From the Road: San Francisco Cable Car

The San Francisco Cable Car Museum is located at the corner of Mason and Washington.  It was quite the hike to get their from our hotel.  Courtesy of the hills, distances are deceiving!  Walking the hills allows for a deeper appreciation for the need of the Cable Car.

Originally goods and people were transported on foot and with the aid of horses and carriages.  Andrew Smith Hallidie saw one of these horses stumble and fall down the steep streets to it’s death and decided his mine car technology might be a benefit to the city’s transportation.  There were originally 8 cable car companies with paths that covered the majority of the city.  Today only one company remains with three operational lines mostly for posterity sake.

When you visit the museum you will learn that the mechanics of the cable car system is both complex and incredibly simple at the same time.  The cars themselves are all powered from a central power house (in the museum) and run on a system of cables and wheels underneath the streets.  The complex part comes in to play for the drivers.  The cars are controlled with a grip that picks up the cable for the car to be pulled along towards it’s destination.  The driver controls the speed of the car by varying the pressure on the cable.  There isn’t anything to tell the driver how and when to grip the cable, they do it all through practice and sense of touch.

One of the best features of the Cable Car Museum is that it is free!  Riding the cable cars however is not.  It is $5 per person, one way, or you can purchase an all day pass for $13.  Well worth it for the experience.  Enjoy the ride!