual senior citizens' luncheon.
When I went to pick it up,
Val Lupiz was kind enough to give me a tour of the car barn.
Need to get a grip? This would be the place. An elevator with ten grips.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson. March, 2004 Picture of the Month.
A view from the roof, showing car 20 inbound on the Powell-Mason line, turning into Washington.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 3 sporting a new bobtailed look because of dry rot on its rear platform.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Another view of Car 3's bobbed tail.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Sacramento/Clay Car 20.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Old Car 28 pulls in for nearly the last time. It had just started to rain
and the old car was a famous slider. It was replaced by new 28 the next
month. Note how the cars coasts in backwards from Jackson Street.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Old Car 28 turns on the motorized turntable before being put away.
A California Street car pulls in behind it.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
The lever used to flip the roof sign from "Powell/Hyde" to "Powell/Mason".
Taken on Car 6.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
The batteries used to power the car's lights, stashed under the port side front bench.
Taken on Car 6.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
The plaque on the side of Car 6, indicating that it was sponsored by Sohio
during the Great Rebuilding of the 1980's.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
The bell used by the conductor to signal the gripman.
Taken on Car 6.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
The gripman's bell pull.
Taken on Car 6.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 6's bottom grip, visible in the pit at the Washington Street exit from
the car barn.
December 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 2 in the barn at Washington and Mason. Its back platform has been removed because of dry rot.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Val Lupiz invited me to join him for a morning visit at Washington/Mason
on a Wednesday I had taken off from work. I met him before he pulled out in the morning. We were hoping I could
get a video of a car pulling out.
Val showed me cars 2 and 8, which were undergoing some work. 2 has lost both its back platform and front dash
to dry rot. Car 8 has no side windows, also because of dry rot. Val told me that number 2 was back on the road by
the end of the month.
A closer view of the car's frame below the missing back platform.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 2's front dash and windows have also been removed.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson. September, 2007 Picture of the Month.
A view straight down the middle of car 2. The track brake (left) and slot brake levers are in place, but the
grip has been removed.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
A close view of the front truck of car 2.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 8 in the barn. Its windows are being replaced.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Val introduced me to Leonaard Oats, who had won the 2007 Cable Car Bell
Ringing Contest on 12-Jul-2007. Leonard was getting ready to pull out car 24.
Powell Street cable car 24 pulls out from the car barn into Washington Street,
gripped by Leonard Oats.
Taken on 15-August-2007.
Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
Gripman Val Lupiz adjusts the tension on the front truck wheel brakes before pulling out with car 11.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
After 24 pulled out, Val's car, number 11, was next in line. He showed me the procedure he follows. Val
likes the brakes to be adjusted on the tight side. First he lifted a small hatch ahead of the front cabin door and
adjusted a turnbuckle which tightens the track brakes on the front and back trucks. He likes the brakes to take
effect with a short throw of the handle, on the theory that there isn't time to pull it way back in an
emergency. Then he took a tool and inserted it in the hole in the center of the front truck and cranked it to
tighten the front truck wheel brakes. He likes it so that the pedal stops about a quarter inch from the floor when
he stands on it. Some gripmen prefer the brakes to be looser. Val switched the signs from Powell/Mason to Powell/Hyde.
A view of car 11's grip, taken in the inspection pit before it pulled out.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Then Val introduced me to Stan Fisher, his conductor for the day. Val's regular conductor was on vacation. Stan
has a very good way with the riders.
Conductor Stan Fisher pauses outside of the car barn on Washington Street before pulling out with car 11.
August 15, 2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
After the car pulled out, I hopped on and enjoyed a run down to Powell and Market. The car ran smoothly. Traffic was
heavy from Post Street down to Ellis. Then I enjoyed the unique treat of getting to ride on the car while it ran onto the
turntable and turned. That was cool.
Powell Street cable car 11 pulls out from the car barn into Washington Street,
gripped by Val Lupiz. Conductor Stan Fisher operates the latch which prevents the
car from rolling unattended into the street.
Taken on 15-August-2007.
Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
Gripman Val Lupiz, on car 11, rings the bell
while waiting at Post and Powell for traffic to clear in front of the Saint Francis Hotel.
Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
I rode car 11 onto the turntable at Powell
and Market. This was the first time I got to ride a car onto the turntable. I hope
I didn't make the car too heavy.
Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
Car 11 carried a heavy load of tourists out to Hyde and Beach. Val explained that the cars do not lay over on Hyde
Street any more. Now they lay over on the private right of way in Acquatic Park. I got to ride the car into Acquatic
Park, and then onto the turntable.
At the outer end of the Hyde line, car 11 rolls around
the corner at Hyde and Beach, into the private right of way in Acquatic Park.
Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
Val Lupiz rolls car 11 onto the turntable in Acquatic Park. This was my second ride on a
turntable.
Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
Then I had to leave for a medical appointment. I thanked Val Lupiz and Stan Fisher for the nice morning.
When Powell/Mason and Powell/Hyde cars reach Powell between Washington and Jackson, they
pass through a switch to put them on the correct side of the gauntlet tracks, and over the
correct rope.
The conductor pulls the lever to set the switch at Powell and Jackson so Old Car 28
can take the Powell/Mason side of the gauntlet tracks. The switch is set for the
Hyde Street line by default.
October 2001. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Old Car 28 coasts through the switch which puts it on the Powell/Mason side of the gauntlet
tracks. The gripman will then stop the car and pick up the Mason Street cable.
October 2001. Photo by Joe Thompson.
This video, taken on 30-April-2007, shows new car 28, built in 2004,
at the outbound switch at Powell between Washington and Jackson. The
conductor crosses in front of the car and pulls the lever so the
Powell/Mason car can switch on the right-hand set of gauntlet tracks.
The car pauses so the conductor can reboard and the gripman can pick up
the Mason Street cable. Click arrow button to play video. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
See more videos on my Cable Car Video page.
The Cable Car Division uses motor trucks for many support functions. Cable cars sometimes need new grips or batteries
on the line. Sometimes they have to towed in. Sometimes they have to be knocked loose after they apply the emergency brake
(drop a slot blade). These functions are performed by motor trucks. The Cable Car Division currently (2007) has two
wreckers, 655, an International rebuilt from a flatbed, and 665, a Freightliner. 665 is the primary wrecker.
On 28-August-2007, I was down by California and Drumm on my way to a training class when I noticed a wrecker truck
parked by car 59. The door on the outbound end was open and the grip was being replaced. The shopmen were using
wrcker 655.
Cable Car Division wrecker at Califoria and Drumm with old grip. 28-August-2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
A view from the side as the shopman installs the new grip in car 59. 28-August-2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 59 with its grip door open. The tackle used to hoist the old grip out and the new one in
is hooked on the back of the light. 28-August-2007. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Shopmen hoist the old grip onto the back of the wrecker to take it back to the car barn. 28-August-2007.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
On 08-September-2007, the family was shopping at The Gap store at Powell and Market. I went to watch the action
around the turntable and the first thing I noticed was that I could not hear the cable. Then I noticed that three
cars (11, 3, and 17) were lined up on the outbound track. Riders were trooping over to Ellis Street to get on
replacement buses. After a short time, wrecker 665, the larger of the two wreckers, packed up to 17 and the
two shopmen prepared to hook up for
a tow. Unfortunately, the pin wouldn't drop through the hole into the tow bar. One of the shopmen had to get a
sledge hammer and apply it to the pin a few times.
Wrecker 665. 08-September-2007.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
Wrecker 665 prepares to tow car 17. 08-September-2007.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
Wrecker 665. 08-September-2007.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
A shopman slides the towbar into place on car 17. 08-September-2007.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
The towbar is in place on car 17, but the pin won't drop. 08-September-2007.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
The other shopman has applied a sledge hammer and the pin has dropped. 08-September-2007.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
Wrecker 665 tows away car 17. The gripman gives a nice exhibition of bell ringing while he waits for the
light to change at Ellis. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
See more videos on my Cable Car Video page.
I hung around for a while, and the wrecker came back for car 3. This time, the pin dropped with no problem. I had to
leave before 665 came back for car 11.
Wrecker 665 tows away car 3. (Adobe Flash
is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
See more videos on my Cable Car Video page.
Cable Car Division service truck parked on Mason, across from the barn. March 2002. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Walter Rice took this photo on the right field pavilion at Pacific Bell
Park, showing former car 4, renumbered 44 to honor Willie McCovey.
August 2004. Photo by Walter Rice. All rights reserved.
Retired Powell Street cable car No. 4, built in 1887 as an open car for
the Ferries and Cliff House Railway, and
rebuilt as closed car 504 by the United Railroads in 1915, has been
enjoying since 2000 an enviable retirement -- sitting on top of the right field
pavilion in baseball’s finest ball park -- Pacific Bell Park, watching
one of the game’s greatest players Barry Bonds launch home runs into McCovey Cove.
The right field pavilion and play area is open for visitors free on
non-game days and Thursday through Sunday during the off-season.
Looking across McCovey Cove. Car 44 sits on the right field pavilion at Pacific Bell
Park, home of the Giants. April 2002. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Looking from the upper deck towards the right field pavilion and McCovey Cove. August 2003.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 44 wrapped in tarps for the offseason. February 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Car 44 from the same angle as the wrapped shot. June 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
The rear platform of car 44. June 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Closed section front window of car 44. The lettering reads:
FARE $2.00 ONE WAY
HOLD ON
KEEP YELLOW FLOOR
AREA CLEAR
NO TRANSFERS
NO DODGERS FANS
The lettering was gone during the 2004 season. June 2003.
Photo by Joe Thompson.
A view of the playing field from near car 44. June 2003. Photo by Joe Thompson.
Adlai Stevenson and California Governor Pat Brown stand on the rear platform of Powell
Street cable car 504 during Stevenson's second unsuccessful campaign for president.
Thanks to Phil Hoffman. Associated Press photo from Time Magazine. All rights reserved.
Barry Bonds hit his 715th career home run on 28-May-2006, moving past Babe Ruth
into second place on the all-time list, behind only Hank Aaron. Walter Rice
adapted this photo to celebrate the event. All rights reserved.
July, 2006 Picture of the Month.
Fashion designer Bill Blass created new uniforms for the Cable Car Divsion in 1971.
Here the uniforms are modeled by three men of the Division. Left to right:
PUC Commissioner Tom Crowley, Conductor Joe Lacey, Gripman Sam McDaniel, Gripman
Bill McPartland, Fred Fieiffer of the Cable Div, and Marvin Cardoza, PUC Commissioner.
"Occaision of the Public Utilities Commission unveiling new uniforms designed by
Bill Blass for the Cable Car Crews. Jun 11, 1972".
Joe Lacey collection. All rights reserved.
Joe Lacey stands by Cal Cable car 50 at California and Drumm about 1971. Joe is
a frequent contributor to this site. Joe Lacey collection. All rights reserved.
October, 2006 Picture of the Month.
