Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CABLE CARS
It's impossible not to love these sturdy little vestiges of another age, as they
valiantly make their merry yet determined way up the city's precipitous
hills. Yet these San Francisco icons came perilously close to being com-
pletely scrapped in 1947, when a “progressive” mayor announced it was time
for buses to take their place. An outraged citizenry, under the leadership of
“cable car vigilante” Mrs. Friedell Klussman, eventually prevailed, and the
whole system was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. In the
early 1980s, the tracks, cables, power plant, and cars all underwent a
massive $60-million overhaul and retrofit. The present service covers some
10 miles (16 km) and utilizes about 40 cars.
1. CARS
Cable cars come in two types: one with a turnaround system, one without. All are
numbered, have wood and brass fittings in the 19th-century style, and are often
painted in differing colors.
2. BELL
During the course of operation up and down the busy hills, the cable car's bell is used
by the grip person like a claxon, to warn other vehicles and pedestrians of imminent
stops, starts, and turns.
View photo
3. GRIP PERSON
The grip person must be quick-thinking, and strong to operate the heavy gripping
levers and braking mechanisms. The grip is like a huge pair of pliers that clamps onto
the cable to pull the car along.
4. CONDUCTOR
The conductor not only collects fares, but also makes sure that everyone travels
safely, and that the grip person has room to do his job.
