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.
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NewsCOVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-March-2021
During February, the big post-Christmas surge began to decline. Just past the middle of February, the 500,000th American died from the Trump Virus. President Biden ordered flags to fly at half mast. At about the same time, we learned that 5% of the US population had been vaccinated. My wife and daughter, both teachers, received the first of two vaccine shots in February. Cincinnati Powerhouse Demolished - 27-February-2021
In Cincinnati, the Mount Auburn Cable Railway's powerhouse and carbarn at Dorchester Street and Highland Avenue was demolished in February, 2021 after a partial collapse. Thanks to Michel Azema, proprietor of FuniMag for the tip about this. Carl Payne Ill - 13-February-2021
Let's have some prayers and/or good thoughts for Carl Payne, Grand Champion of the Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. He served the city for 50 years. After he retired from the cable cars, he joined the San Francisco Police Department. After he retired from the SFPD, he became a park ranger. Carl Payne is fighting cancer. I'll bet he is giving cancer a good fight. Carl Payne won the bell ringing contest in Carl Payne 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989. COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-February-2021
Towards the end of January, Governor Newsome lifted the order to shelter in place at home. This may have been premature. By late January, over 3.2 million Americans had been infected and over 320,000 had died. The post-holiday surge started to slow down, but newer, more infectious strains are turning up. Vaccine distribution got off to a slow start. Some idiots still refuse to wear masks. Restaurants in the Bay Area were able to reopen for outdoor dining Good Shepherd Church in Pacifica is having 11am mass in the outdoors, live-streamed, with an option to sit in our car. We have been doing that. On a rainy Sunday, they celebrated the mass in the gym and everyone sat in their cars. My wife and daughter, both teachers, are leading hybrid classes, with some students in the classroom and others on a Zoom meeting. I hope they will get the vaccine soon. Cable cars remain out of service, but cars were on display at Powell and Market and Hyde and Beach on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The cables have operated and some cars have run for testing. The surface portion of the J-Church electric streetcar line is operating. The T-Third returned to service on 23=January=2021. Spring training will probably be delayed. COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-January-2021
We are still sheltering in place at home. By late December, over 19 million Americans had been infected and over 333,000 had died. More than 3,000 Americans die each day. Cable cars remain out of service, but cars have been on display at Powell and Market and Hyde and Beach on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The cables have operated and some cars have run for testing. Muni returned the J-Church line to rail on 19-December-2020, but had trains turn back at Church and Market. In December, two COVID-19 vaccines received emergency approval, and started to be distributed around the country. Plans to Revise the Cal Cable Outer Terminal - 09-December-2020
The Lower Polk Neighbors (LPN) Held a meeting to discuss options for making the Cal Cable outer terminal more pedestrian-friendly. COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-December-2020
We are still sheltering in place at home. By late November, over 12.7 million Americans had been infected and over 260,000 had died. At the end of November, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties moved back to Purple on the California watch list. The third wave of COVID-19 is raging through nearly every state. Some idiots still refuse to wear masks. Restaurants that reopened for indoor dining have had to go back to outdoor dining. In Los Angeles, they have also banned outdoor dining. Early in the month, Good Shepherd Church in Pacifica started to have 11am mass in the gym, livestreamed with an option to sit in our car. We have been doing that. Now that we are back in the purple, mass will be outside with a car option. My wife and daughter, both teachers, are leading hybrid classes, with some students in the classroom and others on a Zoom meeting.
My COVID-19 beard is reaching Andrew S Hallidie length. Visit a Cable Car - 01-Decber-2020 In addition to the one at Powell and Market, another cable car will be on display at Hyde and Beach. It will be on display on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10:30am to 3:30pm. COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-November-2020 We are still sheltering in place at home. By late October, over 9.1 million Americans had been infected and over 229,000 had died. In some counties, restaurants are opening for indoor dining at very restricted capacity. Schools are starting to open for in-person instruction. We go to outdoor mass at our church; we sit in our car and listen on a low-power FM station. Cable cars and historic streetcars on the E and F lines will remain out of service at least until the new year because there is no way to protect the crew. Muni riders are required to wear face coverings. A cable car is available for viewing at Powell and Market every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Cal Cable Discovery - 08-August-2013 - 24-October-2020 Crews digging up the street on California near Van Ness discovered a stretch of Cal Cable tracks and conduit which had been buried since the line was cut back on 30-December-1956. Visit a Cable Car - 01-October-2020 To give people a happy experience, a cable car will be on display Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the Powell/Market turntable from 10am to 3pm.
COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-October-2020 We are still sheltering in place at home. By late September, almost 7,000,000 Americans had been infected and over 205,000 had died.
My beard is getting longer. Soon I will look like one of the Smith Brothers. Cable cars and historic streetcars on the E and F lines will remain out of service at least until the new year because there is no way to protect the crew. Muni riders are required to wear face coverings. Dunedin Cable Tram Calendar - 01-September-2018
The Dunedin Heritage Light Rail Trust is advancing in its quest to restore part of the Mornington Tramway. The Trust has published a beautiful 2021 calendar with photos of the original Dunedin cable trams in operation and photos of the historic cars restored in 2020. If you would like to buy a copy of the calendar, it is available on their website. COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-September-2020 We are still sheltering in place at home. By late August, almost 6,000,000 Americans had been infected and over 180,000 had died. I started growing a beard. Muni Metro returned to service on August 22, with some major changes. J-Church passengers had to transfer at Market Street. The K-Ingleside and L-Taraval lines were interlined. At West Portal, they will switch lines and passengers had to transfer to M-Ocean Views or S-Shuttles. I saw streetcars on Judah and Taraval on Sunday, August 23. Cable cars and historic streetcars on the E and F lines will remain out of service because there is no way to protect the crew. Muni riders are required to wear face coverings. On August 27, Muni Metro went out of service again because of delays caused by two overhead line splices breaking. COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-August-2020 We are still sheltering in place at home. By late July, almost 4,500,000 Americans had been infected and over 150,000 had died. California is reversing the stage 2 opening of businesses in some counties. I got a haircut. Muni Metro will return to service on August 22, with some major changes. J-Church passengers will have to transfer at Market Street. The K-Ingleside and L-Taraval lines will be interlined. At West Portal, they will switch lines and passengers will have to transfer to M-Ocean Views or S-Shuttles. Cable cars and historic streetcars on the E and F lines will remain out of service because there is no way to protect the crew. Muni riders are required to wear face coverings. On July 27, someone who wasn't wearing a mask yelled racial slurs at the driver and hit him with a baseball bat. The driver should recover. Because of budget problems, many of the bus lines that were cut may not return to service. COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-July-2020 We are still sheltering in place at home. By late June, over 2,500,000 Americans had been infected and over 120,000 had died. California is going through stage 2 of opening businesses in some counties. Infection rates are skyrocketing in states where they have been where they have been more aggressive about opening businesses. I still need a haircut. Muni Metro should return to service in August, with some major changes. J-Church passengers will have to transfer at Market Street. The K-Ingleside and L-Taraval lines will be interlined. At West Portal, they will switch lines and passengers will have to transfer to M-Ocean Views or S-Shuttles. We are still waiting for word about the cable cars and the historic electric cars on the E-Embarcadero and F-Market and Wharves lines. Baseball spring training will resume on July 1. Houses of worship are open for limited numbers of people. Muni's Heritage Weekend, planned for August 22-23, has been postponed to 2020. I haven't heard anything about the annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest, but I assume it has been cancelled.
COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-June-2020 We are still sheltering in place at home. By late May, over 1,000,000 Americans had been infected and over 100,000 had died. California is beginning stage 2 of opening businesses. Muni's Heritage Weekend, planned for August 22-23, has been postponed to 2020. Muni rail lines are still shut down. Muni has restored service on some lines. #TrumpVirus
San Francisco Railway Museum Vandalized - 31-May-2020 During the after-dark vandalism and looting that followed peaceful protests against the death of George Floyd, people broke into Market Street Railway's San Francisco Railway Museum. They stole tee shirts but left historic items untouched. The museum was closed because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. #TrumpVirus
COVID-19 Pandemic Continues - 01-May-2020 We are still sheltering in place at home. By late April, more Americans had died of COVID-19 (3 months) than died in the Vietnam War (about 8 years). On April 20, Muni restored some lines that had been cancelled on April 8. All Muni rail lines remain shut down. San Francisco History Days, 2020 - 25-27-September-2020
The annual San Francisco History Days at the Old Mint returns on September 25-27, 2020. This will be the tenth annual event. It was rescheduled from May 08-09 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "This year, San Francisco History Days will activate all of San Francisco, highlighting local history in neighborhoods throughout the city with a refreshed format. Six to ten sites will showcase multiple exhibitors and presentations. There will be a dedicated site for authors of recently published history books and there will be tours through the Old U.S. Mint. All participating sites will be featured on an illustrated map (available for free) that will also include a schedule of programs." COVID-19 Shuts Down Most Muni Lines - 08-April-2020 Muni cancelled 80% of its service except for 17 core lines because shelter-in-place has led to a 90% drop in ridership. There have also been operator shortages because of sickness. Muni had already replaced all Muni Metro service (electric streetcars on lines J-K-L-M-N) with buses. SF Cable Car Museum @SFCCM on Twitter - 06-April-2020
Follow SF Cable Car Museum - SF Cable Car Museum @SFCCM on Twitter. They are broadening their profile and public awareness of the museum by tweeting old and new images of cable cars. COVID-19 Shuts Down Cable Cars - 16-March-2020 In order to protect operators from the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), Muni has replaced cable car and F-line service with buses. E-line service is cancelled. Bus Shuttles Substitute for California Cable Cars: Several Days in February - 01-March-2020
Production of a "major motion picture," probably Matrix 4, required rerouting of several bus lines and bus substitution on the Cal Cable line. Shooting took place at night. San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV - 28-January-2020 To celebrate the San Francisco 49ers appearing in Super Bowl LIV, California Street cable car 49 (naturally) and Powell Street cable car 26 were decorated by the dedicated group of people who decorate cable cars. Tom Sweeney Retires - 14-January-2020
Since 1976, one of the most imporant sights seen by passengers on the Powell Street cable car line has been Sir Francis Drake Hotel doorman Tom Sweeney, who has worn the Beefeater uniform and greeted countless people. He has retired and has been honored with a bronze plaque in the sidewalk. I hope Tom has a wonderful retirement. Cable Car Fares Going Up - 01-January-2020 Cable car fares will go up by one dollar on this day. Single ride tickets will go from $7 to $8.
Go to top of page. 2021 Anniversaries
150 years ago - 1871
125 years ago - 1896
New York Giants record: 64-67, 7th place. Managers: Arthur Irwin, Bill Joice.
100 years ago - 1921
New York Giants record: 86-68, 2nd place. Manager: John McGraw.
75 years ago - 1946
New York Giants record: 78-74, 5th place. Manager: Mel Ott.
50 years ago - 1971
San Francisco Giants record: 86-76, 3rd place. Manager: Clyde King.
25 years ago - 1996
San Francisco Giants record: 67-77, 4th place. Manager: Dusty Baker.
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Last updated 01-March-2021