Cable Cars
Yes, this is Car Lust, not Cable Car Lust. But when do we ever limit this place to just cars? We've had trucks, motorcycles, intergalactic starships, an occasional notable model year or few, and even some other cool stuff from time to time.
So maybe anything with "cars" in its name is potential Car Lust material, and fair game to wind up on this blog eventually.
San Francisco comes to mind when we think of cable cars. That and Rice-A-Roni. Oh, and that's Alcatraz in the picture here behind and above the cable car.
On a recent trip to San Francisco--my first--I had the pleasure of riding a cable car on California Street. I had taken a long walk, and wound up on a corner behind some folks. The cable car stopped, and we got on. I had some cash handy, but nobody took it, even after I saw a sign that said they wanted $5.
I didn't care where we went. Like a small railroad, the cable car was on a track, and had to eventually return to where we got on. So at least I knew I would not get lost.
It's not unusual to see cable cars packed to the gills and people hanging onto them wherever they can. But what you do not do is try to get on or off of one while it is moving. The operators take a very dim look at that. Be prepared for very harsh words and possible police action if you do this.
What I remember most about the ride is that the car was nearly silent while going downhill, but it made all kinds of racket going up. Creaks and groans and squeaks came from everywhere, not to mention the signature bell ringing. But what do you expect from a public transportation system that is well over 100 years old?
The craftsmanship of that cable car was amazing. Like some folks say, "They don't build them like this any more." Real wood construction, not to be found in any car today, regardless of whether it came from the Black Forest or not. Even the seats were solid boards, polished with many coats of clear finish from over the years.
If you've never been to San Francisco, please be aware that street maps don't do the city justice. The streets are mostly in a grid pattern, which suggests a flat terrain. But the city is a very hilly place, just ask the folks that live on a certain block of Lombard Street. The walk I took that night around Nob Hill will forever change my idea of a flat San Francisco.
So how do cable cars work? Well, can you believe that they have a little early hybrid technology? As they go downhill, their weight helps pull other cable cars uphill, saving on power. That's a form of regenerative braking. They are also Zero-Emissions Vehicles, since the power used to run the electric motors comes from hydro-electric sources.
But mainly, a central location keeps the cables constantly moving under the roadway. They move at about 9 miles per hour, and the operators can start or stop a cable car at any time by either clamping onto the cable, or releasing it and applying the brake.
Cable cars don't have reverse, so how do you turn one around when they get to the end of their line? Well, first you get everybody off of it, so it's lighter. Then you "drive" it to a turntable, like the one here. Next, get out, grab it, and turn it around. It's just that simple!
There's a great Cable Car Museum in San Francisco. It was established in 1974, and is operated by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum as a nonprofit educational facility.
Located in the historic Washington/Mason cable car barn and powerhouse, the museum deck overlooks the huge engines and winding wheels that pull the cables. Their gift shop even sells cable car bells.
I didn't ride a cable car in the daytime, and I really wish I had now. I did ride the electric streetcars, as they were a more-direct means as to where I needed to go. They were also amazingly clean, considering their age. The F-line streetcar was my most-used, especially to and from The Embarcadero. I took a pointer from an old Vulcan friend and always carried "exact change."
On a side note, cable cars can be suspended by overhead lines, as our friend James Bond (Roger Moore) found out in the 1979 movie "Moonraker." His associate, Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) was along for the ride, and they narrowly escaped death (again) by thwarting his nemesis Jaws (Richard Kiel).
Sugarloaf Mountain, near Rio de Janiero, Brazil, was the setting for this scene. It almost cost a stuntman, Richard Graydon, his life when he slipped. But he's OK, maybe just a little "shaken, not stirred."
When Jaws bit the cable in half, it was actually made out of licorice. Frankly, I like the taste of cold hardened steel much better than the flavor of that candy.
--That "Cable" Car Guy (Chuck)
The top image is from daphne.palomar.edu. Thanks to Wikipedia for technical information and the second, third, and final images. The fourth image is from USATourist.com. Many thanks to Car Lust for the genesis of my trip to San Francisco.
Steaming Pile on December 10, 2009 at 06:11 AM
Ooh ooh! Do the Deutsche Bahn ICE train next! I rode in one, and it was really, truly badass. 160 MPH and you don't feel the speed. Oh, and you must spring for the first class ticket. Awesome.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on December 10, 2009 at 08:32 AM
You've pushed my rail-geek hot buttons now.
Most of the F-line cars you mentioned are of a type called the "PCC" which was developed right before the war, with fancy-schmancy Art Deco streamlined styling. I've no direct experience with San Francisco, but I have many fond memories of Pittsburgh streetcars. The Pittsburgh trolleys were all PCCs.
SF's PCCs are rebuilt and maintained by volunteers and a nonprofit historic trolley foundation. Each one is painted in a different color scheme, representing cities in North America that ran PCC streetcars. 33 cities ran PCCs, and SF presently has cars painted for 21 of them.
http://www.streetcar.org/mim/streetcars/fleet/pcc/index.html
Chris Mallow on December 10, 2009 at 08:37 AM
I went to SF for the RSA Conference a few years ago, and I rode one of the old cable trolleys down to the end of the line. Yes, they creaking and groaning was very disconcerting, especially on hills (and this is San Francisco we're talking about...it's about 90% hills). It was also interesting to watch the conductor use the old-school wooden brake to slow it down. It IS cool, however, to watch them turn one around on the turntable.
jjd241 on December 10, 2009 at 09:41 AM
When cables get crossed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fbtXSll7eA
kenny heggem on December 10, 2009 at 12:39 PM
$5 is hefty, and it is too bad SF made them into a touristy thing instead of just a ultra convenient way to get around this excellent city to live car free. So dense. So right. So EXPENSIVE to live in (otherwise I might consider it)
St Cars, Busses, Cable Cars, Light Rail...all a lust for me. : )
SirTweakAlot on December 11, 2009 at 05:03 AM
The PCC is completely different than the cable car system in SF.The SF PCC's are overhead electric powered and run primarily on Market St.
Despite being vintage cars from around the world, the SF PCC's cost the same to ride as a normal bus.
Its the Cable Cars unique to SF that cost the hefty $5 fees that go back into maintaining the miles of underground cables running beneath the city streets
David Colborne on December 11, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Yeah, turn-of-the-century urban planners loved their grids. They tried to overlay one in Virginia City, which sits on the side of a mountain, with similar results - lots of ridiculously steep grades and curious architecture meant to work around it. Unlike San Francisco, however, VC gets snow, which adds a certain measure of difficulty to the navigation process. Of course, California has its fair share of mining towns laid out in grid patterns on impossible terrain, too - Nevada City immediately comes to mind, among others.
Of course, nowadays everybody is running screaming from grids, even on flat land, which is why we now have suburbs with impossible-to-navigate curves all over the danged place. From one extreme to the next...
kenny heggem on December 11, 2009 at 09:15 PM
I need to check out the PCC's. I loved the bus system in SF. Less expensive than my town as well.
That Car Guy on December 12, 2009 at 09:09 AM
Cookie, that link is great. I wish I could have done more homework on them before I left for San Francisco; surely there is room here for a post on those streetcars. Two dollars to ride one, when they take the money, is a steal as well. Seems that going there during Fleet Week, they cover the money slot at times so you don't have to pay.
Six days is not near long enough to see The City by the Bay. I hope to get back out there some day soon.