Cable Cars: Made with Love in SF
Earlier this week, we were treated to a tour of the Cable Car Carpentry Shop. Today, we're sharing some of our photographer's great shots and our videographer's take on this little-known corner of Muni.
As we finalize preparations for Muni Heritage Weekend this Saturday and Sunday, the tour was a great way to reflect on all of the planning and craftsmanship that goes into keeping the cable cars and our historic streetcars on the streets.
The carpentry shop is not part of the Cable Car Barn located at Mason and Washington. Instead, this modest-looking workshop is in Dogpatch, near our hard-working Woods Bus Division and so many other SF artisanal shops.
The carpentry shop holds the original blue prints for the cable cars and keeps the refurbishment and manufacturing of the cable cars entirely in San Francisco. We were proud to share the facility with our partners at SFMade to show off the exceptional skills used by the carpenters, painters and other artisans who keep the cable cars operating as a National Historic Landmark.
Only in San Francisco can you see beautifully restored historic vehicles operating in everyday service alongside a modern fleet. But the SFMTA and our non-profit partners, Market Street Railway, take the historic experience one step further for the annual Muni Heritage Weekend. Join us this Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Muni's trolley buses and ride vintage buses and streetcars that are rarely seen on the road.
It is, perhaps, a bit unsettling to see our beloved cable cars in various states of undress. It's also heartening to know that they receive the attention needed to keep them running for generations to come.
