On January 1, 1878, the state outlawed the charging for same company transfers went into effect as part of the nickel fare law for cities more than 100,000 population (San Francisco). Enforcing the transfer law was another matter. Prior to this legislation companies were free to charge a passenger every time they boarded. The most notorious ploy to avoid this requirement was the creating in 1883 of the Park & Ocean (steam line) as a subsidiary corporation of the Market Street Cable Railway. Passengers were thus required to pay 5¢ to ride on that line's Haight Street cable cars and then at Stanyan Street another 5¢ to complete their journey to the beach. Ultimately, a single 5¢ from the Union Ferry Terminal to the Beach prevailed despite the need to transfer. Below are examples of historic cable car transfers.

Transfers were "good only for a single continuous trip from the meeting point with transfer line, for passengers for whose use this is issued, by the first car of the line for which transfer is given . . . " Today the three Muni cable car lines neither accept nor issue transfers, however, riders can purchase day passes on the cars.

Classic Cable Car Series

Series One: From the Market Street Railway (1893-1902).

Series Two: From the "Last Day"for most of the Cable Car Network

Series Three: From the California Street Cable Railroad (Cal Cable)

Series Four: From the Market Street Railway (1921-1944)

Series Five: From the Municipal Railway (1944-Present)

Series Six: From the Pacific Northwest -- Seattle and Tacoma

Series Seven: Melbourne Australia Cable Tramways Ticket

Series Eight: From Joe Lacey's Collection

Classic Cable Car Series

The cable car, a San Francisco invention, began to haul paying passengers on September 1, 1873, when the Clay Street Hill Railroad started passenger service on Clay Street from Kearny to Leavenworth. A second company, the Sutter Street Railroad started cable car operations January 27, 1877. In January 1882 the Presidio & Ferries Railroad (the Union Street line) opened for paying passengers. Cable service operated from Washington & Montgomery (Columbus) Avenue to Steiner & Union. The largest cable car company the Market Street Cable Railway opened from the Ferry its Valencia Street line to Mission Street and Haight Street line to Golden Gate Park (Stanyan) on August 21, 1883. San Francisco’s second largest cable car operation and its least successful the Omnibus Railroad & Cable Company, opened three lines on August 26, 1889.

Besides these cable car operations, three important pre-Earthquake and Fire companies’ transfers are displayed. Two of the companies — the North Beach and Mission Railroad and the Sutro Railroad Co. — considered employing cable technology, but ultimately rejected it in favor of the electric streetcar. The third company the San Francisco & San Mateo Electric Railway (originally the San Francisco & San Mateo) was the city’s pioneer electric railway. Its success and that of other electric operations soon led to the major shift to the electric streetcar over the cable car and horsecar.

Below are transfers from each of the early operations. Transfers in this series are from the Emiliano Echeverria Collection, Courtesy of the late James Gibson, except as noted.

In 1869, Benjamin Brooks, a San Francisco attorney along with C S Bushnell, E W Steele, and Abner Doubleday (the man who didn't invent baseball in Cooperstown, New York) acquired a franchise from the city to construct a "wire cable railway". They proposed a long system from downtown on various streets out to Cow Hollow. Brooks and engineer W H Hepburn worked out many of the mechanical details of the system. However, Brooks and his associates were unable to find financing for their now scaled Russian Hill Cable Railway Co. that was proposed only a cable line on Clay Street. Because of the Russian Hill component of the franchise when the Clay Street Hill Railroad, the world's first cable car line, was being planned management put in place a connecting feeder horsecar line that served the Russian Hill area to meet the terms of the franchise. Concurrent with the September 1, 1873 opening of the cable car line, a horsecar line was opened from the then western terminus of the cable car, Leavenworth Street. The line ran along Leavenworth, Vallejo, Hyde, Union and Larkin to Chestnut Street. Initially, evidence suggests that the horsecars were through-routed trailers detached from cable grip cars (dummies). This arrangement soon proved to be operationally unfeasible, since as soon as 1874 to meet demand, cable car frequencies were increased. By 1876 the Clay Street line was averaging 150,000 passengers, per month). The horsecar line was accordingly operated independently from the cable car service. Therefore, transfers were issued for passengers transferring between the two lines. Shown is a transfer from the Leavenworth Street horsecar to the Clay Street cable car for July 4, 1874. During 1877 the cable line was extended westward from Leavenworth to Van Ness Avenue. The horsecar service was abandoned in January 1882, upon completion of the Presidio & Ferries Railway (the Union Street cable car). This horsecar line was San Francisco's only narrow gauge horsecar line.

Prior to the February 1880 opening of the Geary Street, Park and Ocean Railroad, San Francisco cable car conductors did not accept cash fares. The various street railway companies (horse, steam and cable) followed the railroad practice of having persons purchase tickets in advance from either company offices or designated agencies. This very rare Clay Street Hill Railway Company ticket entitled the bearer for one ride on that line. Val Lupiz Collection.

On January 27, 1877, the Sutter Street Railroad (after 1879 Sutter Street Railway) started cable car operation (converted from horse car) on Sutter Street from Larkin to Sansome (Market Street). During late 1878 the company opened the first phase of its crosstown line when it converted the Larkin Street line from Sutter to Hayes (Market Street) to cable from horse car. By 1888 the company had two cable car lines, Sutter Street from Sansome to Central Avenue (Presidio Avenue) and its crosstown Pacific, Polk, Larkin and Ninth Street line. This May 15, 1889 transfer allows the passenger to whom it was issued to transfer from the main Sutter Street line to the crosstown line. On the back of this transfer (shown below) is an advertisement for the "Great Rock Island Route" at "36 MONTOGOMERY ST. for tickets to CHICAGO and ALL POINT EAST." From Arthur Lloyd, Walter Rice Collection.

During the 1890s, this sign was posted in the trailers of all Sutter Street Railway trains, informing passengers the company issued and accepted transfers with the Market Street Railway’s (formerly the Ferries & Cliff House Railway) steam train lines to the Cliff House via Land’s End and Golden Gate Park via 7th Avenue. In addition, passengers on the Sutter Street Railway’s crosstown Pacific, Polk, Larkin and Ninth Street line at Harrison and Ninth Streets could transfer free of extra charge with the cars of the San Francisco & San Mateo Railway, San Francisco’s first electric streetcar line. Free transfers with other non Sutter Street Railway lines were not allowed. As a part of the culture of the 1890s passengers were warned against "expectoration." Violators were subject to fines and imprisonment. From the Walter Rice Collection.

By 1902 Sutter Street Railway transfers had changed considerably from the 1880s as illustrated by this example. The transfer issued from the Sutter Street’s crosstown line is punched for "Harrison Street" allowing the passenger to board an electric car of the San Francisco & San Mateo Electric Railway. At the time Sutter Street issued this transfer both companies were owned by the "Baltimore Syndicate." On March 20, 1902, the Market Street Railway merged with the Sutter Street Railway and plus other non cable properties creating the United Railroads of San Francisco. However, the Sutter Street Railway had been purchased by the "Baltimore Syndicate" nine months before the creation of the URR and was operated during this period as part of the SF & SM Electric Railway, the first "Baltimore Syndicate" San Francisco property. Richard Schlaich Collection.

The Market Street Cable Railway Fifth Street horsecar line was incorporated into the cable railway by the parent Southern Pacific, to provide convenient access to the main San Francisco Southern Pacific Railroad Station. The depot during mid-1872 had moved to a new terminal on reclaimed land between Third and Fourth streets, on the south side of Townsend. The Fifth Street horsecar line was an outgrowth of the Potrero & Bay View Railroad (P & BV). In 1871, interests connected with the Southern Pacific had bought the P & BV. The Fifth Street line was opened in 1874 as the Northern Division of the P & BV. It ran Fourth & King Streets via Fourth, Bluxome, Fifth, Market, Grant Avenue, and Post to Market Street. In 1875 the Southern Pacific transferred the franchise and operations of the Northern Division of the P & BV to its Market Street Railway horsecar company. As a result the Fifth Street line had operating rights down Market Street to the Union Ferry Terminal. After Southern Pacific, in 1883, incorporated the Fifth Street horsecar line into its then new Market Street Cable Railway horsecar service beyond Fifth & Market Streets ended. The Fifth Street horsecar line had become a feeder line between the main Southern Pacific station and the Market Street cable lines of the Market Street Cable Railway. This shortened version ran from its barn directly behind the Southern Pacific’s Townsend Street Headquarters, across Fourth Street, onto Bluxome, then North on Fifth Street to Market. The line lasted in this form for sixteen additional years. The Market Street Railway (of 1893) converted the Fifth Street line to electric streetcar September 1900.

The Omnibus Railroad & Cable Company opened its Post Street line along with two other cable car routes on August 26, 1889. The Post Street line was a circuitous routing from Market via Post, Leavenworth, City Hall Avenue, Grove, Polk, 10th Street to Howard. The Market Street Railway (of 1893) discontinued the Post Street cable along with the former Omnibus Howard Street cable line on December 31, 1899. This transfer allowed passengers to transfer upon arriving at the Montgomery Street terminal of the Post line to the non cable car service of the Third Street line. Although, the Omnibus system (that ultimately consisted of five cable car lines) was second only to the Market Street Cable Railway in size, it was economically the least successful of all the City’s cable car endeavors.

The North Beach and Mission Railroad’s (NB &M) horsecar lines were built in 1862-63, and 1890. The NB & M was an innovative horsecar company that its superintendent Michael Skelly for thirty-one years managed (1864-94)! The NB & M pioneered the use of building its own cars (1864), asphalt pavement (1868) and slat seats (1868) that are still in use on today's cable cars. NB &M, also, conducted San Francisco's first experiment with electric streetcars with an unsuccessful attempt at operating an underground conduit line (1887). In July 1892, to achieve economical electrification, Skelly unsuccessfully tried using a battery car on Folsom Street. On June 21, 1890, the company announced plans to convert to a cable road at an estimated cost of $2,000,000 for changes in equipment and construction of roadbed. The company never carried out this conversion, because shortly after that control of the NB & M was acquired by the Omnibus Railroad & Cable Co. and the technological and economic success of the electric streetcar had made cable technology largely obsolete. Nevertheless, the lines of the former NB & M were San Francisco's last all horsecar railway when they were merged into the Market Street Railway (of 1893). Even after the Market Street Railway electrified or abandoned most of the NB & M system, the last line wasn't removed until February 1906, when United Railroads ended service on the remnant on Market & California Streets from the Ferries to Montgomery Street. The company consisted of three lines. The color of its cars distinguished each line. One extended from North Beach with a zigzag route via Kearny & Fourth Streets to the Central Pacific Railroad depot at Townsend Street using yellow-colored cars. The blue line, ran from the Oakland Ferries up California to Kearny, over to Market, and out Market to Eighth, over Eighth to Folsom, and out Folsom to Twenty-sixth Street. The third route, operating red cars, ran from Montgomery and California along Battery and First to Folsom and out Folsom to Eighth, and transferred to the blue line. Over the years there were slight changes in these routes, the last modifications occurring in 1890. The cars ran at five-minute intervals, and the fare was five cents. This yellow line transfer allowed passengers to continue their journey out Folsom Street by transferring to the red line at Fourth & Folsom Streets. Richard Schlaich Collection.

In 1880 the Presidio & Ferries Railroad was organized. It opened for paying passengers in January 1882. The line created a direct route from the City’s commercial area to Cow Hollow-Harbor View via Union Street over Russian Hill. Before the Earthquake and Fire of April 1906 the line consisted of three parts. Horsecar service ran from the Union Ferry Terminal to Washington & Columbus Avenue (Montgomery) where passengers transferred to one of the line’s cable trains. At the Cow Hollow end connections were made with a steam motor line that during its twenty-nine years of operation had various routing patterns. After the Earthquake and Fire the company converted its line to electric streetcar service. The transfer on the upper right is from the cable car era, providing for a transfer from horsecar to cable train and to and from the company’s connecting steam motor line. The other electric era transfers show the arrangements the Presidio & Ferries had made with other companies for free passenger transfer. These include the United Railroad’s Powell-Mason cable car line (north on Mason Street only), Polk Street car line, the Fillmore Hill counter balance line and the California Street Cable Railroad’s Hyde Street line. Of particular note, is the transfer dated "WED’DAY DEC’BER 10, 1913 (lower right). This transfer is from the last day of the Presidio & Ferries. At midnight on December 10, 1913 the company was sold to the City and County of San Francisco, becoming Muni’s "E-Union" car line. Richard Schlaich Collection

The Sutro Railroad Co. began as an outgrowth of the outrage entrepreneur Adolf Sutro felt when the Southern Pacific controlled street railroads charged ten-cents for a trip to Ocean Beach. Sutro felt that this was an economic hardship for families wishing to enjoy his beach resorts, or to buy Ocean Beach property. This began a battle between Sutro and the Market Street Railway and its subsidiaries that was to last for the remainder of Sutro's public life. The Sutro Railroad was designed to end the Richmond District travel monopoly to Golden Gate Park and the Beach that belonged to the Market Street Railway. On July 2, 1894, the City granted to Adolph Sutro a street railroad franchise for a line between Central Avenue and the Cliff House area via Clement and Point Lobos, with an 8th Avenue branch line to Golden Gate Park. At first Sutro insisted the new line would be a cable line, he later opted for streetcar service that began on Feb. 1, 1896. This transfer allows for transferring at 8th Avenue and Clement between the Sutro Railroad’s two lines and most importantly offers a free transfer downtown on the independent Sutter Street Railway’s Sutter Street cable line. Richard Schlaich Collection

Another style of Sutro Railroad Co. ticket.

On May 1, 1896, the San Francisco & San Mateo Electric Railway completed the purchase, from the bondholders, the assets of the San Francisco & San Mateo Railway -- San Francisco’s first electric railway. The new ownership group was included Adolf B. and John D. Spreckels. Two electric lines were operated that became perhaps San Francisco's most interesting trolley car operations, namely, the "San Mateo Interurban" -- No. 40 Line (during this era service went only to Baden in South San Francisco), and the "18th and Park" -- No. 33 Line. On May 12, 1901, the SF & SM Electric Ry. was the first San Francisco street railroad purchased by the "Baltimore Syndicate," as the first step in the creation of the United Railroads of San Francisco (March 20, 1902). This universal company transfer besides allowing for transferring between the company operations ("18th St.," Guerrero," and "3oth St.") provided for a free transfer with Sutter Street Railway’s 9th and Larkin cable line and Market Street Railway’s Mission Street streetcars and its Valencia and Castro cable cars. Passengers could also transfer to the cemetery operated Mt. Olivet car. A cigar ad is on the reserve side. Richard Schlaich Collection.

Series One: From the Market Street Railway (1893-1902).

The Southern Pacific created the Market Street Railway October 14, 1893 by merging the Market Street Cable Railway (including its subsidiary the Park & Ocean) , Omnibus Railroad & Cable Company, Ferries & Cliff House with three horsecar companies. On March 20, 1902, the Market Street Railway was merged with the Sutter Street Railway and two electric lines to create the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR), leaving San Francisco with three cable car operators-the URR including its subsidiary the Geary Street Park & Ocean, Cal Cable and the Presidio & Ferries (the Union Street line). After this date, however, the URR continued to use Market Street Railway transfer stock until new URR transfers could be printed.

From the Richard Schlaich Collection.

	Market Street Cable Ry. Co. transfer for their Market & Castro cable, April 30, 1893. Note that passengers could transfer (at 18th Street) to the independent San Francisco & San Mateo Railway, San Francisco's first electric streetcar line.
	Market Street Railway transfers for the Sacramento St. Line (later the Sacramento & Clay), August 16, 1896 and a combined transfer for the Valencia and Castro Street cable lines, June 28, 1896.
	Market Street Railway transfer for the Valencia Street cable car, November 26, 1897 and Haight Street cable car transfer. Note that Haight riders can transfer to the short-lived "Fred'K St." streetcar line, which was the Market Street Railway's first electric streetcar line. (The Frederick Street line evolved into the No. 6 Hayes & Masonic, and after 1916 Nos. 6 Haight & Masonic & 32 Hayes & Masonic streetcar lines.)
	The Ferries & Cliff House Railway Company began cable car service to City's Western Addition with the opening in April 1888, of its Powell-Jackson line. At the line's California and Central Avenue terminal, halfway across San Francisco, the cable car line made a connection with the company's steam train lines to the Cliff House via Land's End and Golden Gate Park via 7th Avenue. This rare December 22, 1901 Market Street Railway transfer is for steam trains of the "California St. and Cliff House Line." The notation that passengers could transfer "California East" meant passengers could transfer to the independent Cal Cable line.
	Here are two examples of Market Street Railway transfers being used after that company became part of the United Railroads. The Powell St. Line transfer is for the still operating Powell-Mason cable car. This line began service from Market St. to Bay & Taylor on April 5, 1888, and has never been changed. A close examination of the Jackson St. Line transfer reveals it is for two lines - the Powell-Jackson from Powell & Market to Central Avenue and the Ferries & Cliff House line from the Ferry to Central Avenue. Usually these two lines alternated on Jackson St.

Series Two: From the "Last Day"for most of the Cable Car Network

Passengers who were issued these United Railroads cable car transfers, on April 17, 1906 had no idea that they maybe going for their last cable car ride. At precisely six seconds after 5:12 a.m. on April 18 the Great Earthquake struck. Sixty hours later, after the fires had ceased raging, much of the city lay in ruins. April 17 was to be the last day of full cable car service on the United Railroads' Sutter Street, Polk & Larkin Cross-town line (except Pacific Avenue), Market & McAllister, Market & Haight, Market & Hayes, Market & Castro (except between 18th and 26th Streets), Market & Valencia, Jackson Street via Sacramento-Clay, Sacramento-Clay west of Fillmore, and Powell-Jackson west of Steiner Street cable car lines. Also, it was the last day for the Presidio & Ferries (Union Street line).

On June 22, 1906, the Geary Street, Park & Ocean Railroad resumed service, the first cable car line to do so after the Earthquake and Fire. This was followed by limited restoration by Cal Cable of its California Street line on August 4, and on December 28 of its O'Farrell, Jones & Hyde and Jones Street Shuttle. The URR on January 30, 1907 restored cable cars on Powell Street from Market to Jackson only. The full Powell-Mason route and a shortened (to Steiner Street) Powell-Jackson line, now called Washington-Jackson returned to service on March 1, 1907. On August 29 of that year the URR restored the Castro cable, but only 18th to 26th Street. On June 8, 1908, a shortened to Fillmore Street Sacramento-Clay line was back in operation. Finally, in December of that year the United Railroads restored cable service to Pacific Avenue from Polk to Divisadero.

Below are ten URR transfers from lines that had full cable car service on that tranquil April 17, 1906 - the last day before San Francisco shook and burned. From the Richard Schlaich Collection

Series Three: From the California Street Cable Railroad (Cal Cable)

The California Street Cable Railroad (Cal Cable) holds the longevity record for a single company operating a San Francisco cable car service. On April 10, 1878, the company started cable car operations on California Street from Kearny to Fillmore Street. The next year on May 5 Cal Cable extended this line west to Central (Presidio) Avenue. During 1891, the California Street line was extended east from to Kearny to Market Street; the company opened the crosstown O'Farrell, Jones & Hyde Streets line and the Jones Street shuttle from O'Farrell to Market Street (these were the last entirely new cable car lines built in the City); and replaced its two-car trains with "California" cars - a "double-ended" car with an enclosed middle section and open sections at both ends (cars with this design are still in use on California Street). This pattern continued until July 31, 1951, the last day of service because of failure to obtain insurance. Currently, the Muni is operating parts of the former Cal Cable - a truncated California Street line from Market Street to Van Ness Avenue and the former Hyde Street leg of the O'Farrell, Jones and Hyde line as part of the Powell-Hyde cable.

Shown Cal Cable ticket size transfers pre-1913. The left-hand column shows the front of the transfers, the right-hand column the back side. The first transfer (brown, Mar. 11) is a California Street transfer allowing a transfer to the O’Farrell, Jones & Hyde cable at Hyde Street and at California and Central Avenue (in 1909, the name was changed to Presidio Avenue) to the Sutro Railroad’s Golden Gate Park via 8th Avenue line. The second transfer (red, Oct. 29, post Earthquake) shows that the transfer point to Golden Gate Park has shifted to Sacramento & Presidio Avenue where Cal Cable passengers would board either a United Railroads’ Turk & Eddy or Mission & Chutes car for the Park. Passengers could also transfer to either a Sutter & California via Cliff or Sutter & Clement car for Ocean-Beach. The third transfer (orange, April 17, 1906, the day before the Earthquake & Fire), also a California Street transfer, restricts the Ocean-Beach transfer to "Cliff House on cars marked via Cal. St." This would later become the URR No. 1 line. The March 17 transfer is an O’Farrell, Jones & Hyde line transfer allowing transfers to either the California or Jones Street shuttle Cal Cable lines. The light green transfer ( Mar. 8) is from the Jones Street Shuttle, authorizes only a transfer to connecting O’Farrell, Jones & Hyde cars. The last transfer is another O’Farrell, Jones & Hyde transfer, but now passengers can also transfer to Presidio & Ferries company cars at Union Street. Richard Schlaich Collection.

	Cal Cable until the 1940s used small almost theater ticket size transfers. Displayed are both sides of three such transfers. The green transfer is for the California Street line. Besides allowing for free transfers on Cal Cable's Hyde Street cable, riders could transfer at "Sacramento and Presidio Avenue to Cars for Golden Gate Park, California and Presidio Avenue to Ocean Beach Cars via California Street." These transfers with Market Street Railway streetcar lines (given the dates of the transfers, 4-Sutter & Sacramento & 2-Sutter & Clement) stem from a 1887 agreement with the then Ferries & Cliff House Railway under which that company took over Cal Cable's non-cable franchise from Central Avenue (Presidio Avenue) to First Avenue (Arguello). The red transfer is from the Jones Street Shuttle and lastly the O'Farrell, Jones and Hyde line issued the black transfer. Hyde Street passengers could transfer to Muni's E-Union streetcar. This was a carry over from an agreement with the Presidio & Ferries.
	Standard size Cal Cable transfers from the 1940s, used until service ceased July 1951. Routes are the Jones Street Shuttle, O'Farrell, Jones and Hyde and California Street.
	A special souvenir ticket to celebrate the centennial month of the California Street cable car, April 1978, the "oldest cable car line in the world." Bank-America Travelers Checks sponsored the event. On April 10, 2003, the California cable marks its 125th birthday. Note, that Muni used as the symbol of the Cal line Powell-Mason cable car No. 501. Muni had renumbered 500-series Powell cable cars to their present 1-28 series in 1973, to reflect the numbering scheme of the original operator of the Powell lines, the Ferries & Cliff House Railway. From the Walter Rice Collection.
	Shortly before Cal Cable ceased service in 1951 the company raised its fares from 10 cents to 15 cents with two tokens for 25 cents or nine rides for $1. This is a nine ride ticket of the period. From Richard Schlaich Collection.
	A Cal Cable token used in 1951 after the basic fare was raised to 15 cents, or two tokens for 25 cents. Walter Rice Collection.
	In San Francisco school children went to and from school by public transportation, as opposed to a formal system of school buses. A "Pupil of Any School Under 18 Years of Age" received a fare discount from Cal Cable equal to one-half the standard fare. In order to guard against abuse of school discount ticket Cal Cable warned in bold type the consequences of a "misuse of these tickets." Ticket book dates from late 1930s. Arthur Lloyd, Walter Rice Collection.

Walter Rice Collection.

During the 1930s the Market Street Railway promoted heavily as part of its plan to increase revenues its Sunday and Holiday passes that for 25¢ offered unlimited rides on any Market Street Railway bus, streetcar or cable car in San Francisco. The exception being cars of the 40-San Mateo Suburban line where the San Francisco minimum fare was 10¢ (riders were required to show pass and pay 5¢).

On May 29, 1938, the Market Street Railway increased its basic fare from 5¢ to 7¢ with free transfers. Since July of 1937 the company had charged 5¢ and 2¢ for transfers when issued with a full fare. The effect of the fare increase was to cause revenues to decline because the competitive Municipal Railway and Cal Cable were still charging 5¢. Particularly, hard hit was the Sacramento-Clay cable car. This loss in patronage was a major factor in the 1942 abandonment of that line. Company patrons are being urged to purchase tokens at the rate of five for 35¢.

Arthur Lloyd, Walter Rice Collection

During the 1960s Muni produced this unusual "Youth Fare Ticket." The design depicts the San Francisco skyline of the period with PCC streetcars (single pole) and trolley buses (double pole) heading toward the city. At that time there were no special fares for the cable cars and all regular fares including youth fares applied to the cable car system as well as Muni’s motor coach, trolley coach and streetcar lines.

Art Curtis Collection.

During the 1980s Muni eliminated the use of cable car fare-registers. Riders received fare receipts that also served as transfers. On August 1, 1993, transfers to and from the three cable car lines were eliminated. The two 1984 fare receipts/transfers are for the then standard full fare of $1 and 5¢ for senior fares.

Arthur Lloyd, Walter Rice Collection

Given that the Seattle Electric Company issued this James Street transfer, it dates between 1900 and 1919, most probably closer the latter. The Union Trunk Line in March 1891 opened this line from Pioneer Square to Broadway, a distance of only .75 mile. Walter Rice Collection

Only one cable car line ever operated in Tacoma Washington. As such, this Tacoma Railway & Power Company transfer just uses the word "cable" to differentiate this route from the other lines in the system. Service on this "loop" cable line started on August 4, 1891 and lasted to April 8, 1938. Uniquely for a cable car line, from 1917 onwards the line used pay-as-you-enter steel cars characteristic of trolley car lines. Richard Schlaich Collection.

Melbourne, Australia began cable car (cable train) service in November 1885. Management had purchased rights to Andrew S. Hallidie's cable patents. Unlike San Francisco that had eight original cable car companies, Melbourne had but a single cable car company -- the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company. At its height Melbourne’s cable tramways had 64.12 route miles and 1200 cars and trailers, ranking the Melbourne system comparable to that of San Francisco before the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. After 1916, a government agency ran the system -- the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board. Under this management and the system was gradually electrified, with the last line ending in 1940 on Bourke Street. The system had lasted fifty-five years. Melbourne’s cable trains were comparable to those of the Sutter Street Railway. The San Francisco Cable Car Museum’s Sutter Street Railway cable train display provides a flavor of a Melbourne cable train that consisted of a grip (dummy) and a trailer. The colors of the two systems are comparable.

Displayed here is a prepaid ticket for the an adult cable tram journey. The value is 3D ( converts to 3 pence). Ric Francis Collection.

This certificate, signed by Mrs Friedel Klussmann, was issued in 1947 by the Citizen's Committee to Save the Cable Cars to honorary committee member Frank McQuaid for contributing to the cause. Read The Cable Car Lady & the Mayor by Walter Rice and Val Lupiz for more information. Joe Lacey Collection

In 1971, Proposition Q promised to freeze cable car schedules at a minimum. Read Proposition Q for more information. Joe Lacey Collection

A letter from the Cable Car Committee in favor of Proposition Q. Read Proposition Q for more information. Joe Lacey Collection

Mayor Joseph Alioto and the San Francisco Cable Car Centennial Committee invited the people of the Cable Car Division to a picnic in Golden Gate Park. Read A Photo Album of 1970s Cable Car Supporters by Walter Rice for more information. Joe Lacey Collection

The San Francisco Chronicle issued this certificate to people who participated in a centennial walk along the route of the Clay Street Hill Railroad on 05-August-1973. Mrs Doss wrote a popular Sunday column about walking. Read A Photo Album of 1970s Cable Car Supporters by Walter Rice for more information. Joe Lacey Collection

This certificate was issued at the cable car centennial celebration in Portsmouth Square on 02-August-1973. Read A Photo Album of 1970s Cable Car Supporters by Walter Rice for more information. Joe Lacey Collection

Copyright 2002-2006 by Walter Rice. All rights reserved.

Last updated 01-Sep-2006