New Orleans streetcar 952 rolls across the Golden Gate Bridge. The Ferry Building
is in the foreground. January, 2009.
We went to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park for the
first time in years. The plants were in great shape. In the special exhibit room at the
west end was the Golden Gate Express Railway, a garden scale layout
designed by Cal professor Chip Sullivan. Various historic San Francisco
structures, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the Ferry Building,
were made from recycled materials by Figureplant
(http://www.figureplant.com/).
On the upper level, New Orleans street
car 952 ran back and forth from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Chinatown
gate. On the two lower loops, there were two Amtrack trains and lots of
tunnels.
A video combines several scenes of the operation. January, 2009.
(Adobe Flash is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
Families view representations of the Transamerica Pyramid, Ghirardelli Square, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
A freight train speeds by in the foreground.
January, 2010.
We went to to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. In the
special exhibit room at the west end was the Golden Gate Express
Railway, a garden scale layout designed by by members of the Bay Area
Garden Railway Society. The famous San Francisco structures were made
from recycled materials.
Autos ran across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Powell/Hyde cable car 3 runs down the Hyde Street Hill between Lombard Street and a row of Victorian houses.
Coit Tower looms above.
January, 2010.
A cable car ran down the Hyde Street hill. Unfortunately, it climbed
the hill backwards. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of that.
Powell/Hyde cable car 3 waits at the end of the line after a downhill run.
January, 2010.
Powell/Hyde cable car 3 lays over at the end of its run.
The freight train speeds by on a trestle in the background.
January, 2010.
The freight train emerges from a tunnel behind the Castro Theatre, which is
showing Milk. Firehouse 37 stands on the hill in the background.
January, 2010.
A freight train ran around the
layout. I think one track was not in use that day.
The Chinatown gate, made from Mah Jong tiles and circuit boards, looms over Powell/Hyde cable car 3.
The Conservatory of Flowers and the Palace of Fine Arts dome are visible in the
background.
January, 2010.
Structures included the
Ghirardelli factory, made from chocolate-colored light switch and plug
cover plates, the Chinatown gate made from Mah Jong tiles, the Castro
Theatre, and Pac Bell Park. The Ferry Building clock came from a kitchen
timer.
The Ferry Building stands in front of the base of the Transamerica Pyramid and some
buildings I couldn't identify. Note the forks, the Scrabble(r) tiles and the kitchen timer dial used as the
face of the Ferry Building clock.
January, 2010.
New in 2010 were a soundtrack, including organ music for the
Castro, bells for the cable cars, Chinese music for Chinatown, and crowd
noises and Renel Brooks-Moon's announcements. We didn't get to see it,
but the fog was supposed to come in twice a day.
In a separate area, two trains ran for the benefit of younger children: Thomas the Tank Engine ran
light on a loop track and this train, pulled by a rabbit, ran back and forth.
January, 2010.
The Conservatory's ticket booth was closed because some tried to break in during the week and damaged it.
A video combines several scenes of the operation. January, 2010.
(Adobe Flash is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
San Francisco Station 37 is located at 22nd and Wisconsin Streets. This is a good model.
January, 2010.
Another view of Station 37.
January, 2010.
A model of Pacific Bell Park, or whatever it is called this week. Note the giant
Coke bottle.
January, 2010.
Looking up at the Conservatory's dome from beneath.
January, 2010.
Looking up at the Conservatory's dome from outside.
January, 2010.
Cable Car 4, running backwards, heads downhill after passing Coit Tower.
January, 2011.
For the third consecutive January, we went to the Conservatory
of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. In the
special exhibit room at the west end was the Golden Gate Express
Railway, a garden scale layout designed by by members of the Bay Area
Garden Railway Society. The famous San Francisco structures were made
from recycled materials.
The layout was quite different this year. The cable car ran on a
separate table, with the Ferry Building, the Castro Theatre, and Coit
Tower. Today the car was running backwards.
San Francisco Station 37 is located at 22nd and Wisconsin Streets. This model was
on the cable car table.
January, 2011.
Cable Car 4 passes the Transamerica Pyramid and the Castro Theatre.
January, 2011.
Another view of Cable Car 4 passing Coit Tower.
January, 2011.
A video combines several scenes of the operation. January, 2011.
(Adobe Flash is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
A Southern Pacific freight train enters a tunnel next to the Golden Gate Bridge.
January, 2011.
A Southern Pacific freight train ran around the primary layout. I think one track was
not in use that day. Several Golden Gate Park fixtures were there,
including the buffalo herd, the carousel, and the Music Concourse with
the De Young Museum and the Academy of Sciences.
Golden Gate Park's Dutch Windmill. Note that the sails are made out of rulers.
January, 2011.
The Southern Pacific freight train approaches the Dutch Windmill.
January, 2011.
The Buffalo herd.
January, 2011.
The log cabin near Stow Lake.
January, 2011.
The Southern Pacific freight train passes the buffalo herd and the log cabin.
January, 2011.
The Chinese Pavilion at Golden Gate Park's Stow Lake. The real one sits below Huntington Falls, but
this one sits at the top.
January, 2011.
What appears to be a Third Avenue Railway (New York) streetcar ran back and forth on a bridge over
Golden Gate Park's Music Concourse. The new Academy of Sciences is on the left. The new De Young Museum
is on the right. The band shell is in the middle. I recognize the back of an old stereo in the De Young.
January, 2011.
Another view of the Third Avenue Railway (New York) streetcar on the bridge over
thes Music Concourse.
January, 2011.
The Third Avenue Railway streetcar leaves its tunnel and crosses the bridge.
January, 2011.
The freight train passes the 1914 carousel in the Childrens' Quarter.
January, 2011.
The Conservatory of Flowers, located in the Conservatory of Flowers. My wife
wanted to know if it contained a tiny Conservatory of Flowers. I'm sorry they
didn't include the city Christmas Tree.
January, 2011.
McLaren Lodge, built in 1896, is the headquarters of the San Francisco
Recreation and Park Department.
January, 2011.
Ghiradelli Square is made mostly of old switch plates.
January, 2011.
Another table had the Victorians, Ghiradelli Square and other San
Francisco landmarks, but no train was running there.
The Chinatown gate is made from Mah Jong tiles and circuit boards.
January, 2011.
Victorians descend a hill near the rotunda of the Palace of Fine Arts.
January, 2011.
An original Playland sign provides a backdrop.
January, 2012.
Cable car 4 emerges from the tunnel.
January, 2012.
For the fourth consecutive January, we went to the Conservatory
of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. In the
special exhibit room at the west end was the Golden Gate Express
Railway, a garden scale layout designed by by members of the Bay Area
Garden Railway Society. The theme this year was "Playland at the
Conservatory of Flowers". The structures were made
from recycled materials.
Cable car 4 and the Third Avenue Railway streetcar pass each other on a curve.
The Golden Gate Park buffalo herd is in the background, near the mouth of the tunnel.
The Loof Carousel is on the left.
January, 2012.
The only electric trains were a Third Avenue Railway streetcar, a cable car, and two PCCs that
went back and forth.
Cable car 4 runs along the straight track past Playland. Little kids watch attentively.
January, 2012.
Playland's famous Loof Carousel. The structure looks more like the Herschel-Spillman
carousel at the Children's Quarters in Golden Gate Park.
at the
January, 2012.
A pair of PCC cars ran to and fro into and out of a tunnel that represented one of the
Playland haunted house rides.
The Fun House is on the right.
January, 2012.
The Playland Fun House. I always enjoyed visiting it. Note the roof.
January, 2012.
Laffing Sal stood on the balcony of the Fun House. There was more than one
Laffing Sal figure. My daughter was disappointed that this one did not move.
January, 2012.
Playland's Big Dipper roller coaster got torn down before I had a chance
to ride it.
January, 2012.
The Airplane Ride.
January, 2012.
The Playland Ferris wheel. The cars are made from pencil sharpener shavings receptacles.
There is a Los Angeles Railway PCC in the background.
January, 2012.
The Playland Diving Bell goes up and down. I never rode it.
January, 2012.
A young gentleman admires a real Playland bumper car.
January, 2012.
Cable car 4 passes between Adolph Sutro's Victorian chalet Cliff House and the entrance to Sutro Baths,
climbing the hill towards the Golden Gate Bridge.
January, 2012.
The entrance to Sutro Baths.
January, 2012.
Looking down at Sutro Baths.
January, 2012.
The silver Sky Tram was an overhead cable car that ran from the Cliff House, along the back of Sutro Baths, to a
point above the Sutro tide pools.
January, 2012.
The sign next to the Giant Stink Plant.
January, 2012.
A banner advertising Playland at the Conservatory.
January, 2012.
A video combines several scenes of the operation. January, 2012.
(Adobe Flash is required. Some browsers will require two clicks to start the video.)
