Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About San Francisco’s Cable Cars
Ever since they became a part of the city’s transit system, they have been iconic mainstays of its cityscape
- By Jeff Greenwald
- Smithsonian.com, January 04, 2013
(Rick Laubscher)
San Francisco’s MUNI system is replete with historic vehicles—and not all of them are cable cars. With A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams created what might be America’s most famous public transit vehicle—albeit in New Orleans. But along with cable cars, the Muni system is famous for its fleet of heritage trolleys. Two such relics are Streetcars No. 913 and 952, which plied New Orleans’ “Desire” line—along Bourbon Street and through the French Quarter. New Orleans removed the streetcars from this line in 1948. San Francisco acquired two of these 1923 vehicles, and—maintenance permitting—drafts them into service. “In 2005,” Market Street Railway President Rick Laubscher recalls, “Streetcar No. 952 was decorated for the holidays to match the New Orleans tradition, and carried banners raising money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.”
Comments (2)
Here's a great film taken from a San Francisco streetcar in 1906, just before the earthquake: http://www.flixxy.com/san-francisco-1905-historical-footage.htm
Posted by Don on January 8,2013 | 05:42 PM
I really enjoyed reading about the history of the cable cars, and the sound tracks of the bells added to the fun !! What a great touch !!!
Posted by roslyn miller on January 5,2013 | 09:28 PM