Passenger Trains > San Francisco cable cars.

My family and I rode the Hyde and Powell San Francisco cable car line.  Mid ride we got off and on at the Cable Car Museum.  The museum is also the powerhouse for all three cable car lines.   The cables move at 9.5mph and the grip man on each car grabs the cable to go up and down the hill and releases the cable to stop.   Impressive system and I'm glad the city saved a few of the lines.  

Use the Muni app and buy an unlimited all day pass for $14 vs the $8 single cable car ride.  You can also hop on the F line PCC cars nearby.  



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/25 06:34 by howeld.

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Fantastic photos and video.  Thanks for sharing

Enjoyed the pics and wonderful video/ thank you!

I had a buddy many years ago who was a Grip Man on
the SF Cable cars, in the mid 1970s. He had many stories 
about that unique and interesting line of work. Methods of
ringing the famous bells, engaging the Cable, the "turntable"
operations and overall great days at work in the City. Later on,
Steve hired into Amtrak On Board Services. He was the guy
who took me on my first student trips with Amtrak, when I was a new hire.  

Thanks for sharing the video.  One of the great rides still available to be had is riding on a cable car standing in the front on a foot board on beautiful San Francisco day.  I made sure that bringing my kids to visit Grandma in San Francisco took the "long way" using 2 cable car routes instead of a bus.  It was always the best way!

I can't believe that the fare on the cable cars is now $8. I first visited "The City" when I moved to Sonoma county in 1971. If memory serves, the fare was then a quarter or perhaps fifty cents -- which I think was the regular far for the Municipal Railway. Of course there were tourists, but a lot of folks used it simply as public transportation. 

On the other hand it now costs more than $5 to use the Chicago Skyway bridge, which originally was 50 cents when it opened, and it was predicted that it eventually would be free!

Great photos and video!  The museum/power house is a must-see if you have time.

Rich

colehour Wrote:
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> I can't believe that the fare on the cable cars is
> now $8. I first visited "The City" when I moved to
> Sonoma county in 1971. If memory serves, the fare
> was then a quarter or perhaps fifty cents -- which
> I think was the regular far for the Municipal
> Railway. Of course there were tourists, but a lot
> of folks used it simply as public
> transportation. 
>
> On the other hand it now costs more than $5 to use
> the Chicago Skyway bridge, which originally was 50
> cents when it opened, and it was predicted that it
> eventually would be free!

Fare goes up to $9 on July 1, 2025. But there's an one day fare of $14 that gives you unlimited rides for one day. You can also get a 3 day pass too.

I believe the Grip Men have the most challenging job in the City regarding safety.  Great video btw and thanks for sharing.

Kent in CArmel Valley

My 1 claim to fame is that for 25 years I was the Electrician Supervisor 1 and my shop made the Cable Cars run . They are pulled by 2 500 hp and 1 700 hp electric motors . Good times . 

My parents visited SF many times in the 70’s and 80’s for business, mom rode the cars to go shopping etc. and at that time the cars were just another part of the public transportation system.
I would hope there are cheaper fares available for those that actually want or need to use them for actual transportation needs and not just a tourist ride. 4K a year just for public transportation is a little steep.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

KF6MXK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My 1 claim to fame is that for 25 years I was the
> Electrician Supervisor 1 and my shop made the
> Cable Cars run . They are pulled by 2 500 hp and 1
> 700 hp electric motors . Good times . 

That is a fantastic claim to fame! How many cable cars could the system carry at one time?  Could too many cars end up on a cable, causing the system to strain?

 

Todd Clark
Canyon Country, CA
Trainorders.com

webmaster Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> KF6MXK Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > My 1 claim to fame is that for 25 years I was
> the
> > Electrician Supervisor 1 and my shop made the
> > Cable Cars run . They are pulled by 2 500 hp and
> 1
> > 700 hp electric motors . Good times . 
>
> That is a fantastic claim to fame! How many cable
> cars could the system carry at one time?  Could
> too many cars end up on a cable, causing the
> system to strain?
>
>  

That’s a great question. There was alot of down time between cars.

Posted from iPhone