San Francisco

Cable Car Routes

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1948 postcard / collection

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The current cable car network consists of three routes:

powell26 The Powell–Mason (Line 59 or PM) line, follows a common route with the Powell–Hyde line, running north and steeply uphill from a terminal at Powell and Market Streets, before crossing the California Street line at the crest of the hill. Once California Street has been crossed, cars coast downhill, off the cable, for three and a half blocks until the lines split as they turn left onto Jackson Street (as this is one-way, cable cars in the opposite direction use the parallel Washington Street). This line turns North, merges, and continues downhill along Mason Street, briefly half left along Columbus Avenue, and then down Taylor Street to a terminal at Taylor and Bay. This terminus is two blocks south of Fisherman's Wharf and is the closest to Pier 39. As with the Powell–Hyde line, there are manually-powered turntables at each end to reverse the cars. The Powell–Mason line has been in operation since 1888.

hyde_inset The Powell–Hyde (Line 60 or PH) line, follows a common route with the Powell–Mason line, running north and steeply uphill from a terminal at Powell and Market Streets, before crossing the California Street line at the crest of the hill. Once California Street has been crossed, cars coast downhill, off the cable, for three and a half blocks until the lines split as they turn left onto Jackson Street. As this section is one-way, cable cars in the opposite direction use the parallel Washington Street. The cars on this line continue uphill on Jackson/Washington to a crest at Hyde Street. Here the line turns North past the "crooked" Lombard Street, then runs steeply downhill (at 21%, the steepest grade in the cable car system) along Hyde Street, to the Hyde and Beach terminal, which is adjacent to the waterfront at the San Francisco Maritime Museum and Ghirardelli Square. As with the Powell–Mason line, there are manually-powered turntables at each end to reverse the cars. The line was spliced together in 1957 using portions of the O'Farrell, Jones & Hyde line and the Washington–Jackson line. Because this line offers iconic views of Alcatraz Island, passes Lombard Street and terminates near popular tourist destinations, it is the most popular with tourists and often has long waits to board.

california_inset The California Street (Line 61 or C) line runs east and west on California Street from a terminal at California and Market Streets, close to the famed Embarcadero to Van Ness Avenue. The California Street cable cars use double-ended cars with "grip" levers at either end of the longer cars which are operated in each direction without the cars being turned at the ends of the line, where the double tracks converge into a single "stub-end" track. The line once ran a much longer distance from Presidio Avenue to Market Street but service west of Van Ness Avenue was discontinued in 1954. Calls to restore the route to its original length are heard from time to time but nothing serious towards this end has been proposed. This route runs only on California Street, running at first uphill to the summit of Nob Hill, then more gently downhill to a terminus at Van Ness Avenue. This line is used to a greater extent by commuters, with the majority of passengers on weekdays being commuters.

Wikipedia / images RWH

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route map from Pittsburgh Mainline blog / adapted RWH

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San Francisco Public Utilities Commission / collection

tag_pinPowell Street

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Sep 2023 / RWH

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Powell Street map / RWH

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Click to see Powell and Washington plotted on a Google Maps page

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San Francisco, Ca / Sep 2023 / RWH

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Click to see Ellis and Powell plotted on a Google Maps page

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german eople taking their first cable car trip usually embark at the start of the Powell lines. The turntable at the intersection of Powell, Market, and Eddy is the boarding point for either the Mason or Hyde cars. The two lines travel on Powell for several blocks, diverge at Jackson and follow parallel routes which both end just a few blocks from Fisherman's Wharf. During the noon hour and the afternoon rush hours there's usually quite a crush at the Market street turntable; at these times it's often impossible to get a seat on a car anywhere between Market and the top of Nob Hill. Since it's difficult enough even to find an outside handhold during the peak hours, family groups are better off traveling the Powell line in the mid-morning or evening. Note, too, that women and children are not allowed to hang on the outside-and will miss the views if they have to stand or sit inside the car.

Mike Palmer / The Cable Cars of San Francisco / 1959

tag_closeup Powell Turntable

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from The Cable Cars of San Francisco
by Phil and Mike Palmer - 1959 / collection

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postcard / collection

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Click to see the turntable at Powell and Market plotted on a Google Maps page

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german hen single-end Powell Street cable cars reach the ends of the line they are turned around on giant turntables. These are completely mechanical, relying on ball bearings and rollers to move. The cables under the street reverse separately, away from the turntable, wrapping around a large wheel in an underground bunker called a “sheave pit.”

The turntable areas are engineered so that gripmen can simply release the brake and coast onto the turntables. (They have already released the cable at this point.) Once on the turntable, they set the brakes on the car, then climb off, and together with the conductor, reverse the car by either grabbing a stanchion on each end and walking the car around, or using the pipework mounted on all turntables in the past couple of decades to turn the table without touching the cable car itself.

Until the 1970s, passengers were allowed to help the crews turn the cable cars, but this is no longer permitted. Also until that time, passengers could jump onto the cable car as soon as the gripman began coasting toward the turntable, getting a free spin on the turntable as well as guaranteeing the seat of their choice for the upcoming ride. This too is now forbidden for safety reasons, with boarding strictly controlled by a queue.

Market Street Railway

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San Francisco, Ca / Sep 2023 / RWH

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tag_pinHyde Street

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Hyde Street map / RWH

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german yde street directly above the Bay is one of the steepest sections of well-traveled street in the city. As the passenger looks back down the hill he can see a panorama which includes the Golden Gate Bridge (with mountains of fog rushing into the Bay on summer afternoons), Alcatraz Island, Marin County, and the highest mountain in the immediate area, Mt. Tamalpais, as well as Angel Island and the Bay itself. Occasionally a cable car going up this grade doesn't make it the first time, which usually necessitates a trip back to the bottom before the second try.

Mike Palmer / The Cable Cars of San Francisco / 1959

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San Francisco, Ca / Sep 2023 / RWH

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Click to see the Hyde Street Pier area plotted on a Google Maps page

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Click to see the Hyde Street Turntable plotted on a Google Maps page

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Fisherman's Wharf, Ca / Sep 2023 / RWH

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Mason Street map / RWH

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Click to see the Taylor Street terminus area plotted on a Google Maps page

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Click to see the Mason Street turntable plotted on a Google Maps page

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Since 1888, a small wooden structure has stood on the southeast corner of Powell and California Streets. It’s an essential sentinel protecting the world’s only cable car crossroads.

Market Street Railway

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Click to see the California Street crossing plotted on a Google Maps page

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from The Cable Cars of San Francisco
by Phil and Mike Palmer - 1959 / collection

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San Francisco Public Utilities Commission / collection

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Check out Market Street Railway to read more about the cable car tower

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german he end of the line. That's what the cable cars may be headed for in the not-too-distant future, when the bright little conveyances may be just a memory to the present "younger generation," who will be able to recall with a wistful look the Good Old Days, when the City by the Golden Gate still listened curiously to the sound of the cable rumbling under the streets.

Mike Palmer / The Cable Cars of San Francisco / 1959

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This page was updated on 2023-11-19