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California
Vintage Trolley Systems |
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San
Francisco |
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San
Francisco Muni "F" Line |
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Began
Operation: 1988 |
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Miles
of Line: 5.8 * |
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Stations:
numerous street stops |
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Org:
transit agency + non-profit |
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Schedule:
daily |
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John Smatlak photo - |
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The
long-awaited extension of San
Francisco's "F" historic streetcar line opened on March 4, 2000,
combining the existing service on Market St. with new trackage along the
waterfront Embarcadero. Operated as part of the city's municipal
transit system, the extended "F" line now provides a direct rail link
between Downtown and the Fisherman's Wharf area. The extended operation has met with
tremendous enthusiasm from the riding public, with 20,000 daily riders as
of the end of 2001. Muni is actively seeking
additional cars to increase capacity.
The "F" Line is public transportation with a definite
historic flavor; base service is provided with 17 refurbished PCC
cars and 10 'Peter Witt'-type cars imported from Milan, with a variety of other historic cars
providing shuttle service along the Embarcadero. Each of the PCC cars is
painted in a different "vintage" color scheme, representing
classic PCC paint schemes from throughout North America. The line operates from
Market and Castro, down the surface tracks on Market St., and along the
northern waterfront all the way to Fisherman's Wharf at Jones and Beach
Streets (near the terminus of the Powell-Hyde cable car line).
The service is operated by the San
Francisco Municipal Railway as its "F" line. Serving in a
"friends of" support role is the volunteer Market Street
Railway, providing assistance with historic car acquisition, restoration,
interpretation and serving an important general advocacy role. Through
their cooperative arrangement with the Muni, the MSR has a small office
and work area at Muni's Duboce Yard on Market Street, where volunteers
take on a variety of projects.
There's nothing quite like riding one of Muni's
historic cars down Market St. Especially during rush hour when the street is
packed with traffic and the sidewalks crowded with humanity. The buildings
at the Embarcadero end of the line tower over the scene, creating a canyon
below for the the artery that is Market St. It's a once commonplace scene
that was repeated daily in every big city in the United States- streetcars
faithfully moving the masses through the crowded urban center. And with
the public's overwhelming response to the new service, its a scene that
will be repeated daily for many years to come!
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Historic car 130 at
Geneva carhouse
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PCC in Castro
district
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Market Street
downtown |
Castro
District |
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PCC takes the curve
at the foot of Market St.
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Morning scene
on Market
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PCC and Milan 'Peter
Witt' type car pass on Market |
Car
1 on the hilly "J" Line |
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John
Smatlak photos
News
& Updates
8/01- Muni
is seeking to expand its PCC car fleet, and has already purchased
several additional cars.
12/01-
Planning for Muni's next historic streetcar line, Route "E-
Embarcadero" continues. One proposal receiving consideration
is an extension of the route, beyond the current F-Line terminal at Fisherman's Wharf,
to serve the Fort Mason area. The Market St. Railway website has an
excellent write-up on the proposed service here.
Source and photo: Market St. Railway.
11/03
Newark PCCs purchased. The Market St. Railway, which
supports Muni's Vintage Trolley operations, has announced that the
Muni has reached a deal to purchase 11 PCC-type trolley cars which Newark
retired in 2001. Link
to Newark PCC story. Over the last few years, Muni has
purchased a number of other PCC cars from various owners
around the country, and in addition to the 11 Newark cars, now
owns 31 unrestored PCC cars/carbodies. Link
to story on Muni PCC acquisitions.
At
minimum, the Newark cars will require several modifications prior
to being used in San Francisco, but their acquisition demonstrates
Muni's ongoing commitment to its popular Vintage Trolley operations.
03/05
Update. In late 2004, Muni awarded a contract to Brookville
Equipment to refurbish the eleven PCC cars it acquired from New
Jersey Transit . The cars will hopefully begin arriving in late
2005, adding badly needed capacity to the F-Line, which continues
to carry record numbers of riders.
The
photos below were taken in March of 2004, and detail operations
along the Embarcadero. Click
here for a pdf map of the F Line. Photos by John Smatlak-
click to enlarge.
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Car
130 and a trolley coach take the turn at the foot of
Market St. |
Car
130 in front of the Ferry Terminal Building |
A
Milan car turns back toward Market. |
A
Milan car turns onto the Embarcadero. |
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A
PCC car turning off the Embarcadero, while a shuttle car waits
in the background. |
The
junction is a remarkably busy place, not only streetcars
but plenty of auto traffic. |
A
Milan car at the Embarcadero Plaza station. |
The
line is double track, with a single track loop
arrangement on separate streets at the Wharf end. |
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Much
of the trackway along the Embarcadero is lined with paving blocks that
discourage pedestrians from walking on the tracks, but
permits operation of buses when necessary. Much of
the route is also lined with palm trees, creating a
dramatic visual corridor. The photo at right illustrates
one of the mid-block pedestrian crossings. |
The
paralleling sidewalk is quite wide, providing further incentive for
pedestrians to stay off the trackway |
Service
is provided on very close headways throughout the day. |
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Signalized
left turn pockets are provided at all cross streets- a
necessity given the traffic volume. |
The
left turn phase in process. |
Left
turn phase ended. Note that the truck has stopped beyond
the curbside signal |
Redundant
signals across the street reinforce the no left turn
phase. Note the "streetcar coming" illuminated
sign. |
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Station
stops are simple affairs. A shelter is provided, along
with an ADA access ramp. |
Buses
fill in when there are not enough streetcars to carry the
load. |
The
Embarcadero is graced with a number of restored historic
buildings. |
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Approaching
Pier 39. The route changes to a one-way loop at this
point. |
Outbound
cars use Jefferson St. The tracks are in a shared right
lane, except for this brief section of exclusive lane.
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The
operator of this car has deployed the manual boarding ramp at Pier 39
to assist two elderly passengers. |
A
short-turn loop has been built adjacent to Pier 39 to
allow cars to turn back early if needed. |
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Leaving
Pier 39- note the taxi encroaching on the streetcar. |
Leaving
Pier 39 on Jefferson. Note the shared traffic lane. |
Alcatraz
in the background. Note the median to prevent last- second
right turns in front of the streetcar. |
Car
1 on Jefferson. The ADA access ramps in the wharf area are
more ornate than on other parts of the line. |
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Traffic
can get quite heavy in the Fisherman's Wharf area. |
These
two automobiles have illegally pulled in front of the
streetcar in order to make right turns. |
The
Fisherman's Wharf terminal at Jones St. is a simple
affair. |
Historic
Car 130 boarding passengers at the terminal. |
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Inbound
along Beach St. Note the ornamental additions to the
trolley wire bracket arms. |
Closeup
of the ornamental addition to the trolley wire support
arms. |
A
Milan car boarding on Beach St. |
Historic
Car No. 1 inbound on Beach. |
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Cars
1 and 130 are among the oldest in the fleet, and are
typically used only along the Embarcadero, shuttling
between Market St. and Fisherman's Wharf. The photos
illustrate portions of the turning loop utilized at the
Market St. end. |
A
few blocks beyond Market, the Muni Metro emerges from the
Subway. |
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John
Smatlak photos
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Links
Historic
Streetcar Extension.org (Ft. Mason extension)
San
Francisco page on the APTA Heritage Trolley site
Market
St. Railway
The
Cable Car Homepage
Muni
Historic Streetcars page
Bibliography:
"Vintage
Trolleys on San Francisco's F-Line: A West Coast Perspective",
Paul Weyrich and William Lind, The New, New Electric Railway Journal
website, March 2000
"San
Francisco's F-Line: Back to the Future Works!", Paul Weyrich, The
New, New Electric Railway Journal website, March 2000
"Next
Stop Fort Mason?", Market St. Railway Inside Track
Newsletter, Summer 2001
PCCs:
Do We Have Enough? Market St. Railway Inside Track
Newsletter, Summer 2003
Newark
PCC Deal Signed Market St. Railway Inside Track
Newsletter, October 2003
This page was last updated on
6/26/06
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