Passenger Trains > SF Muni's "Boat Car" out on a surprise voyage

Blackpool 228 (otherwise known at "The Boat") made a surprise voyage through the streets of San Francisco on Friday. After watching this vessel parade up and down the city's waterfront for most of the afternoon, I jumped on board for the scenic trip out the J CHURCH as the boat returned to it's shed. The high light was grabbing a twilight shot of 228 with it's light strings turned on....

Enjoy

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A few more sightings from Friday....Note Torpedo 1010 looking shiny fresh out of Geneva's paint booth

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Thanks for looking

Kevin Sheridan

http://www.pbase.com/bythabay
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bythabay/

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Very good pictures! That area is so cool.

The boat car is very interesting. By "Blackpool", did this come from England? What is the background?

Thanks.

What a machine! I have mistakenly called it the "bathtub" in the past but "boat" is just as good! Any transit agency that runs such equipment, along with light rail on the ground and in subways, old streetcars, trolley buses, buses, cable cars, is clearly worthy of some respect, even though things are not always as they should be. And let's not forget that SF, city of my birth, also has BART and Caltrain, and if I live long enough maybe even HSR. I'd be real happy just to be able to board an SP Daylight painted train at 4th and King bound for LA. And lastly, the Ferry Building! It's a gem.

Here's an open question for Todd--how about a Trainorders charter trip using "the boat"? Wouldn't that be a blast!

I was in San Francisco on Friday and saw the Blackpool car on the Embarcadero in the afternoon. I wasn't able to ride, however, as I spotted it from the window of a commuter bus as I was headed out of The City.

I'd arrived at around 830am and saw none of the historic streetcars on the Embarcadero at that time, only buses operating as the F Line. About three hours later I needed to go out on Market St. and caught a Peter Witt car, which was following one of the bustituted runs. I asked its operator why there were buses on the F Line and he said there was an equipment shortage. My return trip back downtown was on PCC 1061, in Pacific Electric red.

Friday was a nice day; perhaps that, and the equipment shortage, were the reasons for the Blackpool car making an appearance.

I have also always thought it fortuitous that the Blackpool trams' livery features colours similar to those of the San Francisco Muni's historic green/cream colors.

poultrycar Wrote:
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> The boat car is very interesting. By "Blackpool",
> did this come from England? What is the
> background?
>
> Thanks.

Built 1934 by English Electric, ran in Blackpool England until being loaned to Philadelphia PA for use the during the US Bicentennial Celebration, was given to SF as a gift in 1984. More info about 228, and the rest of SF Muni's historic fleet can be found at http://www.streetcar.org. On a side note another boat #226 is at The Western Railway Museum in Solono County CA.

Kevin Sheridan

poultrycar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The boat car is very interesting. By "Blackpool",
> did this come from England? What is the
> background?
>
> Thanks.

Yes, that one did come from Blackpool, England (UK). San Francisco's Historic Trolley operation has a spectacular history. Cars that have run in the past, or are running now, have come from such diverse locations as Italy, Japan, Germany, Australia, Mexico, England and more, not to mention many USA locations.

Here's a link that shows the cars that are, or have been on the Muni. Some cars came on loan, and only ran for one or two seasons. The Blackpool car is shown part way down under "Historic Fleet:"

http://world.nycsubway.org/us/sf/muni-marketfleet.html

Hope that helps.

Hey Norm-

Looks as if you and I where working on a response to the same question, at the very same time.......

Kevin, Murphy's Law, I guess!

Thanks for posting; that twilight boat car shot is just excellent!

Norm

Ok you trolley officianados (sic?) ---
Let's add another to your list: How 'bout "Sacramento Northern" single-truck Birney car # 62, the last 5-cent operation in California. Was designated as MUNI "Line 'C'" as I recall and operated on Market Street, circa 1951....

Also, there was STEAM operation which I told old "Tony Johnson" about...I had seen a photo of the "J.W.Bowker" I believe it was, on lower Market Street near the old Ferry Building loop... Probably an old R&LHS trip arranged by the late Gilbert Kneiss...

Also, Mr. Norm, "STEAM" operated on the SFOBB after removal of the KEY...

So, I now raise you $ 500 and CALL !!!

KRK

I have heard that the steam locomotive that operated onto the bridge was Erich Thomsen's little 0-4-0T that now resides at Silverbend Tree Farm south of Sacramento. Not sure if it was an "authorized" movement? As I recall they were keeping the engine at the Bay Bridge Key Shops to perform some switching after the power was cut to the overhead. Anyway that's how Jim Holmes tells it.
Chris

wprrsteam Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have heard that the steam locomotive that
> operated onto the bridge was Erich Thomsen's
> little 0-4-0T that now resides at Silverbend Tree
> Farm south of San Francisco. Not sure if it was an
> "authorized" movement? As I recall they were
> keeping the engine at the Bay Bridge Key Shops to
> perform some switching after the power was cut to
> the overhead. Anyway that's how Jim Holmes tells
> it.
> Chris

Somewhere I acquired a photo of that little engine moving Key Unit 187 at the bridge yard circa 1959. So there is some evidence backing that up.

I wonder how far on the bridge they may have gotten.

Norm--

They went up the Cantilever section almost to YBI from what I heard. Also, you know ME-- I have your proof regarding Bridge Yard on motion picture FILM..
I offered it to Chas. Smiley--but he wasn't interested.. They were pushing Units around the Yard cause catenary and juice were gone..

KRK

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Norm--
>
> They went up the Cantilever section almost to YBI
> from what I heard. Also, you know ME-- I have
> your proof regarding Bridge Yard on motion picture
> FILM..
> I offered it to Chas. Smiley--but he wasn't
> interested.. They were pushing Units around the
> Yard cause catenary and juice were gone..
>
> KRK
Ah, he could have used a little of it. After all, he had all that other depressing post-abandonment footage on that DVD; seems like even 20-30 seconds would have fit in just fine.

Regarding short term visitors to SF Muniland: One was a single-truck open-air car from Veracruz, Mexico, which "sat in" for a year or two. As I recall, it had a "secret"--somewhere in its history it had acquired a Pacific Electric-style air whistle, and motormen who knew about it would give it a toot on occasion. It didn't sound all that great, possibly because of relatively low air pressure, but it was still music to the ears of PE fans. Today that type of whistle adorns the Milano trams--just the thing for visiting Southern Californians.
Regarding "the Boat": she's still flying the Jolly Roger on her trolley rope! Shiver me timbers!

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ok you trolley officianados (sic?) ---
> Let's add another to your list: How 'bout
> "Sacramento Northern" single-truck Birney car #
> 62, the last 5-cent operation in California. Was
> designated as MUNI "Line 'C'" as I recall and
> operated on Market Street, circa 1951....
>
> Also, there was STEAM operation which I told old
> "Tony Johnson" about...I had seen a photo of the
> "J.W.Bowker" I believe it was, on lower Market
> Street near the old Ferry Building loop...
> Probably an old R&LHS trip arranged by the late
> Gilbert Kneiss...
>
> Also, Mr. Norm, "STEAM" operated on the SFOBB
> after removal of the KEY...
>
> So, I now raise you $ 500 and CALL !!!
>
> KRK



I recall seeing some photos of the Bowker under steam next to the Balcutha down at Pier 43 on the State Belt at the ferry slip. Don't recall who the photographer was though...

bythabay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> poultrycar Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The boat car is very interesting. By
> "Blackpool",
> > did this come from England? What is the
> > background?
> >
> > Thanks.
>
> Built 1934 by English Electric, ran in Blackpool
> England until being loaned to Philadelphia PA for
> use the during the US Bicentennial Celebration,
> was given to SF as a gift in 1984. More info about
> 228, and the rest of SF Muni's historic fleet can
> be found at http://www.streetcar.org. On a side
> note another boat #226 is at The Western Railway
> Museum in Solono County CA.
>
> Kevin Sheridan


The 226 came to San Francisco for a British trade week, only to miss the event thanks to a dock workers strike. It eventually ended up at Rio Vista Jct making the trip back to San Francisco for the the 1983 Historic Trolley Festival. The Boat was a hit with passengers. When the 226 went back to Rio Vista Jct, folks went looking for another to replace it. Hence the 228...