Nostalgia & History > More streets of San Francisco

Market Street became a boardwalk during construction of the subways for BART and Muni. It seemed as though Muni shoo-fly tracks changed by the week. Orignal plans called for removal of surface rails. Today the F line runs on Market and is hugely popular with riders.

As for the second photo, the Trainmasters were a fixture on the SP commute trains. Rough duty for a locomotive with constant start and stop on the 46-mile run to San Jose. In the distance a 30-Stockton trolley bus near the end of the line next to the SP Depot. Fast forward to 2006 and Caltrain is running frequent service with locals, limiteds and Baby Bullets on new and well maintained track. A Muni light rail line is on the opposite side of the Caltrain station (King St.) and the 30-Stockton still makes its terminal loop here.

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Some traditions die hard: I like that when I moved to peninsula about five years ago, at least one muni bus line displayed destination sign of "SP Depot", even tho that rail terminal had been Caltrain for many years by then(and Muni finally caught on and susequently updated destination signs). But the hand mounted departure times for Caltrain tracks persist inside the depot!

The first photo looks like a tribute to Virgil C. Staff!

Nice series..thanks for sharing .

topper Wrote:
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> The first photo looks like a tribute to Virgil C.
> Staff!

It does! Although I'd guess that Virgil would have known to better frame his subject matter and would have focused more on the mini than the Muni.

Thanks for these, Stash!

Great comparison shots!

Africanstaem

I love them all. - Tony J.

The great Market Street subway project--seemed to take longer than building the Pyramids. I remember getting up at O-dark-30 one morning around 1970 to ride the first PCC over the latest relocation. Then in 1982, driving all night to be in on the last day and riding the "last" PCC into Geneva around 3 am. "Last" PCC? Reports of their disappearance were quite premature.

The 1968 Market Street photo was the one I've been looking for, remember the wood planks and the buildings around the intersection. Don't think I was tall enough to see down towards the ferry building though.
Thanks for posting the photos.

Had to look twice but I don't remember having a coat like that.