Historic streetcars san francisco 2020 all you need to. The history of the historic san francisco streetcar. As the provinces most active publisher of trade books, the company. The san francisco trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving san francisco, in the state of california, united states. On september 1 the clay street hill railroad, san francisco s first cablecar line, began regular service over sixtenths of a mile between kearny street and jones street, at the top of nob hill. As an independent nonprofit, we rely on funds from donors to keep our work alive. Market street to fishermans wharf, san francisco, ca. Restored street cars run on tracks up and down the market street railway. The stories behind san franciscos street names sfgate. In san francisco, these vehicles are also known as trolley coaches, a term. A brief history and companion to the operating trolley museums of north america by. A photographic then and now celebration of the former st. What are the best books about san francisco urban history. Up to 20 of these vintage vehicles carry passengers along market street and the embarcadero every day.
The historical f line has trams that are over 150 years old, which have been brought over from different parts of the world hiroshima, moscow. From the opening of the first cable car line in 1873, to the f lines extension to fishermans wharf in 2000, and everything in between. This video was filmed on market street, in san francisco, just 17 days before the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire. Learn about historic streetcars from around the world and the famous cable cars. Eti 15trsf articulated trolleybuses have been saved for the historical fleet. San franciscos magnificent streetcars america through. Rick laubscher is a fourthgeneration san franciscan who fell in love with streetcars as a child, when his mother took him downtown on an iron monster through the twin peaks to see the circus. The san francisco trolleybus system forms part of the public transportation network serving. Streetcars, which run on steel rails and are connected to overhead wires, were cheaper to build and maintain than cable cars, which run on steel rails and are propelled by an underground cable. Most of the original urban streetcar systems were either dismantled in the mid20th century or converted to other modes of operation, such as light rail.
In 1982, san francisco was going to cancel all cable car service for two years to do a major rehabilitation of the system. San francisco relishes its transit history, but we also put our history to work. Related resources about this collection before and after. Less than 20 years after the gold rush, san francisco is bursting at the seams. New interactive map shows historic streetcar routes of san. Trolleys, streetcars and traction a list of generally historic, nonfiction, accounts of trolleys, streetcars, interurban lines, and other traction within north america. During 2000, the f line was extended to fishermans wharf and has become one of the most successful streetcar lines in the united states. San francisco streetcars similarly to the cable car and not to be confused with it, the streetcars trams are a historical form of transportation and a different way to explore san francisco. Returning to san francisco in 2005 he managed video content for cnet before retiring to go birding and write natural history books. The latter term applies to all the cable cars currently operating in san francisco, and is a historical term distinguishing this. Streetcars or trolleycars north american english for the european word tram were once the chief mode of public transit in hundreds of north american cities and towns. Some views of pcc and peter witt streetcars along with a clip of a cable car leaving union square. Our work helps keep historic transit on the streets of san francisco.
The first streetcar in san francisco in 1860 started was operated by steam dummies, later by horses. Transportation deployment casebook2020washington streetcar. San franciscos magnificent streetcars bsra bookstore. San francisco s municipal railway has assembled one of the most diverse collections of vintage streetcars, trolleys, and trams in transit service anywhere. Would you expect anything less from san francisco s history books.
The new cablecar system eliminated the need for horses to struggle to pull the carriages up the neverending hills in san francisco. Cable car companies faced competition from electric streetcars throughout the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Two large apartment buildings and a grocery store replaced the old streetcar yard. Book includes map of what san franciscos landscape and streams was like in 1800 before people began making wholesale changes. San franciscos magnificent streetcars by kenneth c. Accounts are summarized from the first natural history observations in san francisco. I wanted to share this history with others in a way that was really easy to consume, so i went to sfs public library and found some books that described the old streetcar routes in detail. Interurban press was a small, privately owned american publishing company, specializing in books about streetcars.
Of the 23 lines established between 1873 and 1890, only three remain one of which combines parts of two. Over the years, the city used the lines less and less as faster transportation options became available. San francisco earthquake and fire library of congress. A photographic history by frank sullivan, from small. Mirror of the dream an illustrated history of san francisco. All locations and bookdrops of the san francisco public library are currently closed to help limit the spread of covid19. This book is a photographic essay of san francisco s magnificent streetcars along with its historic cable cars and hill climbing trolley coaches.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Springirth is the author of nine other arcadia railroad books, including northwestern pennsylvania railroads. The earth shook, the sky burned by william bronson, originally published in 1956 and continually reissued is still the best history of the 1906 eart. The f line heritage streetcars in san francisco youtube. Oct 19, 2014 ramekon oarwisters, who curated an exhibition of lyons photos, told huffington post. These include records that begin with sir francis drake and include the deanza, vancouver, beechey, rezanov and laperouse expeditions. Chronicle books is an independent publisher offering bestselling books, childrens books, stationery, and gifts. So started a lifelong fascination with san franciscos streetcars that eventually led to laubscher playing a key role in the creation of a vintage trolley line through the heart of the city. When i started digging into the history of our streetcars, it was hard to find information in one place. He worked as a broadcast reporter in san francisco, then as a corporate executive, where he began his advocacy for vintage streetcar service.
Cables were prone to snapping, sometimes causing dangerous accidents on the steep san francisco hills. Feb 12, 2015 here are some classics of san francisco history books worth a trip to green apple to find a copy. Market street railway online store welcome to our nonprofits online store. View all hotels near city lights booksellers on tripadvisor. The streetcars pulled by horse or mule on rails improved the comfort, speed and efficiency of operations as there is less rolling resistance on a rail in comparison to roads. Is it time to get rid of san franciscos historic streetcars. This includes the variety of vintage cars originally from other cities used on the market street line. Lyon witnessed and photographed the transformation of san francisco into a center for optimism, posterity.
In the early 1980s, san francisco maintained a system of both cable cars and streetcars. Swett also began publishing books which he called interurbans specialson the history of a particular streetcar. Museums in motion market street railway we keep san. This book is a photographic essay of san franciscos magnificent streetcars along with its historic cable cars and hill climbing trolley coaches. Pdf download san franciscos magnificent streetcars free. The streetcars of san francisco by schwarz, frederic d. San francisco cable car system news newspapers books scholar jstor april. List of books and articles about san francisco history. After the damage from the 1906 earthquake and fire, san francisco street cars started to replace the cable cars. Maintaining high aesthetic standards and calling on limitless personal energy, bill pulled together a workforce that functioned as a family, and was a prime nurturing force in san franciscos burgeoning scene. The generation of thirdwave russian san franciscans, whove experienced both life in the soviet union and the san francisco tech booms, congregate at eateries like the red tavern.
Freeway birding, interstate 5 from san francisco to seattle. Naturally, we decided to compile some of the more interesting historical tidbits behind the citys street names. An excellent pictorial survey of the maritime history of san francisco bay and the. Market street railway online store market street railway. Opened on october 6, 1935, it presently comprises 15 lines, and is operated by the san francisco municipal railway, commonly known as muni or the muni, with around 300 trolleybuses. San franciscos magnificent streetcars history books. An icon of san francisco, the cable car system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the san francisco municipal railway. Streetcars of san francisco offer a fun ride sfgate. Even though the system was certainly an improvement over horsecar, the first cable cars were quite unsafe. The citys original street grid, which extends from the san francisco bay. Sand dunes to streetcars kindle edition by fuller, harry. In 1869, andrew smith hallidie had the idea for a cable car system in san francisco, reportedly after witnessing an accident in which a streetcar drawn by horses over wet cobblestones slid backwards, killing the horses. He has a vested interest in rail history, as his father was a trolley car motorman in philadelphia, and his grandfather was a motorman in washington, dc. Click the buttons above to see all our online offerings in various merchandise categories, or to access your online shopping cart.
San francisco streetcars lines, map, times and price. Jan 04, 2017 the stories behind san francisco s street names. And their accordion door openings make a beautiful first impression. Aug 19, 2015 during 2000, the f line was extended to fishermans wharf and has become one of the most successful streetcar lines in the united states. Jul 30, 2016 once upon a time, san francisco was crawling with streetcars. This collection of information, located on the internet and organized roughly by year, will clarify some of the most interesting parts. Includes a thorough pictorial history of san francisco. The streetcars of san francisco are a direct line to the past. City lights booksellers san francisco 2020 all you need. He falls in love with a girl while giving her a routine dental exam, and its essentially a tale of two. How to ride san franciscos historic streetcar free tours by foot. San francisco is a joyous, poignant and occasionally sombre record of the citys lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, taken from an extraordinary archive. Where the streetcars used to go allows history buffs to retrace.
But san franciscos historic streetcars, along the f. This photographic essay covers the colorful history of san franciscos streetcars and cable cars. Perched atop hills and filledin marshland at the entrance to one of the pacifics largest natural harbors, san francisco has had an outsized influence on the history of california and the. Trolleys, streetcars and traction 36 books goodreads. The fillmore represented the pinnacle of creative music making in the late 1960s. Nov 10, 2015 some views of muni san francisco s f line running along market street and the embarcadero. The first successful cableoperated street running train was the clay street hill railroad, which opened on august 2, 1873. Jan 08, 20 an amazing collection of old pccs and trams from milan model. University of california, san francisco collection. And thanks to the new interactive map where the streetcars used to go, history buffs can retrace their historic routes without leaving. Some views of muni san francisco s f line running along market street and the embarcadero. San franciscos magnificent streetcars america through time.
A fleet history of the san francisco municipal railway. Books market street railway we keep san franciscos. The complicated history of russians in san francisco. San franciscos historic streetcars sometimes called trolleys or trams and the worldfamous cable cars form a steel triangle of rails that bring riders to such destinations as fishermans wharf, union square, the castro district, chinatown, nob hill, jackson square, north beach, telegraph hill, and coit tower. How to ride san franciscos historic streetcar free. Even those who have lived in san francisco for years know surprisingly little about the citys intriguing past.