SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CAR MUSEUM

Description

Essentials about the San Francisco Cable Car Museum in brief

Together with the Golden Gate Bridge, they are San Francisco’s world-famous landmark: the cable cars. If you are so enthusiastic about the historic streetcars that the ride alone is not enough, you should definitely visit the San Francisco Cable Car Museum. Located in the Nob Hill neighborhood, the museum, which opened in 1974, is housed in a former streetcar depot. Visitors get plenty of information here about the development of San Francisco’s Cable Cars and can see a variety of exhibits related to the cable streetcars, as well as some of the historic cars from the 19th century.

The exhibition in the San Francisco Cable Car Museum

Interesting is the fact that the Cable Car Museum is a living museum. In fact, the basement still houses the cable cars’ engine house, where the motors and cables that still power the trains today can be seen. Via two viewing galleries, visitors can get a glimpse of the four engines and the large orbital wheels that drive the cables at a constant speed of 15.3 km/h (which is thus also the maximum speed of the cable cars). In the basement, under the crossroads, visitors can observe other rotating wheels “at work”, with the help of which the ropes are guided in the respective directions of the routes.