Nostalgia & History > Free ride on the Muni

Two kids catch a ride on the back of a San Francisco Muni PCC car in 1971. The location is 20th & Church Streets on the J line. There was not much to grab on the back of those PCCs.

---

Can't be positive on the PCC car's number, but looks like 1039. It was the next-to-last PCC built in the US, and was sold to Orange Empire Railway Museum in 1982 after regular PCC service quit in MuniLand. After spending about 20 years in Perris (along with 1033), it wound up back home a few year ago when Muni found that it had been a bit shortsighted in unloading most of the PCC's. 1040, the very last of the breed, has been kept in The City, but needs an overhaul. Now they need all the cars they can get for the present "F" line service, and the long awaited "E" line. One new feature that a Southern California native like me finds exciting is the air whistle that several of the Milano trams now carry. I rode 1818 last Monday, and the motorman found the Pacific Electric-style whistle useful around Van Ness and other busy crossings. The foot pedal that sounds the whistle is painted RED, very appropriate.

Well, I'll admit to having done the same on a Powell St cable car many moons ago on a ride back up the hill to the Fairmont during a busy lunch hour...

That looks like PCC #1033 or 1038 to me. I can barely see the Car's number on the Back window. Just below the Pole Hook.

I can remember seeing many people on roller skates and even bicycles holding on to the back of the PCC. And even on the back of the Trolley Coaches too. Is this still happening today?

The car is 1039. I drop the resolution to make a good T.O. file size for posting and sometimes that makes the detail difficult to see.

1039 is the car that went to Orange Empire (along with "hangar queen" 1033) in 1982.  They were repatriated in 2003.  1039 is reported to be the most likely stored PCC to be sent off for restoration once the original "F" line cars that went into service in 1995 get their mid-life overhauls.