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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

John Smatlak photos 

06/06 Update. Brookville Equipment Corporation is making excellent progress on the refurbishment of the eleven PCC cars acquired by Muni from New Jersey Transit. Based on the experience of refurbishing the first of the cars in 2005, the scope of work was expanded to cover additional needed work.   The cars are now expected to enter service later in 2006, adding badly needed capacity to the F-Line, which continues to carry record numbers of riders.