Market Street Railwaytag:streetcar.org,2008-07-18://102010-09-02T19:49:49ZMovable Type Pro 4.2-enMarketStreetRailwayhttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with GoogleSubscribe with Live.comF is for Fifteen: Happy Birthday, F-line!tag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7452010-09-02T01:08:30Z2010-09-02T19:49:49Zhttp://www.messagesmith.com
<div class="photo-right" style="width:280px"><img alt="1995F-lineOpenParade090105.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/09/1995F-lineOpenParade090105-thumb-280x189.jpg" class="mt-image-right" height="189" width="280" /></div>
<p>Today, September 1, 2010, marks the 15th birthday of the permanent F-line. On this date in 1995, regular service began on the line between Transbay Terminal and Castro Street. It was the culmination of more than a dozen years of advocacy and action by Market Street Railway to restore traditional streetcars to Market Street following the opening of Muni Metro, which moved the J, K, L, M, and N lines from the surface of Market into a new subway.</p>
<p>The F-line continued a tradition of rail transit on the surface of Market Street that has now <a href="http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/america-234-market-street-rail-150.html">stretched a century and a half</a>. As soon as it opened, the new F-line immediately doubled the ridership of the 8-Market bus line it replaced.</p>
<p>This shot of the September 1, 1995 opening parade shows the popular Blackpool, England <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/228/">“boat tram”</a> in the lead, followed by a group of then newly-restored streamliner PCC streetcars, interspersed with Muni’s own historic trams. The “boat” had run in the 1980s <a href="http://streetcar.org/about/history.html">Trolley Festivals</a> that provided the proof of concept for the F-line, often piloted by motorman Walt Thomsen, who is at the tiller for the opening parade as well, assisting Mayor Frank Jordan. (Sadly, Walt passed away unexpectedly recently.)</p>
<p>What you don’t see in this picture are Milan trams. Muni had only one of the orange Italian trams at the time, but soon bought 10 more as ridership overwhelmed the original PCC fleet.</p>
<p>An extension to the Ferry Building and Fisherman’s Wharf opened in 2000. The rest, as they say, is history. It is America’s most popular traditional streetcar line, and still growing in popularity.</p>
<p><a href="http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/09/f-is-for-fifteen-happy-birthday-f-line.html#comments">Comments on this post »</a></p>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/oRoL-pX9L0Y" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/09/f-is-for-fifteen-happy-birthday-f-line.htmlPier 70 Development: Streetcars Included?tag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7442010-08-31T03:13:39Z2010-09-02T22:27:37ZThe Monday Chronicle lays out an impressive potential future for Pier 70 on the Central Waterfront. What the article describes (accurately) as “the most intact 19th century industrial complex west of the Mississippi River” is being pitched by the city...Rick Laubscher, Market Street Railwayhttp://www.messagesmith.com
<p>The Monday <i>Chronicle</i> lays out an <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/30/BAU31F4M6P.DTL">impressive potential future</a> for Pier 70 on the Central Waterfront. What the article describes (accurately) as “the most intact 19th century industrial complex west of the Mississippi River” is being pitched by the city as a new and very attractive home for high-tech businesses. Mayor Newsom calls the 69-acre bayside site “an extraordinary asset that is vastly underappreciated.”<div class="photo-right" style="width:260px"><img alt="Pier 70 roll sign.JPG" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/Pier%2070%20roll%20sign-thumb-260x346.jpg" class="mt-image-right" height="346" width="260" /></div>We think so too. That’s why we have consistently advocated Pier 70 as the ultimate terminal for the future E-Embarcadero line (with Muni agreeing to at least keep the option open by including it on vintage streetcar roll signs).</p>
<p>It wouldn’t happen right away, mind you. First off, Muni needs to start up the initial operation of the E-line from Fourth and King to Fisherman’s Wharf. Everything needed to do that is ready, except enough streetcars, which should be ready by the end of 2011. Second, Muni must complete the streetcar terminal loop on Third, 18th, Illinois, and 19th Streets.</p>
<p>As you can see in the Google Earth view below, which looks southeast (click to enlarge), the expensive parts — the switches and crossings on Third Street — are already done, along with most of the track on 18th (at left) and 19th (at right) Streets. Only the curves onto and off of Illinois, along with the block of track on Illinois itself, need to be installed.</p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:260px"><a href="http://streetcar.org/uploads/18th%20Illinois%20turnaround2.jpg"><img alt="18th Illinois turnaround2.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/18th%20Illinois%20turnaround2-thumb-260x280.jpg" class="mt-image-left" height="280" width="260" /></a></div>
<p>A protracted dispute with the Port of San Francisco, which wanted Muni to pay a million dollars in exchange for the right to take over that abandoned freight track on Illinois that would never be used again anyway (true story, but for another time), has kept the loop uncompleted to date. </p>
<p>When completed, this track loop is intended in part as a possible terminal for LRVs to use after the Central Subway opens, either for subway line short turns, or for extending one of the Market Street Subway lines down The Embarcadero and the T-line right-of-way to provide extra service to Mission Bay, should demand grow to the point where that’s needed.</p>
<p>But the loop could be also be used by E-line streetcars, which would then provide single-car direct service that connects virtually every major waterfront attraction in the northern half of the city: Pier 70, Mission Bay, China Basin, AT&T Park, South Beach, Hills Plaza, the Ferry Building, the Exploratorium at Pier 15, the cruise ship terminal, the Alcatraz ferry, Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, and (when the line is extended as planned) Aquatic Park, Ghirardelli Square, Municipal Pier, and Fort Mason (whew!).</p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:260px"><a href="http://streetcar.org/uploads/Pier%2070%20building.JPG"><img alt="Pier 70 building.JPG" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/Pier%2070%20building-thumb-260x195.jpg" class="mt-image-right"
height="195" width="260" /></a></div>
<p>The Pier 70 site has plenty of streetcar history, too. More than 50 Muni streetcars were built here. </p>
<p>Most of Muni’s first streetcar order was constructed in 1913 at the old Union Iron Works (whose headquarters building still stands at Pier 70, pictured right). So were a batch of Muni streetcars built in 1923 at the old Bethlehem Shipyards, which succeeded Union Iron Works at the Pier 70 site. </p>
<p>During World War I, Muni’s competitor, United Railroads, built a big streetcar terminal near the site of the loop to accommodate the flood of shipyard workers at Pier 70. During World War II, our namesake, Market Street Railway, extended streetcar service down a converted freight track to serve Pier 70 directly.</p>
<p>Challenges certainly face any would-be developers of Pier 70, starting with a 150-year legacy of toxic substances used on the site that must be cleaned up, and decrepit buildings and piers needing major seismic work.</p>
<p>At the same time, there’s no question that historic streetcar service to this most historic industrial complex would be very appealing to the tech companies — and their workers — the Mayor hopes to attract. We hope the city’s development team will include an E-line terminal in their plans.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/IjA_ZHiASz0" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/08/pier-70-development-streetcars-included.htmlSnug as a Bug in a Rugtag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7432010-08-27T06:26:46Z2010-08-27T15:44:10ZThe protective shed for vintage streetcars is almost done at Geneva Division. Today, the first streetcar, No. 1010, ventured inside to serve as a locator for the “track skates,” permanent wheel blocks to be welded to the tracks to keep...http://www.messagesmith.com
<p>The protective shed for vintage streetcars is almost done at Geneva Division. Today, the first streetcar, <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/1010/">No. 1010</a>, ventured inside to serve as a locator for the “track skates,” permanent wheel blocks to be welded to the tracks to keep a car from running into the wall. The “torpedoes” like No. 1010 have the longest overhang in the vintage fleet, so they’re the model. </p>
<p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="1010_New Geneva Shed_082610.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/CIMG0828-thumb-560x372.jpg" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0pt auto 20px;" height="372" width="560" /></span>Muni historic streetcar supervisor Karl Johnson’s comment is apt: “The building kind of overwhelms the car.” True enough, but at the same time, the car looks as snug as a bug in a rug.</p>
<p>We’ll let you know when the new Geneva Carhouse is open for business.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/ZlapZ4RyVN8" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/08/snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug.htmlBack to Milan's Past for the Futuretag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7422010-08-23T04:42:10Z2010-08-27T15:48:31ZWhen the first “Peter Witt” designed trams appeared in Milan, Italy, in 1928, they were painted a most attractive golden yellow with black and white trim. Within a couple of years, they were all repainted two-tone green and stayed that...http://www.messagesmith.com
<p>When the first “Peter Witt” designed trams appeared in Milan, Italy, in 1928, they were painted a most attractive golden yellow with black and white trim. Within a couple of years, they were all repainted two-tone green and stayed that way until the 1970s, when the “Ventottos” (“28’s,” for the year they first appeared) became solid orange. All ten of the trams Muni bought from Milan arrived in solid orange in the late 1990s (as did No. 1834, which came for the Trolley Festivals in the 1980s).</p>
<p>At the suggestion of Market Street Railway, Muni’s great streetcar paint shop, headed by Carole Gilbert, painted one Milan in each of the earlier liveries several years ago, 1811 in yellow and 1818 in green. Now, again at our urging, Muni has taken the next step toward evening out the Milan fleet among the three historic paint schemes. </p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:260px"><img alt="1807_yellow_livery_Geneva_0810.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/1807_yellow_livery_Geneva_0810-thumb-260x165.jpg" class="mt-image-left" height="165" width="260" /></div>
<p>No. 1807 emerged from the paint shop a few days ago resplendent in the original yellow livery. No. 1888 was repainted in the two tone green last month. Both trams needed extensive repainting anyway following accident repair.</p>
<p>Market Street Railway hopes that more Milan trams will receive these handsome older liveries as they require repainting until the fleet is divided nearly equally among the three liveries.</p>
<p>By the way, No. 1807 is expected to return to service fairly soon; No. 1888 still needs electrical and other work. <br /><br />Thanks to Peter Ehrlich for the photo.<br /> <div><br /></div></p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/jzk5SN_VjyI" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/08/back-to-milans-past-for-the-future.htmlThe "N" is Near!tag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7412010-08-22T04:41:58Z2010-08-24T18:16:45ZFor most of the historic streetcar fleet, that is. (Apologies to Greg Dewar of the N-Judah Chronicles for stealing his great line.)A recent dead-of-night test could lead to the end of the blanket ban of all historic streetcars from the...http://www.messagesmith.com
For most of the historic streetcar fleet, that is. (Apologies to Greg Dewar of the <a href="http://www.njudahchronicles.com/">N-Judah Chronicles</a> for stealing his great line.)<br /><br />A recent dead-of-night test could lead to the end of the blanket ban of all historic streetcars from the N-line west of Arguello Boulevard. The ban was put into place more than a decade ago when one of the widest historic streetcars hit the wheelchair boarding ramp where the eastbound tracks turn from Judah Street onto Ninth Avenue. (The ramp was misdesigned, but not cheap to fix now that it's in).<br /><br />Even though it was clear that the skinniest vintage streetcars (such as the Milan trams and the 1050-class PCCs) would not hit that boarding island, Muni operations made the ban absolute. Now, though, there is a chance that could change, after recent tests were run one night after regular N-line Breda service ended. The two PCCs involved were from the 1070 class, <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/1076/">DC Transit No. 1076</a> and <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/1077/">Birmingham Electric No. 1077</a>. This class of cars has the same nine foot wide body shell as Muni's old "Baby Ten" class (of which <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/1040/">No. 1040</a> is now nearing the completion of its restoration).<br /><br /><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://streetcar.org/uploads/WeastPortalSunset.jpg"><img alt="WestPortalSunset.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/WeastPortalSunset-thumb-560x371.jpg" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0pt auto 20px;" height="371" width="560" /></a></span>Ace photographer Kevin Sheridan took these great pics of the test. Above, in a moody black and white shot, the two PCCs emerge onto Carl Street from the Sunset Tunnel, with No. 1077 having backed up all the way from Duboce Avenue. They then ran nose-to-nose like this along Carl Street, switching over to the other track at the crossover near Arguello Boulevard, and proceeded to Ninth and Judah, where both streetcars (one facing each way) cleared the boarding island and ramp. At that point, they went back to Arguello, where No. 1076 made the circuit of the outer N-line to the terminal at Ocean Beach, just to make sure. The photo below shows No. 1077 on the Judah right-of-way at Tenth Avenue, right after completing its clearance test.<br /><br /><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://streetcar.org/uploads/10th%26Judah.jpg"><img alt="10th&Judah.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/10th&Judah-thumb-560x369.jpg" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0pt auto 20px;" height="369" width="560" /></a></span>This clearance test means that only the widest PCCs, the <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/1006/">seven double-end "torpedoes</a>," actually are unsuitable for N-line service, along with the two widest vintage cars, Muni Nos. <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/130/">130</a> and <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/162/">162</a> (ironic, since these two streetcars were stalwarts on the N-line for decades, before the boarding islands and ramps, of course). Some one-of-a-kind streetcars in the fleet, such as the <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/228/">"boat tram,"</a> should clear the N-line, given their dimensions, but have not specifically been tested. <br /><br />Market Street Railway will now formally request that Muni authorize the streetcars proven to clear the Ninth and Judah boarding island for charter and special service on the N-line. As soon as that is done, Market Street Railway will schedule a members-only charter there. We're also hoping that as resources allow, Muni would conduct additional tests for any streetcar type that's still questionable. At the top of that list: 1912 streetcar <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/1/">No. 1</a>, which, like No. 1040, is now nearing completion of its restoration process.<br /><br />Except for the Market Street subway, the J, K, L, M, N, and T lines are supposed to be operable by Muni's entire streetcar fleet, including the vintage cars. The misdesigned boarding island has kept vintage cars from being shared with neighbors of the N-line on special occasions, just as a misdesigned piece of overhead wire work has precluded the vintage cars from operating over (and south of) the Islais Creek Bridge on the T-line. Market Street Railway would like to see that fixed as well, so that vintage streetcars could make special appearances on Third Street for Bayview and Visitacion Valley neighbors as part of Muni's Centennial celebration in 2012.<br /><br />Thanks to Kevin for these great pictures.<br /><br /><i>UPDATE: We have learned from Muni that the specific reason for the clearance test was to see whether the 1070-class PCCs could be tested on the N-line after they return from <a href="http://streetcar.org/blog/2009/08/pcc-streetcar-restoration-moves-forward.html">renovation at Brookville Equipment Company</a> in Pennsylvania. (The first of the 11 cars in this class, San Diego No. <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/1078/">1078 </a>should be complete and back in San Francisco by October; the rest will come over the following year; 1076 and 1077 are still in service and haven't left for renovation yet.) <br /><br />The F-line maintenance team feels the N-line is optimal for such testing because it offers a long stretch of steady-speed running (the Sunset Tunnel)</i> <i>plus a long street stretch without much traffic (outer Judah Street). <br /><br />The test was not done specifically to see whether charters are possible; that's an SFMTA policy decision. Market Street Railway has formally requested charter authorization for historic streetcars that meet clearances on Judah Street. We'll let you know what we hear. Meantime, the possibility has already gotten some community support and <a href="http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Test-run-puts-Muni-line-in-charter-territory-101356934.html">media attention</a>.</i><br />
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/8Z26r3rT6zk" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/08/the-n-is-near.htmlInformation Gladly Given, Period.tag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7402010-08-21T00:31:21Z2010-08-21T00:43:36ZTens of thousands of San Francisco commuters have probably taken a few moments to ponder this simple statement, which has been posted near the operator's station of every Muni bus and streetcar since the early 1960s: INFORMATION GLADLY GIVEN, BUT...http://www.messagesmith.com
Tens of thousands of San Francisco commuters have probably taken a few moments to ponder this simple statement, which has been posted near the operator's station of every Muni bus and streetcar since the early 1960s: <i>INFORMATION GLADLY GIVEN, BUT SAFETY REQUIRES AVOIDING UNNECESSARY CONVERSATION.</i><br /><br />The message is simultaneously friendly and forbidding, inviting yet indifferent, personable yet coldly professional.<i><br /><br /></i>And now, you can wear it.<br /><br /><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><a href="http://streetcar.org/uploads/Information%20tee.jpg"><img alt="Information tee.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/Information%20tee-thumb-560x420.jpg" class="mt-image-center" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0pt auto 20px;" height="420" width="560" /></a></span><br />Printed on a 4.5-ounce preshrunk cotton Hanes Contemporary Fit tee, Market Street Railway's
"Information Gladly Given" shirt sets clear expectations on the street,
in the workplace, or during uncomfortable visits with estranged
relatives. You can pick one up, in small, medium, large, and extra large, while they last, at our <a href="http://www.streetcar.org/museum">San Francisco Railway Museum</a>, or at our <a href="http://streetcar.org/store/information-t-shirt.html">online store</a>. <br />
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/qP6ZImFFs90" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/08/information-gladly-given-period.htmlMeet Me in St. Louis...tag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7392010-08-12T20:21:14Z2010-08-13T01:44:34Zhttp://www.messagesmith.com
<p>…for a streetcar ride. Maybe.</p>
<p>Once one of the nation’s great streetcar cities, St. Louis has installed one light rail line, and is now the recipient of $25 million in federal bucks to start a traditional streetcar line. <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/business/article_19a93293-77db-570c-b3ac-a720bea8bf14.html">This article</a>, originally in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has all the details, starting with a comparison to the <i>ne plus ultra</i> of such streetcar operations, Muni’s F-line.</p>
<p>The $25 mil St. Louis scored from the feds was matched by similar-sized grants for traditional streetcar systems in Charlotte, Dallas, Fort Worth, Cincinnati, and New Orleans (by “traditional,” we mean either vintage-type streetcars [authentic or replica] or modern Portland-type streetcars of European design, as opposed to Big Bredas like Muni’s). All the grants share a goal articulated by an Obama Administration official in the article.</p></p>
<blockquote><p>“Streetcars are making a comeback because cities across America
are recognizing that they can restore economic development downtown
— giving citizens the choice to move between home, shopping and
entertainment without ever looking for a parking space,” said Peter
Rogoff, administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. “These
streetcar … projects will not only create construction jobs now,
they will aid our recovery by creating communities with the
potential to be more prosperous and less congested.”</p></blockquote>
<p>The article also quotes SFMTA’s Nat Ford as estimating F-line peak ridership at 24,000 daily, a new high in Muni estimates. Ford is also cited as saying that streetcars do more for economic development than buses. </p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:280px"><img alt="1704_StFrancisCircle_1983.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/1704_StFrancisCircle_1983-thumb-280x224.jpg" class="mt-image-left" height="224" width="280" /><p>St. Louis streetcar no. 1704 at St. Francis Circle in 1983</p></div>
<p>As many know, St. Louis was the streetcar manufacturing center of North America in the first half of the 20th century. All of the streamlined vintage “PCC” streetcars in Muni’s fleet today were built by the long-gone St. Louis Car Company. </p>
<p>And, hey, if that city really wants to do it right, they can find all the rolling stock they need, made by their own residents, run by their own transit company, right in their own backyard. (The PCC streetcars <a href="http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/03/the-odd-story-of-the.html">mentioned in this earlier post</a> were all built in 1946 by St. Louis Car Co. and were operated by St. Louis Public Service (the transit company there) until they were sold to Muni in 1957.)</p>
<p>Muni still owns 12 of these ex-St. Louis streetcars, all in storage. (Check the <a href="http://streetcar.org/streetcars/roster.html">complete list here</a>, scrolling down to “1100 class.”) One of these, pictured above, was restored to its original St. Louis Public Service paint scheme and car number and used in the Trolley Festivals of the 1980s. Full restoration would be needed before any in this group of stored cars could return to service today. Market Street Railway would like to see at least one of these bright red beauties join Muni’s vintage fleet in the future. They are well remembered by many.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/fmo3_1BDFCU" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/08/meet-me-in-st-louis-2.html"Parting Thoughts:" The Final Act at the Transbay Terminaltag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7372010-08-10T14:55:00Z2010-08-10T18:00:10Z12:15 a.m., Saturday, August 7th, AC Transit 4088 running on the Route O bound for Alameda left the Transbay Transit Terminal for the final time. This concluded 71 years of continuous operation of the terminal. 4088 rolled off the ramp...Kevin Sheridan
<p>12:15 a.m., Saturday, August 7th, AC Transit 4088 running on the Route O bound for Alameda left the Transbay Transit Terminal for the final time. This concluded 71 years of continuous operation of the terminal. 4088 rolled off the ramp where the likes of Key System Bridge Units, IER “Blimps”, and Sacramento Northern Interurbans once plied. One Frank Zepeda said, “Savor the Moment,” as our small group of transit fans walked out the door onto the Mission Street loop and said good bye.</p>
<p>Some might say that the terminal’s replacement is long overdue, that the old building is past its prime and has become an eyesore to the surrounding area. But with its demolition goes its soul, and with the passing of its soul goes a historic piece of the Bridge Railway. If one were to look past the pigeons, the homeless, and the grime, it was possible to catch a short glimpse of what life was like before the automobile became the primary mode of transportation. For transbay commuters this was at onetime the grand entrance to San Francisco.</p>
<p>So as the curtain falls, let’s take a look at the final day of operation at First and Mission. A tired face in front of the former Gray Line ticket office tells the story all by itself.</p>
<div class="photo-wide" style="width:512px"><img alt="Thumbnail image for GreyLine.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/GreyLine-thumb-512x355.jpg" class="mt-image-none" style="" height="355" width="512" /></div>
<p>As the afternoon rush gets underway, commuters begin to make their way through the concourse towards the ramp.</p>
<div class="photo-wide" style="width:512px"><img alt="entrance.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/entrance-thumb-512x308.jpg" class="mt-image-none" style="" height="308" width="512" /></div>
<p>Muni’s GM “New Look” 3287 was brought out for the occasion.</p>
<div class="photo-wide" style="width:512px"><img alt="3287_bridge.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/3287_bridge-thumb-512x339.jpg" class="mt-image-none" style="" height="339" width="512" /></div>
<div class="photo-wide" style="width:512px"><img alt="3287.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/3287-thumb-512x339.jpg" class="mt-image-none" style="" height="339" width="512" /></div>
<p>But as the evening went on, the real reason everyone was there started to shine through the cracks. This was the time to take one last look, take one last picture. The final lineup started to take shape as closing time drew closer. Fellow photographer Michael Johannessen captured the last F, and some of the last patrons at midnight.</p>
<div class="photo-wide" style="width:512px"><img alt="Last-F.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/08/Last-F-thumb-512x341.jpg" class="mt-image-none" style="" height="341" width="512" /></div>
<p>By now the show was drawing to an end, and only a few more minutes would pass until the last set of taillights disappeared in the darkness and the stillness set in. The lights were on but nobody was home, even the pigeons vacated the scene. Progress tends to have a way of erasing history, so as one chapter ends another begins. But truth be told, the memories will last and I’m sure the stories will continue to be told. Because anyone who ever walked through those halls can tell you, Transbay was quite the experience.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/udHBbnisfkE" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/08/parting-toughts-the-final-act-at-the-transbay-terminal.htmlPhoto of the Month: Upon Reflectiontag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7342010-07-28T18:50:00Z2010-07-30T05:53:32ZKevin Sheridan photo. We’ve occasionally been featuring photos from our current Museums in Motion calendar as our “photo of the month”, but this month will be a little different. Our photo this month comes from June of our 2011 calendar,...Jamison Wieser
<div class="photo-wide" style="width:512px"><img alt="2011-07-kevin-reflection.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/2011-07-kevin-reflection.jpg" width="512" height="320" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p>Kevin Sheridan photo.</p></div>
<p>We’ve occasionally been featuring photos from our current Museums in Motion calendar as our “photo of the month”, but this month will be a little different. Our photo this month comes from June of our 2011 calendar, which has just been finalized and sent off for printing. </p>
<p>Kevin Sheridan captured this reflection of Los Angeles streetcar no. 1052 on the future E-line right-of-way on The Embarcadero near Howard Street, with the Bay Bridge in the background. When the additional streetcars now under renovation return to Muni and operating funding is identified, the E-Embarcadero line will make historic streetcars an everyday sight between the Ferry Building and the Ballpark.</p>
<p>Our annual calendar is an important fundraiser for our non-profit organization and an important <a href="http://streetcar.org/join/">thank you to our members</a>, without whom Market Street Railway wouldn’t exist. I am especially proud of how well next year’s calendar turned out, so you can expect to hear—and see—much more soon. If you are a Merchant and interested in carrying the calendar in your store, please contact John Hogan at the <a href="http://streetcar.org/museum/">San Francisco Railway Museum</a> by calling 1 (415) 974-1948.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/PdgEVQz92kE" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/photo-of-the-month-upon-reflection.htmlLast Tour at Transbay Terminaltag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7352010-07-28T04:59:41Z2010-07-30T05:50:50Zhttp://www.messagesmith.com
<p>The public is invited to take one last look around Transbay Terminal this Friday. The formidable ediface, which started life as a modern (and <i>Moderne</i>) home for trains from three different companies and is finishing it as a forlorn bus shed, was built by the State of California as a terminal for trains crossing the Bay Bridge from the East Bay and beyond — as far as Chico on the old Sacramento Northern.</p>
<p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="commemoration_header2.jpg.png" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/07/commemoration_header2.jpg-thumb-550x260.png" class="mt-image-center" style="margin: 0pt auto 20px; text-align: center; display: block;" height="260" width="550" /></span></p>
<p>They built it…but they did not come, at least in terms of adequate numbers of passengers on the long distance interurban trains. Within a couple of years, only the Key System was still running trains across the bridge, and by the late 1950s, that ended too, as the lower deck of the Bay Bridge was converted to accommodate the burgeoning suburban automobile count. Since then, AC Transit buses have been the predominant tenant.</p>
<p><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img alt="commemoration_image 3.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/07/commemoration_image%203-thumb-280x213.jpg" class="mt-image-right" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 20px 20px; float: right;" height="213" width="280" /></span></p>
<p>Streetcars ran to the front door of the Transbay Terminal, too — three tracks in front, serving both Muni and the old Market Street Railway. On opening day for streetcars to Transbay, the confusion caused by splitting the terminal between the Ferry Building and Transbay created what is arguably the greatest traffic jam in Market Street history. The last streetcar, on the F-line, ran in 2000, just before the line was extended back to the Ferry Building and on to Fisherman’s Wharf.</p>
<p>To mark the closing of Transbay Terminal and its replacement with what backers envision as something like “Grand Central Station-West,” Caltrans has organized public tours this Friday, July 30, at 12 Noon and 1, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. Meet at the ground floor entrance on Mission Street between First and Fremont Streets. They promise a behind-the-scenes look at areas that have been closed off, including Cuddles Bar, the shoe shine shop, and the Terminal jail. Click <a href="http://transbaycenter.org/">here</a> for more information on the new Transbay Center. </p>
<p>UPDATE: Carl Nolte’s great Sunday Chronicle column, “Native Son,” <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/25/MN091EIJFB.DTL">has now been posted online</a>, with lots of detail, including an interview with Market Street Railway member Grant Ute.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/ws2lSXcFgH0" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/last-tour-at-transbay-terminal.htmlStorage & Link: Tale of Two Photographerstag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7332010-07-23T05:39:25Z2010-07-23T17:36:16ZOur 2011 calendar has just gone to the printer. We should have them in stock at our San Francisco Railway Museum around Labor Day. One of our best contributors over the years is Market Street Railway member Bill Storage, who...Rick Laubscher, Market Street Railwayhttp://www.messagesmith.com
<p>Our 2011 calendar has just gone to the printer. We should have them in stock at our San Francisco Railway Museum around Labor Day. One of our best contributors over the years is Market Street Railway member Bill Storage, who takes fantastic night shots in particular.</p>
<div align="left"><span class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;"><img src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/07/1403401727_8350cf24df-thumb-331x500.jpg" alt="1403401727_8350cf24df.jpg" class="mt-image-left" style="margin: 0pt 20px 20px 0pt; float: left;" height="500" width="331" /></div>
<p>In Bill’s photo blog, “<a href="http://theeyegame.com/2010/07/09/market-street-railway-part-2/">The Eye Game</a>,” he describes what went into some of his distinctive historic transit shots, like this one of a California Street cable car. It’s well worth a read, even for non-shutterbugs.<br /><br />In this era of digital photography where the governing mantra seems to be, “No problem, we’ll fix it in Photoshop,” Bill demonstrates a dedication to traditional methods, including the use of old-fashioned flashbulbs, sometimes in multiple arrays, to get just the right lighting effect. Bill’s photography makes scenes we’ve seen over and over again look fantastically fresh. A rare gift.<br /><br />Bill’s work is reminiscent to me of a man I consider the greatest railroad photographer of all time. His name was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._Winston_Link">O. Winston Link</a> and he chronicled the dying days of steam on the Norfolk & Western Railroad. He died in 2001. Three years later, a <a href="http://www.linkmuseum.org/collection.html#headline">museum celebrating his photography</a> opened in Roanoke, Virginia.</p>
<p><form mt:asset-id="1884" class="mt-enclosure mt-enclosure-image" style="display: inline;" contenteditable="false"><img src="http://streetcar.org/assets_c/2010/07/HAWKSB%7E1-thumb-315x388.jpg" alt="HAWKSB~1.jpg" class="mt-image-right" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 20px 20px; float: right;" height="388" width="315" /></span></p>
<p>Link was a commercial photographer with an affinity for trains. When he heard that the N&W, the last large scale user of steam locomotives, was converting to diesel in the 1950s, he launched a project to capture some of the magic of steam. But he went so far beyond the “three-quarter view” of the vehicle itself to capture slices of America - admittedly posed - that could be described as the photographic equivalents of Norman Rockwell paintings.</p>
<p>Such photos as the 1956 <i>Hawksbill Creek Swimming Hole, </i>shown here, are masterpieces of lighting, with dozens of flashbulbs arrayed just to illuminate the kids in the pond at the precise moment the steam locomotive thunders by on the trestle. No motor drive: one shot only.</p>
<p>Some of Link’s best work is captured in the 2000 book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0810982013?ie=UTF8&tag=streetcar-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0810982013">The Last Steam Railroad in America</a>.</i> (If you decide to buy, following this link will earn Market Street Railway a commission from Amazon.com)</p>
<p><a href="http://linkmuseum.pastperfect-online.com/">The more you look at Link’s work</a>, mostly black and white but some color too, the more evocative it becomes, even if you’re not a railfan.</p>
<p>That’s another thing Bill Storage has in common with the great Link: the ability to put transportation vehicles into a living context, make them seem like an integrated part of their environment, rather than something apart. That’s what we try to do in our calendar every year as well. We’ll post here the moment it’s available at the museum and at our <a href="http://streetcar.org/store/">online store</a>.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/S6baliPFkT0" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/storage-link-tale-of-two-photographers.htmlThe Original BART Logotag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7322010-07-20T23:38:04Z2010-07-20T23:51:54Z In today’s news roundup at Streetsblog SF we spotted this, the original BART logo circa 1958. The image comes to us courtesy Eric Fischer, who’s flickr stream is full of bay area transit gems old maps and early BART...
<p><div class="photo-wide" style="width: 512px"><img alt="Original BART logo" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/bart-logo.png" width="512" height="284" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></div></p>
<p>In today’s <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/07/20/todays-headlines-377/">news roundup at Streetsblog SF</a> we spotted this, the original BART logo circa 1958. The image comes to us courtesy <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/">Eric Fischer</a>, who’s flickr stream is full of bay area transit gems old maps and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157622518181915/">early BART plans</a>.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/uFBS7yXJ3iA" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/the-original-bart-logo.htmlSpeaking of Miniatures...tag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7302010-07-14T01:48:43Z2010-07-21T00:02:45Zhttp://www.messagesmith.com
<p>We posted yesterday about a <a href="http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/milan-tram-in-miniature.html">photographic technique</a> that makes real-life scenes look like minutely detailed miniatures. Well, why have fake fakes when you can have real fakes? (Ease up, modelers — just kidding!) </p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width: 240px"><a href="http://streetcar.org/uploads/IMG_5086.JPG"><img alt="model-pcc-pacificelectric.png" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/model-pcc-pacificelectric.png" width="240" height="180" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></a></div>
<p>Seriously, we were impressed with the detail in a couple of photos of a portable HO gauge streetcar layout displayed at the <a href="http://oerm.org/">Orange Empire Railway Museum</a> in Riverside County a few weeks back. They come to us from Market Street Railway member Bob Davis.</p>
<p>The photo at left shows a detailed Bowser model of F-line streetcar No. 1061, honoring Southern California’s great Pacific Electric system. The Orange Empire museum has the largest collection of actual preserved Pacific Electric streetcars and interurbans. (We carry these Bowser models at our <a href="http://www.streetcar.org/museum">San Francisco Railway Museum</a>, by the way.)</p>
<div class="photo-right" style="width:240px"><a href="http://streetcar.org/uploads/IMG_5087.JPG"><img alt="model-msry.png" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/model-msry.png" width="240" height="180" class="mt-image-none" style="" /></a></div>
<p>The photo at right shows a model of old Market Street Railway streetcar No. 728, the prototype of which was built for Williamsport, PA by Brill around 1912 and bought second-hand by our namesake in 1935. It’s signed for the 28-line, which connected the Ferry Building to the Southern Pacific depot at Third and Townsend via Howard, Steuart, Folsom, Second, and Brannan Streets. </p>
<p>Highly unlikely there was a “Hamilton Burger District Courthouse” on the old 28-line, though if there’s any justice in the modeling world, Car No. 728 should be operating along Della Street. (Those under 50 may feel free to look up “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Mason_%28TV_series%29">Perry Mason</a>.”)</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/VpYCErUoHuE" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/speaking-of-miniatures.htmlF-line Milan Tram in Miniaturetag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7292010-07-13T01:15:00Z2010-07-14T00:28:57ZRaymond Moreno photo. No, that is not a fantastically detailed scale miniature of the Ferry Terminal. Photographer Raymond Moreno has scaled down one of San Francisco’s real-life streetcars using the tilt-shift photographic technique. Tilt-shift is an increasingly popular effect recently...
<div class="photo-wide" style="width:512px"><img alt="tiltshifted-milan-tram.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/tiltshifted-milan-tram.jpg" width="512" height="360" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/72866633@N00/4740932757/in/set-72157612511801094/">Raymond Moreno photo</a>.</p></div>
<p>No, that is not a fantastically detailed scale miniature of the Ferry Terminal. Photographer Raymond Moreno has scaled down one of San Francisco’s real-life streetcars using the tilt-shift photographic technique. Tilt-shift is an increasingly popular effect recently been featured in several ad campaigns and, as you can see, has the effect of turning real life into a scale model. </p>
<p>“I am always on the look out for photo opportunities that might lend themselves to the tilt-shift treatment. And I have found that views from above lend themselves quite well to this.” says Moreno, who explains how this photo came about, “I was visiting friends from out of town who were staying at the Hyatt at the Embarcadero. Stopping in their room I took the opportunity to wander over to the window facing the Ferry building to look for photo opportunities and there was the wonderful Milan car parked below me.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/72866633@N00/sets/72157612511801094/with/4471294497/">More of Raymond Moreno’s tilt-shifted photography »</a>.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/XjKhI5smPM8" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/milan-tram-in-miniature.htmlThird Street Memoriestag:streetcar.org,2010://10.7162010-07-10T17:40:00Z2010-07-13T01:05:10ZJune 30 marked the three year anniversary of the T-Third Street line opening. We asked Market Street Railway’s historian, Phil Hoffman, to share his personal memories of the old Third Street streetcar operation, along with some history of the lines...
<p><i><strike>June 30 marked the three year anniversary of the T-Third Street line opening.</strike> We asked Market Street Railway’s historian, Phil Hoffman, to share his personal memories of the old Third Street streetcar operation, along with some history of the lines back when it opened in 2007.</i></p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:280px"><img alt="third-01.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/third-01.jpg" width="280" height="230" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p>On the old Islais Creek bridge, Market Street Railway Co. had to share one of its tracks with freight trains. San Francisco Public Library photo.</p></div>
<p>Far from busy Third Street and its two streetcar lines, my childhood was spent in a quiet section of Cow Hollow which was dinky territory—with center-door Municipal Railway E-line cars and the Market Street Railway Co. single truck Fillmore Hill counterbalance. Occasionally I would ride larger streetcars in the Marina, Pacific Heights, or Downtown.</p>
<p>My father, a doctor who made house calls, enlarged my world of transit considerably when he began taking me along on afternoon visits to his Greek and Italian patients in the Bayview District. They were kind, friendly people. “Bring the kid in,” they would say and I would eagerly gobble up the food they offered me, while listening proudly to my father speak to them in their native tongues.</p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:280px"><img alt="third-02.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/third-02.jpg" width="280" height="230" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p>A 15-line streetcar turns onto Broadway from Kearny around 1940. Note the venerable North Beach restaurants Fior D’Italia (still in business, but on Mason Street now) and Vanessi’s. San Francisco Public Library photo.</p></div>
<p>His gift for languages and gentle manner made him beloved by Third Street merchants as well as his patients. They would come and say hello to me while I was waiting for my father in our 1938 Buick Special, and often lingered to greet him when he came back to the car. </p>
<p>I remember Mr. Delanges, a large man with a small goatee, on Quesada Avenue—Esposto, the butcher on Third Street—the foreman of the San Francisco Tallow Works on Evans Avenue—and a number of others who treated us like royalty.</p>
<p>When waiting alone, I always had a Wonder Book on my lap, but the book remained unopened when a high-speed 16-line 941-class car came roaring by. On the drive home, I was also fascinated to see the ex-Williamsport 30-line one-man cars turning at Third & Army. Thanks to my father’s house calls and my growing interest, I became aware of the Third Street lines’ unique features…having their own ‘Third Street El’ over railroad crossings…sharing drawbridges with three railroads…crossing Muni’s E-line three times in the North Beach area…sharing Third Street with cattle on their ‘last roundup’ to the packing houses.</p>
<p>Third Street’s electric era began in 1894 when the first Market Street Railway Co. (MSRy)—owned by Southern Pacific—replaced the 33-year old horse cars. Their 1861 barn at 23rd & Kentucky was known as ‘My Old Kentucky Home’. By 1896, the two Third Street lines were completed. Starting from North Beach or the Ferries, they met at Kearny & Broadway. Continuing down Kearny, the two lines reached Market. Crossing Market, the lines continued down Third, Kentucky, Railroad Avenue, and San Bruno Road to the county line. Early in the 20th Century, Kentucky Street and Railroad Avenue were renamed Third Street, making it the fourth longest street in San Francisco.</p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:280px"><img alt="thirdstreet-sfpl-el.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/thirdstreet-sfpl-el.jpg" width="280" height="230" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p>The ‘Third Street El’ carried streetcars over a series of railroad crossings from 16th Street to Mariposa. It remained open to autos for decades after the streetcars disappeared. San Francisco Public Library photo.</p></div>
<p>Numerous railroad crossings on Third between Mariposa and Fourth severely disrupted schedules, so around 1910, United Railroads built the half-mile ‘Third Street El’ which whisked streetcars over the area. While New York City had its Third Avenue El, San Francisco had its own Third Street El.</p>
<p>One of San Francisco’s largest industries, the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard on the Third Street lines, went to wartime production in 1917 and built a massive streetcar track loop at 20th & Third to handle the shipyard crowds. Originally known as the Union Iron Works, their output had included the battleships Oregon and Ohio, cruisers Olympia and Oakland, ferryboats Berkeley, Fresno, El Paso, and Yosemite. They had also built half of the Municipal Railway’s first streetcar order in 1912, and another twenty cars in 1923. Oddly, all the dash signs until 1946 referred to the company by its original Union Iron Works name.</p>
<p>Under new ownership in 1921, the Third Street lines prospered. Having all the SP Depot business and—despite Prohibition—the North Beach night life crowds, caused the 29-line to be extended from Broadway to Jefferson. In fact, Third became second only to the Mission lines in passengers carried. In 1927, MSRy opened a new commuter line, the 41, running from Market via Second, Brannan, and Third to the SP Depot, then at Third & Townsend Streets. In the early thirties, 25 of MSRy’s fastest cars were assigned to the 16- and 29-lines where they could speed on wide-open outer Third and the Elevated. The end of the cattle drives also helped to make Third a major shopping street with theaters, churches, and its own opera house.</p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:280px"><img alt="thirdstreet-sfpl-bridge.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/thirdstreet-sfpl-bridge.jpg" width="280" height="231" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p>The old Third Street lines used the China Basin drawbridge, still standing today and named for famed baseball slugger Lefty O’Doul. San Francisco Public Library photo.</p></div>
<p>In 1934, after much effort, MSRy got a permit that allowed one-man operation of streetcars. In 1935, many cars were rebuilt for this purpose. In addition, second-hand cars were obtained from East St. Louis and Williamsport. The Kentucky Barn had the distinction of being the only one-man barn in San Francisco.</p>
<p>In 1938, MSRy received a staggering blow—the one-man operating permit was nullified by a court ruling. In order to survive, MSRy had to resort to the one-man bus. The 15- and 16-lines got Sunday buses in June 1940. By 1941, all the ex one-man lines except the 20 and 22 had all or part-time bus service.</p>
<p>About this time, rumblings were heard in City Hall about widening Third Street to lessen the increasing traffic on Bayshore Boulevard, which served as US 101 before the freeway was built. MSRy was happy to cooperate in this program. On the weekend of May 10, 1941, the biggest bus conversion occurred. Third Street lines 15, 16, 29, and 42 were replaced by motor coaches. The oldest barn with the newest cars—Kentucky—was closed. Its cars went to the Geneva Barn (home to today’s F-line fleet), which enabled the retirement of the massive 1600-class of streetcars. To handle the Peninsula SP train commuters on the following Monday, the 20-line cars were extended from the SP Depot up Third and Kearny to Broadway in the peak hours. Cleveland Wrecking Company demolished the Kentucky Barn and made the property their San Francisco office. Thereafter, we had the visual treat of old doorframes, washstands, bathtubs, water closets, and other debris covering the site.</p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:280px"><img alt="thirdstreet-sfpl-visvalley.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/thirdstreet-sfpl-visvalley.jpg" width="280" height="230" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p>There was wide-open streetcar running on the outer end of the 16-line, as here on Bayshore Blvd. in Visitacion Valley. San Francisco Public Library photo.</p></div>
<p>The year 1940 brought deep personal sadness with my father’s untimely death late in the year. Our happy trips to Third Street were over. Although my mother drove out there now and then, my trips with her became infrequent. I only went to see the streetcars. My last trip was a shocker. The roar of the 16-line cars was replaced by the deafening staccato of jackhammers digging up the pavement for track removal. That was the end of Third Street for me for quite awhile.</p>
<p>Some months after Third Street motorization, the wide trackless street, with gas rationing and war, had few autos on it. With war production gearing up, plans were made for partial restoration of Third Street rail service. In April 1943, a new 16-line, running six days a week, ran from the SP Depot over Third, Kearny, Broadway, and Powell to Bay Street—the old 15-line. In May, an extension was made south of the SP Depot over the drawbridge and the ‘Third Street El’ to Mariposa, beyond which the streetcar track had been ripped out. But by connecting to a Santa Fe railroad spur, using hastily erected overhead wire, the 16-line cars were able to reach the former Union Iron Works two blocks south, at 19th Street & Illinois.</p>
<p>To accommodate wartime loads, many former one-man cars had their bulkheads and leather seats removed and replaced by lengthwise seats. In honor of the old Butchertown days, these cars were known as ‘cattlecars’. When I first rode one in 1942, my feet dangled in the air. On my last cattlecar ride in 1948, I was able to plant them firmly on the floor.</p>
<div class="photo-left" style="width:280px"><img alt="third-street-sfpl-e-line.jpg" src="http://streetcar.org/uploads/third-street-sfpl-e-line.jpg" width="280" height="230" class="mt-image-none" style="" /><p>Market Street Railway Co.’s 16-line crossed Muni’s E-Union streetcar line three times in North Beach, including here at Kearny & Columbus. The ornate flatiron building in the center still stands, of course, owned by filmmaker/winemaker Francis Coppola today. San Francisco Public Library photo.</p></div>
<p>The restored 16-line cars ran without number plates and roll signs—just a dash sign reading “Union Iron Works, Broadway and Davis, SP Depot or North Beach”. During my souvenir hunting at the Funston Boneyard—the Sunset District facility where MSRy took old streetcars to die—I acquired a ‘16’ number plate. I decided to make a donation. When idle, the 16-line cars were stored on the Masonic side of the McAllister Barn. Masonic is on an uphill grade, so I was able to pad up to the roof level of car No. 291 and drop the ‘16’ into the roof holder. I later noticed that No. 291 had gone into service. The next day I read in the San Francisco News that it had a run-in with a garbage truck, which required a trip to the Elkton Shops.</p>
<p>With the war’s end, the closing of the shipyards, and the arrival of new buses, the 16-line was a prime candidate for motorization, and closed in 1946. After the last 16-line car pulled in on October 5, the tracks on Third, Kearny, Broadway, and Mason were used for a few weeks by motor-flat work streetcars making nocturnal cable deliveries to the cable car barn.</p>
<p>The rush hour 41-line (later an extension of the F-Stockton) continued to use a block of Third Street on its depot runs from Second & Market. Muni replaced the line with buses in December, 1949. I wasn’t able to ride the last car on Third—the street of cattle drives, drawbridges, and the Third Street El—because I was 3,180 miles east, riding the Third Avenue El!</p>
<p>Today, the faces and places of my childhood memories are gone, but with the cars of the new T-line now running, the dream of vibrant renewal for tired old Third Street should become an exciting reality.</p>
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<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MarketStreetRailway/~4/pRberdZ5LKM" height="1" width="1"/>http://streetcar.org/blog/2010/07/third-street-memories.html