San Francisco cable car system

The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system and an icon of the city of San Francisco. The system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which also includes the separate E Embarcadero and F Market & Wharves heritage streetcar lines, and the Muni Metro modern light rail system. Of the 23 cable car lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street.

While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of the millions of passengers who use the system every year are tourists,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and as a result, the wait to get on can often reach two hours or more. They are among the most significant tourist attractions in the city, along with Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman's Wharf.

San Francisco's cable cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of only two street railways to be named a National Historic Landmark, along with the St. Charles Streetcar Line in New Orleans.

History

Beginnings

File:LLOYD(1876) VIEW OF CLAY STREET SHOWING THE WIRE RAILROAD pg191.jpg

The Clay Street Hill Railroad in its early years

In 1869, Andrew Smith Hallidie had the idea for a cable car system in San Francisco, reportedly after witnessing an accident in which a streetcar drawn by horses over wet cobblestones slid backwards, killing the horses.<ref name="Guthrie 2003">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=Callwell-Rice/> Hallidie solicited financial support in 1871 and 1872, and his primary backers were Henry L. Davis, Joseph Britton, and James Moffit.<ref name="The Street Railway Journal 1895">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp

The first successful cable-operated street running train was the Clay Street Hill Railroad, which had its inaugural run on August 2, 1873.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> The promoter of the line was Hallidie, and the engineer was William Eppelsheimer;<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> both Hallidie and Eppelsheimer obtained several patents for their work on the Clay Street line.<ref name="The Street Railway Journal 1895"/>Template:RpTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn The line involved the use of grip cars, which carried the grip that engaged with the cable, towing trailer cars; the design was the first to use grips. The term "grip" became synonymous with the operator.

The line started regular service on September 1, 1873, and its success led it to become the template for other cable car transit systems.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> It was a financial success, and Hallidie's patents were enforced on other cable car promoters, making him wealthy.

Accounts differ as to the precise degree of Hallidie's involvement in the inception of the line, and to the exact date on which it first ran. According to the franchise granted by the city, operations were required to begin by August 1, 1873.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> A retrospective published in 1895 stated that a single car was run over the line at 4 am on the morning of August 1 with few witnesses to ensure the franchise would not expire.<ref name="The Street Railway Journal 1895"/>Template:Rp Eppelsheimer would later bring a suit against Hallidie and the Clay Street Hill RR in June 1877 over patents, but dismissed it voluntarily the following March.<ref name=Phelps/>Template:Rp

Expansion

File:SF CCM - Sutter St Railway no 54 trailer car.jpg

A preserved Sutter Street Railway car

The next cable car line to open was the Sutter Street Railway, which converted from horse operation in January 1877.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> This line introduced the side grip, and lever operation, both designed by Henry Casebolt and his assistant Asa Hovey, and patented by Casebolt.<ref name="The Street Railway Journal 1895"/>Template:Rp This idea came about because Casebolt did not want to pay Hallidie royalties of $50,000 a year for the use of his patent. The side grip allowed cable cars to cross at intersections.

In 1878, Leland Stanford opened his California Street Cable Railroad (Cal Cable).<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> This company's first line was on California Street, and is the oldest cable car line still in operation. In 1880, the Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway began operation.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> The Presidio and Ferries Railway followed two years later, and was the first cable company to include curves on its routes. The curves were "let-go" curves, in which the car drops the cable and coasts around the curve on its own momentum.

In 1883, the Market Street Cable Railway opened its first line.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> This company was controlled by the Southern Pacific Railroad and would grow to become San Francisco's largest cable car operator. At its peak, it operated five lines, all of which converged on Market Street to a common terminus at the Ferry Building. During rush hours, cars left that terminus every 15 seconds.<ref name="anatomy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1888, the Ferries and Cliff House Railway opened its initial two-line system.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> The Powell–Mason line is still operated on the same route today; their other route was the Powell–Washington–Jackson line, stretches of which are used by today's Powell–Hyde line. The Ferries & Cliff House Railway was also responsible for the building of a car barn and powerhouse at Washington and Mason, and this site is still in use today. In the same year, it also purchased the original Clay Street Hill Railway, which it incorporated into a new Sacramento–Clay line in 1892.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/>

In 1889, the Omnibus Railroad and Cable Company became the last new cable car operator in San Francisco.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> The following year the California Street Cable Railroad opened two new lines, these being the last entirely new cable car lines built in the city. One of them was the O'Farrell–Jones–Hyde line, the Hyde section of which still remains in operation as part of the current Powell–Hyde line.

In all, twenty-three lines were established between 1873 and 1890.<ref name="cablecarmuseum">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Eight original cable car companies<ref name=cablecarmuseum/>

Name	Lines	Gauge	Grip	Start	End	Notes
Clay Street Hill Railroad	1	Template:Track gauge	bottom	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Original route along Clay from Kearny to Leavenworth; extended west to Van Ness in 1877. Sold to Ferries & Cliff House Railway; route incorporated into Clay-Sacramento line.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Sutter Street Railway	2	Template:Track gauge	side	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Initial route along Sutter from Market to Larkin, later extended to Central (Presidio); second (crosstown) line added in 1878 along Larkin from Bush to Hayes. Crosstown line eventually extended south along 9th to Brannan and north to Pacific, then west to Fillmore. Consolidated into United Railroads of San Francisco.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
California Street Cable Railroad	3	Template:Track gauge	bottom	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Initial route along California from Kearny to Fillmore; eventually extended west to Presidio and east to Market. Second line added in 1891 (O'Farrell, Jones & Hyde) with small feeder line from Market, Jones & McAllister. Purchased by San Francisco in 1951.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railway	1	Template:Track gauge	bottom	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Initial line ran along Geary from Market to Presidio, where a steam engine was added for service to western terminus at 5th and Fulton. Converted to standard gauge and side grip in 1892 and cable drawn line extended to 1st; franchise expired in 1912 and the line was taken over for Muni.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Presidio & Ferries Railway	1	Template:Track gauge	bottom	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Ran along Columbus from Montgomery to Union, then west along Steiner; continued to Presidio via steam drawn line. Converted to electric following April 1906 earthquake; sold to San Francisco in Dec 1913 and became part of Muni.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Market Street Cable Railway	5	Template:Track gauge	side	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Main line originated from Ferry Building and ran along Market. Branch lines opened along Valencia south to 29th (1883); and three branches west to Golden Gate Park along McAllister, Haight, and Hayes (1886). Market line extended to Castro, then south to 26th in 1887. Reorganized in 1893 as Market Street Railway and most lines converted to electric.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Ferries & Cliff House Railway	4	Template:Track gauge	bottom	Template:Dts		Powell line ran from Powell and Market past Union Square to Bay & Taylor; second line ran along Washington and Jackson to Central & Sacramento, then continued using steam power to Cliff House. Reorganized in 1893 as Market Street Railway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Omnibus Railroad & Cable Company	5	Template:Track gauge	bottom	Template:Dts		Reorganized in 1893 as Market Street Railway.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Evolution of motive power

Originally, the cables were powered by stationary steam engines.<ref name=Steam/> For its initial three cables, the Ferries & Cliff House Railway constructed a three-story structure to house two Template:Convert coal-burning steam engines.<ref name=Steam/> The building was complete with a Template:Convert smokestack to vent away the heavy black smoke created by the Welsh anthracite coal that the company burned.<ref name="Steam">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Expansion of service required two additional Template:Convert coal-fired steam engines in 1890.<ref name=Steam/> Coal consumption in 1893 was about 10 tons per day.<ref name=Steam/> The system was converted from coal to oil burning in 1901, and the lessened amount of smoke allowed the smokestack to be shortened to Template:Convert. This shortened smokestack still stands at Washington-Mason car barn today.<ref name=Steam/>

Electric energy was introduced in 1912, when a Template:Convert General Electric motor came online.<ref name=Steam/> By 1926, all steam operation of the cable ended when a second electric drive was installed, a Template:Convert General Electric motor.<ref name=Steam/> With the reduction in the number of cable car lines, the single 750-horsepower electric motor was eventually able to take over the job of running all of the lines.<ref name="tale">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Reconstruction">Template:Cite journal</ref> The limitation with that configuration was that if one cable car on one line broke down, all lines had to be stopped.<ref name=Reconstruction/> Consequently, during the 1984 reconstruction, each of the four cables (California, Hyde, Mason and Powell) was separately powered by its own Template:Convert electric motor.<ref name=Callwell-Rice>Template:Cite book</ref>

Decline

The first electric streetcars in San Francisco began operation in 1892 under the auspices of the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/>

By the beginning of 1906 many of San Francisco's remaining cable cars were under the control of the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR), although Cal Cable and the Geary Street Company remained independent. URR was pressing to convert many of its cable lines to overhead electric traction, but this was met with resistance from opponents who objected to what they saw as ugly overhead lines on the major thoroughfares of the city center.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/>

Those objections disappeared after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The quake and resulting fire destroyed the power houses and car barns of both the Cal Cable and the URR's Powell Street lines, together with the 117 cable cars stored within them. The subsequent race to rebuild the city allowed the URR to replace most of its cable car lines with electric streetcar lines. By 1912, only eight cable car lines remained, all with steep grades impassable to electric streetcars.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/> In the 1920s and 1930s, these remaining lines came under pressure from the much-improved motor buses of the era, which could now climb steeper hills than the electric streetcar. By 1944, five of those cable car lines had survived: the two Powell Street lines – by then under municipal ownership, as part of Muni – and the three lines owned by the still-independent Cal Cable.<ref name=Callwell-Rice/>

Fight to remain open

File:6408-SFOCableCarTurntable.jpg

A cable car being turned around at the end of the line, August 1964

In 1947, Mayor Roger Lapham proposed the closure of the two municipally owned lines. In response, a joint meeting of 27 women's civic groups, led by Friedel Klussmann, formed the Citizens' Committee to Save the Cable Cars. In a famous battle of wills, the citizens' committee eventually forced a referendum on an amendment to the city charter, compelling the city to continue operating the Powell Street lines. This passed overwhelmingly, by 166,989 votes to 51,457. Klussman led another campaign in 1948 to have the city acquire Cal Cable, but the referendum fell short of the required Template:Frac majority, with 58% in favor of acquisition; a second referendum in 1949, requiring a simple majority, passed and the city began negotiations with Cal Cable.<ref name="Laubscher, Rick 2020">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In August 1951, the three Cal Cable lines were shut down when the company was unable to afford insurance. The city purchased and reopened the lines in January 1952, but another referendum that would have funded maintenance for the California Street tracks and the powerhouse and car barn at Hyde and California failed in November 1953. The amendment to the city charter did not protect the newly acquired Cal Cable lines, and the city proceeded with plans to replace them with buses; in addition, businesses in Union Square and downtown began advancing plans to convert O'Farrell to automobile traffic, which would remove service through the Tenderloin district via the inner section of the O'Farrell Jones & Hyde line.<ref name="Laubscher, Rick 2020"/> The result was a compromise that formed the current system: the California Street line from Cal Cable, the Powell–Mason line already in municipal ownership, and a third hybrid line formed by grafting the Hyde Street section of Cal Cable's O'Farrell-Jones-Hyde line onto a truncated Powell–Washington–Jackson line,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> now known as the Powell–Hyde line.

This solution required some rebuilding to convert the Hyde Street trackage and terminus to operation by the single-ended cars of the Powell line, and also to allow the whole system to be operated from a single car barn and power house. Despite the changes, much of the systems infrastructure remained unchanged from the time of the earthquake.

Rebuild

File:SF cable car track reconstruction work on Hyde St north of Clay, July 1983.jpg

Hyde Street during reconstruction work in 1983

By 1979, the cable car system had become unsafe; it needed to be closed for seven months for urgently needed repairs. A subsequent engineering evaluation concluded that it needed comprehensive rebuilding at a cost of US$60 million (equivalent to $Template:Inflation million in Template:Inflation/year).<ref name="cablecar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who took charge of the effort, helped win federal funding for the bulk of the rebuilding job. In 1982, the cable car system was closed for the rebuild which involved the replacement of 69 city blocks' worth of tracks and cable channels, a rebuilding of the car barn and powerhouse within the original outer brick walls, new propulsion equipment, and the repair or rebuild of 37 cable cars.<ref name="cablecar" /> The Historic Trolley Festival was launched the following June as an expected-to-be-temporary substitute tourist attraction during the long closure.<ref name="PN-1983Oct">Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Rp The system reopened on June 21, 1984, in time to benefit from the publicity that accompanied San Francisco's hosting of that year's Democratic National Convention.<ref name="cablecar" />

Recent history

A cable car on a steep urban street

Cable car on Hyde Street in 2016, with Alcatraz Island and Fisherman's Wharf in the background

Since 1984, Muni has continued to upgrade the system. Work has included rebuilding historic cars, building brand new replacement cars, building a new terminal and turntable at the Hyde and Beach terminus, and a new turntable at the Powell and Market terminus.

Between 2017 and 2019, the system received a second, but less extensive rebuild. Over the two-year project, Muni rehabilitated the cable car system's gearboxes, which had been in service since the last rebuild in 1984.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The system was shut down in March 2020 to protect operators during the COVID-19 pandemic, as cable cars do not offer a compartment separating them from passengers (unlike Muni buses, which kept running).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Limited service on all three lines resumed on August 2, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Full revenue service began on September 4.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> On September 9, a valve failure caused the fire suppression system in the carbarn to activate, shutting down electric power to the powerhouse.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Service resumed on September 18.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>

Controversies

The cable cars are an iconic part of San Francisco, but they are not without their critics. Most complaints center around the high cost of operating a system that mostly serves tourists, and the large number of accidents involving the cable cars.

The cable car lines serve around seven million passengers per year, but the vast majority are tourists, rather than commuters.<ref name="ap2013" /> The area where the cable cars operate is well-served by a large number of buses and trolleybuses that often give residents better options for their trips. Also, during busy times, the wait to board a cable car can often reach two hours or more.<ref name="ap2013" />

While Muni does allow monthly passholders to ride the cable cars at no additional charge, single-ride fares are more than triple the fares charged on other Muni routes. The high fares led the San Francisco Chronicle to describe the cable cars in 2017 as a "cash cow" for Muni, yielding a yearly revenue of around $30 million.<ref name="Matier 2017" /> Still, according to Mission Local, the cable car system had a $46 million operating deficit in 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2006, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom reported that he had observed several conductors pocketing cash fares from riders without receipt.<ref name="Matier 2017">Template:Cite news</ref> The following year, the San Francisco auditor's office reported that the city was not receiving the expected revenue from cable cars, with an estimated 40% of cable car riders riding for free. Muni's management disputed this figure and pointed out that safe operation, rather than revenue collection, is the primary duty of conductors.<ref name="revcoll">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2017, after an audit showing that some conductors were "consistently turn[ing] in low amounts of cash", as well as a sting operation, one conductor was arrested on charges of felony embezzlement.<ref name="Matier 2017" />

Among U.S. mass transportation systems the cable cars have the most accidents per year and per vehicle mile, with 126 accidents and 151 injuries reported in the 10 years ending 2013.<ref name="ap2013">Paul Elias/The Associated Press: San Francisco's iconic cable cars cost city millions of dollars in legal settlements. Yahoo! News, April 15, 2013</ref> In the three years ending 2013 the city paid some $8 million to settle four dozen cable car accident claims.<ref name=ap2013/>

Network

The current cable car network consists of three routes:

• Template:Anchor The Powell–Mason (Line 59 or PM)<ref name="59/60 Maps">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> line, follows a common route with the Powell–Hyde line, running north and steeply uphill from a terminal at Powell and Market Streets, before crossing the California Street line at the crest of the hill. Once California Street has been crossed, cars coast downhill, off the cable, for three and a half blocks until the lines split as they turn left onto Jackson Street (as this is one-way, cable cars in the opposite direction use the parallel Washington Street). This line turns North, merges, and continues downhill along Mason Street, briefly half left along Columbus Avenue, and then down Taylor Street to a terminal at Taylor and Bay. This terminus is two blocks south of Fisherman's Wharf and is the closest to Pier 39. As with the Powell–Hyde line, there are manually powered turntables at each end to reverse the cars. The Powell–Mason line has been in operation since 1888.<ref name="Market Street Railway">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Template:Anchor The Powell–Hyde (Line 60 or PH)<ref name="59/60 Maps" /> line, follows a common route with the Powell–Mason line, running north and steeply uphill from a terminal at Powell and Market Streets, before crossing the California Street line at the crest of the hill. Once California Street has been crossed, cars coast downhill, off the cable, for three and a half blocks until the lines split as they turn left onto Jackson Street. As this section is one-way, cable cars in the opposite direction use the parallel Washington Street. The cars on this line continue uphill on Jackson/Washington to a crest at Hyde Street. Here the line turns North past the "crooked" Lombard Street, then runs steeply downhill (at 21%, the steepest grade in the cable car system)<ref name="tale"/> along Hyde Street, to the Hyde and Beach terminal (Victorian Park<ref name="parkplanning.nps/59449">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="SFMTA/powell-hyde-cable">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web

}}</ref>), which is adjacent to the waterfront at the San Francisco Maritime Museum and Ghirardelli Square. As with the Powell–Mason line, there are manually powered turntables at each end to reverse the cars. The line was spliced together in 1957 using portions of the O'Farrell, Jones & Hyde line and the Washington–Jackson line. Because this line offers iconic views of Alcatraz Island, passes Lombard Street and terminates near popular tourist destinations, it is the most popular with tourists and often has long waits to board.

File:Empty California Street cable car terminal, July 2020.JPG

The California Street line terminus, empty of cars, in 2020 during the COVID-19 shutdown

• Template:Anchor The California Street (Line 61 or C)<ref name="61 Map">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> line runs east and west on California Street from a terminal at California and Market Streets, close to the famed Embarcadero to Van Ness Avenue. The California Street cable cars use double-ended cars with "grip" levers at either end of the longer cars which are operated in each direction without the cars being turned at the ends of the line, where the double tracks converge into a single "stub-end" track. The line once ran a much longer distance from Presidio Avenue to Market Street but service west of Van Ness Avenue was discontinued in 1954.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Calls to restore the route to its original length are heard from time to time but nothing serious towards this end has been proposed. This route runs only on California Street, running at first uphill to the summit of Nob Hill, then more gently downhill to a terminus at Van Ness Avenue. This line is used to a greater extent by commuters, with the majority of passengers on weekdays being commuters.<ref name="Market Street Railway" />

There is also a set of non-revenue tracks from the California Street line along Hyde Street to join the Powell–Hyde line at Hyde and Washington. This connection exists to enable California Street cars to reach the car barn.

A small signal tower controls the crossing of the lines at the intersection of California Street and Powell Street. It has been rebuilt in 1907, 1937, 1967, and 2020–2021.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Operation

Cars

There are 27 cars in rotation when the system is operating.<ref name="Knight 2018">Template:Cite news</ref> They come in two kinds:

• Single-ended cars serve the Powell–Hyde and Powell–Mason lines. These cars have an open-sided front section, with outward-facing seats flanking the gripman and a collection of levers that actuate the grip and various brakes. The rear half of the car is enclosed with seats facing inward and entrances at each end, and the car has a small platform at the rear. These cars are Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide and weigh Template:Convert. They have a passenger capacity of 60, 29 of them seated.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> These cars must be rotated to reverse direction at each end of the line, an operation performed on turntables. Most of these cars were built or rebuilt at Muni's Woods Carpentry Division.

• Double-ended cars serve the California Street line. These cars are somewhat longer, having open-sided grip sections at both ends and an enclosed section in the middle. These cars are Template:Convert long and Template:Convert wide and weigh Template:Convert. They can hold 68 passengers, 34 of them seated.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> The California Street line lacks turning capabilities at each end, resulting in the necessity of the double-ended cars. Some of these cars are former O'Farrell, Jones, and Hyde Street cable cars, while some cars were built at Muni's Woods Carpentry Division.

There are 28 single-ended cars available for operation on the Powell lines and 12 double-ended cars on the California Street line.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• A cable car on the Powell & Market turntable. See a video of a cable car turnaround.
  A cable car on the Powell & Market turntable. See a video of a cable car turnaround.
• A Powell-Mason car at the Friedel Klussmann Memorial Turnaround
  A Powell-Mason car at the Friedel Klussmann Memorial Turnaround
• Rear view of a single-ended cable car on Mason St.
  Rear view of a single-ended cable car on Mason St.
• The California Street line cars stored close to the terminus at Drumm
  The California Street line cars stored close to the terminus at Drumm

File:San Francisco cable car 62 at Don Chee Way Plaza.jpg

Motorized Car No.62 during Muni Heritage Weekend 2025

Both types of car ride on a pair of four-wheel trucks, to fit the track's Template:RailGauge narrow gauge. The term California Street car, as in a car running on the California Street line, should not be confused with the term California Car. The latter term applies to all the cable cars currently operating in San Francisco and is a historical term distinguishing this style of car from an earlier style where the open grip section and the enclosed section were separate four-wheel cars (known as the grip car and trailer).

The cable cars are occasionally replaced with new or restored cars, with the old cars being moved to storage for later restoration. There are two historic cable cars in storage in the cable car museum: car numbers 19 and 42, which were used on the Sacramento-Clay and O'Farrell, Jones and Hyde Street lines, respectively. Car number 62, originally built for Jones Street Shuttle Line, was motorized and used for events.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cables and grip

The cable cars are pulled by a cable running below the street, held by a grip that extends from the car through a slit in the street surface, between the rails.<ref name="anatomy" /> Each cable is Template:Convert in diameter, running at a constant speed of Template:Convert, and driven by a Template:Convert electric motor located in the central power house (see below), via a set of self-adjusting sheaves.<ref name="anatomy" /> Each cable has six steel strands, with each strand containing 19 wires, wrapped around a sisal rope core<ref name="anatomy" /> (to allow easier gripping). The cable is coated with a synthetic lubricant to reduce wear and friction. Historically, pine tar was used to lubricate the cable.<ref name="anatomy" /> To start and stop the movement of the car, the grip operator (see below) closes and opens the grip around the cable (similar to the clutch of a conventional car).<ref name="anatomy" /> The grip's jaws exert a pressure of up to Template:Convert on the cable.<ref name="anatomy" /> Due to wear and tear, a grip's dies have to be replaced after three days of usage.<ref name="Knight 2018" />

There are four separate cables: one Template:Convert length and one Template:Convert length for the Hyde and Mason segments, a Template:Convert length for their common Powell section, and one Template:Convert length for the California Street line.<ref name="anatomy" />

• Section of a cable used around 1900 on the now-defunct Hayes line
  Section of a cable used around 1900 on the now-defunct Hayes line
• The grip that encloses the cable (here shown without cable, and closed jaws)
  The grip that encloses the cable (here shown without cable, and closed jaws)
• A grip mechanism removed from a car
  A grip mechanism removed from a car
• Tracks during reconstruction in 1907, showing the cable slot between the two running rails
  Tracks during reconstruction in 1907, showing the cable slot between the two running rails

Brakes

File:Brake blocks of a San Francisco cable car, in three different states of usage.jpg

Cable car brake blocks in three different states of usage, from new (bottom) to near end of life (top)

Apart from the cable itself (which limits the speeds of cars when going downhill), the cable cars use three separate braking systems:<ref name="cablecarmuseum.org">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• Metal brake shoes on the wheels. The single-ended cars used on the Powell–Mason and Powell–Hyde lines have a foot pedal, controlled by the grip operator, that applies the brakes on the front wheels and a handle, operated by the conductor, that applies the brakes on the rear wheels. On the double-ended cars used on the California St. line, there are pedals near both grips, one controlled by the grip operator, the other by the conductor.<ref name="cablecarmuseum.org" />
• Wooden brake blocks pressed against the track when the gripman pulls a lever.<ref name="Guthrie 2003" /> The four blocks are made of Monterey Fir and can produce a smell of burning wood when in operation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> They have to be replaced after just a few days.<ref name="cablecarmuseum.org" />

• An emergency brake consisting of a piece of steel, around Template:Convert thick and Template:Convert long, suspended beneath the car and pushed into the track slot when the gripman pulls a red lever.<ref name="cablecarmuseum.org" /> It wedges tightly into the slot and often has to be removed with a cutting torch.<ref name="cablecarmuseum.org" />

Electrical system

Over the years, the cable cars have been retrofitted with several electrical components, including headlights, interior lighting, a GPS tracking system and cameras. However, unlike most modern trains, the cable cars have no method to generate power on board and instead must use large batteries that are recharged in the car barn. In 2018, the incandescent bulbs used for the headlights and interior lighting were replaced with LED bulbs which increased visibility for operators and had a lower drain on the batteries.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Crew

The car is driven by the grip, whose job requires strength, coordination, and balance. The grip must smoothly grip and release the cable, know the points at which the grip must be released to coast over intersecting lines or places where the cable does not follow the tracks, and maintain clearance from other traffic. The conductor collects fares, manages crowding, and controls the rear-wheel brakes on some hills.

On the second or third Thursday of each July, a cable car bell-ringing contest is held in Union Square between cable car crews, following a preliminary round held during the second to last or the last week of June. The preliminary round determines which contestants go on to the finals in Union Square, by a process of points awarded by a panel of judges.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Car barn, power house, and museum

File:San Francisco Cable Car Power House.jpg

An interior view of the power house

The cable-car barn is located between Washington and Jackson Streets just uphill of where Mason Street crosses them. Cars reverse into the barn off Jackson Street and run out into Washington Street, coasting downhill for both moves. To ensure that single-ended cars leave facing in the correct direction, the car barn contains a fourth turntable. Cars are moved around the car barn with the assistance of a rubber-tired tractor.

As of 2018, the cable-car barn was staffed with 17 mechanics, six custodians, three carpenters, two painters, two supervisors and one superintendent.<ref name="Knight 2018" />

The car barn is situated directly west of the power house and the Cable Car Museum. The museum's entrance is at Washington and Mason. It contains several examples of old cable cars, together with smaller exhibits and a shop. Two galleries allow the visitor to overlook the main power house, and also to descend below the junction of Washington and Mason Streets and see the large cavern where the cables are routed out to the street via huge sheaves.

Fares

File:Historic cable car tokens from the San Francisco Cable car museum.jpg

Historic cable car tokens displayed at the San Francisco Cable Car Museum

As of June 1, 2025, riding a cable car costs $9 for a single ride, except for seniors riding before 7 am or after 9 pm when the fare is $4. Cable car rides are included in monthly Muni passes, as well as 1-day, 3-day, 7-day passes, and the CityPASS program. Passes loaded on a Clipper card can be read by the conductor with a mobile device. Transfers or fare receipts are not accepted.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the 1960s, the fare for a single ride was 15 cents.<ref name="Matier 2017" />

See also

• 49-Mile Scenic Drive
• List of heritage railroads in the United States
• San Francisco Railway Museum
• St. Charles Streetcar Line, a streetcar line in New Orleans with National Historic Landmark status
• Great Orme Tramway, a similar cable-hauled street-running railway

Further reading

• Val Lupiz and Walter Rice (2004). "San Francisco: cable cars are here to stay". Tramways & Urban Transit, October 2004, pp. 376–378. Light Rail Transit Association and Ian Allan Publishing Ltd. Template:ISSN
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External links

• Cable Car Museum website
• Cable Cars Information on the official SFMTA website
• Market Street Railway Cable Car Page
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