Cable Car Advertising Images
by Walter Rice |
A collection of cable car-related
advertising images, scanned by Walter Rice.
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Washington-Mason cable car 515 heads down Washington with a load of sailors on shore
leave in 1945.
Walter Rice collection.
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How to prove to the world your car is a worthy hill-climber (at least once). Send mother and
father and the kiddies up Powell Street in their new ’53 Chevy in front of Powell-Mason car
No. 505. Cable car 505 (now No. 5), an 1894 Carter Bros. product, built for the
Sacramento-Clay extension from Walnut Street to serve the Mid Winter Fair of that year in
Golden Gate Park, is still climbing Powell Street. Yes, it was extensively rebuilt in 1956
and had rehabilitation work in 2002. The ’53 Chevy long since (most probably) has been
parted out.
Walter Rice collection.
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This is when No.1 Powell Street meant Bank of America’s Day and Night office, and cable car
passengers boarding at the world’s most famous turntable could take either a Powell-Mason
grip for Bay & Taylor or a Washington-Jackson cable to Steiner Street. The then San
Francisco-based Bank of America was the world’s largest bank "with resources of over $9
Billion."
Walter Rice collection.
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Powell-Mason cable car No. 509 is halfway around Market Street turntable. It will soon depart for another
trip to Bay and Taylor Streets. With its white front, green sides and a Byllessby Market Street Railway
shield the year is most likely 1938. In August 1995, No. 509, now numbered 9, would be retired from service
and replaced in April 2000 with a brand new No. 9, which like the car depicted is in the Market Street Railway
white front paint scheme. Like its predecessor the new No. 9 proudly boasts a Market Street Railway Byllessby
shield in honor of the former operator of the Powell cable cars lines, 1921-1944.
Walter Rice collection. May, 2006 Picture of the Month.
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San Francisco, like the rest of America, is enjoying peacetime as
depicted in this 1946 illustration of Washington-Jackson cable car No.
519 being pushed off of the world's most famous turntable. Unlike today
passengers could board the car on the turntable, which added to the
weight as it was being pushed off. However, passengers often helped push
the car off the turntable. Some riders would get on while the car was
coasting on to the turntable. The block between Market and Ellis Street
was open to automobile traffic. Cars were, also, parked in the curb lane
making that block more difficult for the gripman of half a century ago
than those of today.
The turntable depicted was the original turntable being placed into
service by the Ferries and & Cliff House Railway (Powell Street Railway)
March 28, 1888. Powell Street cable car service would be suspended from
May 1 to May 14, 1950, for the installation of a new turntable. The
current turntable at Powell and Market is the fourth turntable.
Walter Rice collection.
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This most interesting artistic impression of outbound Powell-Mason cable car No. 5, an 1895 product of the
Carter Bros., which shown here about turn onto Columbus Avenue from Mason Street combines accuracy with
unique colors. Given the car being numbered 5 instead of 505 and the configuration of the track implies
the Columbus Avenue trackage is in the center of the street, the era would be between 1973 and 1982.
Walter Rice collection.
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In 1953, an O'Farrell, Jones and Hyde cable, by then operated by the Muni, is about
to descend down the Hyde Street hill.
Walter Rice collection.
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United Airlines knew how to promote its service. "Look daddy and mommy, there is a cable
car!" Free stopovers only allowed on first-class tickets, but all seats only 2 abreast.
United ran this ad in May 1954, however May 15, 1954 was last day the California Street
line ran to Presidio Avenue.
Walter Rice collection.
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The cable car and the city’s bridges are part of the many icons of San Francisco as shown
by this 1955 ad for Four Roses whiskey. In some of the prior ads, I previously posted, the
artist has taken license with bridge location. Here we have an ascending Nob Hill westbound
California Street cable car without a gripman. Where was California Street cable car gripman
Val Lupiz? The design of the auto is interesting too. Note too, the artist has omitted the
"SP" sign from No. 1 Market Street -- forty years before the Union Pacific take over.
Walter Rice collection.
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The header on this early 1950s advertisement reads "ENJOY THE BEST AMERICA HAS TO OFFER."
Product was "Old Taylor 86 -- America’s finest Kentucky bourbon." To prove their point that their bourbon is
America’s best, Old Taylor selected the San Francisco icon California Street cable cars to emphasis without
question the merit of Old Taylor 86. Would Roger Lapham drink to that?
Walter Rice collection.
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