Nostalgia & History > Some old streetcars never die...

...they simply become diners.

This one today is a pizza joint in the small town of Castroville, California. It was a restaurant under the name of Bing's Diner last time I was in the town. When on rails, it worked the East Bay street railway lines of the Key System.

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End shot with a piece of the trolley retriever still in place.

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Instead of asking you about tokens or transfers, you now specify pepperoni, sausage or olives.

BTW, Castroville is the Artichoke Capital of the World. No doubt those veggies are available as toppings.

Castroville was once where the Monterey Branch joined the Coast Route on SP. The Del Monte rolled through town in an earlier era.

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There's something kind of similar to that in San Francisco - at the corner of Polk and Pine. It's called Grubsteak (great place to go after clubbing). It is said to be a former Key System car also.

-Dan

from their website...

When you sit at the Counter in The Grubstake, you are sitting in a tiny bit of Bay Area history! The rail car that houses half of The Grubstake originally served the Key Line that provided transportation between Berkeley and Oakland and San Francisco. The completion of the Bay Bridge caused major transportation changes, and, with, along with four other cars, it was "set" in San Francisco in 1927, it became a diner - long before diners were trendy. Then it was red and white and called The Orient Express. It sat alone on the lot with an alley where the present dining room is located, and the kitchen was at the Pine Street end of the car.
In 1967, the owners of Grubstake I at 142 Mason Street (now the site of the Parc Fifty Five Hotel), established Grubstake II in the rail car. When business expanded, they added the present kitchen and dining room.

Today, The Grubstake continues the tradition of serving cooked-to-order burgers and breakfasts--as well as full meals and house-made desserts--from 5:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. daily. In 1995, The Grubstake added "The Portuguese Corner" to the menu and is the only restaurant in San Francisco serving continental Portuguese dishes every day. Both Portuguese and domestic wine and beer are available. Service begins at 10:00 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

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About 20 or so years ago I recall an article in the S.F. Chronicle about old streetcars still used as part of residences in the Sunset District, close to the beach (La Playa). There were a few photos as well. Don't know if any are still in place,..

Tony Johnson

The Castroville diner kept its "NCL Fruit Salad" paint job for many years after becoming a restaurant. According to one story, the person who bought the body from Key System had KSTL throw in some authentic NCL paint as part of the deal.
Here in So. Cal we have the Formosa Cafe at Santa Monica Blvd and Formosa Ave. near the old Sam Goldwyn Studios (now Warner Hollywood Studios). A major part of the building is a Pacific Electric interurban car body, said to be an 800-class trailer. Being in Hollywood, it should come as no surprise that the old Red Car body has film credit, "playing itself" in "L. A. Confidential".