24 November 2018

Market Street Railway – Holiday decorations for a streetcar built in 1928 and a cable car built in 1887: 24 November 2018


Market Street Railway is a non-profit organization founded in 1976. The mission of Market Street Railway is to help preserve San Francisco's historic streetcars, cable cars, and buses. The leaders of Market Street Railway were a significant influence on government decision-makers in the 1980s and 1990s, by helping to ensure that vintage streetcars became an integral and vital component of Muni Metro.
On Saturday, 24 November, Market Street Railway volunteers placed holiday decorations on streetcar No. 1818 at the Cameron Beach Streetcar Yard in the morning. During the afternoon volunteers decorated cable car No. 25 at the cable car barn & powerhouse.

As a member of the Market Street Railway organization, I was happy to participate in placing the decorations on both vehicles. It was enjoyable to join with other members to festoon and embellish the streetcar and cable car with holiday decorations.

I took the following photos in-between the time I spent decorating the cars.

Click on an image to see the full-size photograph.
Streetcar 1818 was built in Milan Italy in 1928.


Market Street Railway volunteers are decorating the interior of streetcar No. 1818.


NOW  Cameron Beach Yard Is a streetcar depot located in the southern area of San Francisco.


NOW  Cameron Beach Yard was previously known as the Geneva Car Barn & Powerhouse. The name was changed on 25 October 2011, in honor and memory of Cameron Beach. Mr. Beach was the Director of the SFMTA. This streetcar yard became operational in 1901, and the powerhouse, which is no longer functional, became operational in 1902.


THEN This is the Geneva Car Barn and powerhouse, as seen on 13 April 1972. The view is looking southwest. Photo by Ken Snodgrass. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.


THEN Here is the Geneva Car Barn, circa 1921. Photo by Horace Chaffee. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.


THEN The Geneva Car Barn as seen on 2 May 1962. PCC streetcar 1015 is leaving the car barn and is proceeding to travel on the K-Ingleside line. Photo by Marshall Moxom. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.


This is streetcar No.1. It was built in San Francisco in 1912. It is currently operational.

The operator controls in streetcar No.1 

Here is a view of the interior of streetcar No.1.


This is a view of the exterior of streetcar No.1. The picture was taken in April 2018. This is the Fisherman's Wharf turnaround location on the F-Market & Wharves Streetcar line.

The streetcar on the left is streetcar No 1815. It was built in Italy in 1928; it is now only being used for operator training. On the right is streetcar No.1807; it was also built in Italy during 1928. It is currently out of service.

This is streetcar No 228. It was built in England in 1934. Market Street Railway acquired this streetcar in 1984 for use by Muni. It is currently operational.

This is streetcar No 233 It was also built in England during 1934. Market Street Railway acquired this streetcar in 2013 for use by Muni. It is currently operational.

This is streetcar No. 351. The St. Louis Car Company built it in 1926 for use by the Johnstown Traction Company in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is awaiting restoration.

This is streetcar No 578j. It was built in Japan for the Kobe City Railway in 1927. It was acquired by Muni in 1986. It is currently in storage.

This is the interior of streetcar No.578j.

This is streetcar No. 952. It came to San Francisco from the New Orleans Transit Authority in 1998. It was built in High Point, North Carolina in 1923. It is currently being serviced.

This is a view of the interior of streetcar No. 952.


This is streetcar No 737. It was built in Belgium in 1952. It started to roll on the streets of San Francisco in June 2005. It is currently operational.

NOW The cable car barn & powerhouse on Mason Street at Washington Street. This view is looking northwest.


THEN The cable car barn & powerhouse as seen on 7 August 1942. Photo by Horace Chaffee. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.


This is the cable car powerhouse. Cable cars have no engine or motors on the cars themselves. The power sources for the cable car rolling on the streets of San Francisco are visible in this photograph. Each of the four cables seen in this picture travel on a different portion of the three cable car routes. The cables travel through conduits beneath the road. The three routes are the California Street line, the Powell-Mason line, and the Powell-Hyde line. Each interwoven cable is roughly 1.3 inches in diameter, and the cable travels at a constant speed of approximately fifteen miles per hour. The operator of each cable car engages or disengages the underground cable from the cable car which he or she is operating. 

Here is a map of the three cable car routes. The cable car barn & powerhouse is identified on this map as the "Cable Car Museum."


The cable car barn & powerhouse is also the location where cable cars are stored and repaired. This is a photo of cable car No. 25. It was built in San Francisco by the Ferries & Cliff House Railway in 1887. Adolph Sutro began the Ferries & Cliff House Railway as an inexpensive method of transportation for bringing visitors to the Cliff House and later also the Sutro Baths.


This is cable car No. 23, it was built in 1887. The Carter Brothers constructed it in San Francisco for the Ferries & Cliff House Railway. It is now operational on the Powell & Hyde Street line.     

This is cable car No. 59. Muni constructed the car, and it entered service on 31 July 1998. It is currently operational.

Cable car No. 57 was built in 1914. It operates on the California Street cable car lineMuni recently built cable car No. 19.

Cable car No. 18 is being serviced and is currently operational on the Powell Street Line.


This map of San Francisco shows the location of the Cameron Beach Streetcar Yard and the location of the Mason Street cable car barn & powerhouse.

For additional information about San Francisco's streetcars and cable cars, I suggest that you read Rick Laubscher’s excellent book: "On Track, a field guide to San Francisco's historic streetcars and cable cars.

I have previously posted on this blog "The last remaining cable car barn in San Francisco." 
"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt


The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

   A Sony camera was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com