Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
San Francisco's Cable Cars
The cable car system was launched in 1873, with its
inventor Andrew Hallidie riding in the first car. He was
inspired to tackle the problem of transporting people
up the city's steep slopes after seeing a horrible
accident: a horse-drawn tram slipped down a hill,
dragging the horses with it. His system was a success,
and by 1889 cars were running on eight lines. Before
the 1906 earthquake
(see pp30-31)
, more than 600
cars were in use. With the advent of the internal
combustion engine, cable cars became obsolete, and
in 1947 attempts were made to replace them with
buses. After a public outcry the present three lines,
using 17 miles (25 km) of track, were retained.
The Cable Car Barn
garages the cars
at night and is a repair shop, museum
and powerhouse for the entire cable
car system
(see p105)
.
KEY
Bell
1
Sandbox
2
Grip handle
3
Center plate and jaws grip the
cable
5
4
Emergency brake
Wheel brake
6
Cable
7
Brake block
8
Brake shoe
9
How Cable Cars Work
Engines in the central powerhouse wind a
looped cable under the city streets, guided
by a system of grooved pulleys. When the
gripman in the cable car applies the grip
handle, the grip reaches
through a slot in the street
and grabs the cable. This
pulls the car along at a
steady speed of 9.5 mph
(15.5 km/h). To stop, the
gripman releases the grip
and applies the brake.
Great skill is needed at corners
where the cable passes over a
pulley. The gripman must
release the grip to allow the
car to coast over the pulley.
Brake
lever
Grip
handle
Side
seating
Destination
board
Cable
car floor
Wooden
beams
Paving
stones
Cable car grip
mechanism
Grip crotch
Yo ke
