Love the San Fran cable cars - when I last rode them, the operator called Lombard Street the second most crooked street in the US - after Wall Street. Great video, as ever, Dylan.
Congratulations that is a real success story in my opinion. Success because you didnt allow the amount to determine whether or not you would jump in. Good job. See you at the 100k meet and greet.
They're basically rolling museums at this point, everything is bespoke including repairs to the cable system, which you can see at the depot/cable car barn stationed about halfway up the Powell line. That said, even if the single tickets are pretty expensive ($8 as mentioned, very much targeted at tourists), the cable cars are fully integrated into the transit network so you can ride them for "free" if you have a Muni monthly pass (currently $81). It's always a treat when you get to use them as normal public transportation - in the off hours, some nice operators will let you hail them in the middle of the street and they'll stop at whatever intersection.
When I was last on a cable car, a school girl, about 12, got on and was standing near the edge. On one of the steep hills, she dropped her satchel onto the street. A lady told the driver, who stopped the car and backed it down the hill so she could pick it up. He then had to back down to the level intersection to grip the cable and start up the hill again. I remember the driver being nearly on his back on the floor pulling the lever to grip the cable.
Back in the 70s (no, the cable cars were not brand new then!) on my first visit to San Francisco, I will always remember that when we passed Lombard Street the conductor told us it was the second crookedest street in the world. This naturally elicited the question, “what’s the crookedest?” The conductor’s answer was “Wall Street.” I feel so fortunate to have been there for what I’m sure was the only time any cable car conductor ever made that joke.
john: Since cable cars are used more by tourists then residents, the drivers are different from other Muni bus drivers, While other driven can be aloof if not downright cranky, the cable car drivers kind of function as entertainers, too.
They're touristy, but I love the San Francisco cable cars. Late at night, there are fewer riders, and the city's lights add a magical touch, especially when they twinkle through the fog. Thanks for posting this!
Downtown SFO can be dangerous at night. Most cable car routes go into or near the Tenderloin district, an area rife with substance abuse and a large mentally ill population the city refuses to acknowledge with long-term recovery assistance. I do not recommend going into the area after dark.
@@romanrat5613 I don't live there but have been for work many times. I think the cable cars are used primarily by tourists. They weren't included in MUNI passes and cost more than the buses, streetcars, and subway (at least the last time I visited).
My favourite way of getting around San Francisco - IME, it's often quicker than 30 or 45 bus and the E or F streetcar once you can actually board. Summer evening travel is particularly lovely, with the sounds and the burning smell and the bell. I miss visiting so much - hopefully not much longer before I can go again.
You had a most unusual cable car experience, a Covid-era version. Usually there is a line two deep all the way around the turnaround and up Powell Street at least to the Burger King entrance (visible ). The wait is 1-1/2 hours. There's also a million people running around here and there, tourists and locals. . The captive audience in line draws loud noise in the form of singers, break dancers and preachers with microphones. The car is stuffed full right away and people trying to get on ahead can forget it. You had the most ideal, peaceful cable car rides I've ever seen.
Visited a few years ago and we got a multi-day pass. We rode the cable cars and street cars during our visit. Very convenient and enjoyed the experience.
Absolutely charming. I'm so glad that San Francisco saved their cable cars. Also worth noting is the California St. Line, the one crossed over by the signal hut. That line is unique for having double ended cars, unlike the Powell St. Lines that use single enders. And if you're getting the MUNI day pass, you might also like their collection of vintage electric trams, including a few from as far away as Blackpool in the UK. These run mostly along the more level parts of the seafront including past the landmark Embarcadero ferry station.
Worked in SF from 1971 to 1993 and rode the cable car to work and back home 5 days a week. When I started the MUNI Pass was 36 dollars per month and was good for any public transit inside the city.
Speaking of steep rail tracks - maybe a trip to Slovakia to catch the rack railway (Ozubnicová železnica) Štrba - Štrbské Pleso going up the Tatra Mountains? ;) I've been there few years ago, the views are stunning!
I used to live on Leavenworth and Filbert (one block from the crooked street). The Hyde Street Line was my commute rail. It may be a quaint and fun ride for tourists, but it got quickly tiresome, especially in the summer afternoons when the tourists clogged up the Powell an Market station.
A great video, the San Francisco Cable Cars are a national treasure. So glad you are here in my state doing some videos. You're voice-over are spit on and so enjoyable. Enjoy your stay.
The cable cars are indeed amazing...generally, only tourists use them but it is a convenient, if not very fast, way to connect from the BART to the area of Fisherman's Wharf and the Alcatraz ferries. I agree, it is sort of 'must-do' if you're visiting San Francisco, one of my favorite US cities. It's so unique.
The opening shots of the movie Bullit show the cable running in its conduit. San Francisco has more conventional trams plus a very extensive trolleybus system.
In the late 90s, I had a Victorian Apartment @ corner of Jones & Jackson. The sound of the cables starting up awoke me in the morning. I’d walk a block to Jones & Washington @ 6:AM to ride a sparsely filled Cable Car down the hill to Market to be @ work in the office by 7:00AM. Work day done, I’d walk back up the hill to home… I miss those days!
When I lived in the city was three doors down from where this line crossed California Street. Back then the fares were much less so we residents rode them all the time. Brought back some memories.
Wonderful video. I like the idea of your doing more transit trip reports. I would like to see more reports on unique transit options, such as the monorails in Seattle and Las Vegas, and funiculars in LA, Amalfi, and Switzerland. Cable suspension cars in New York, London, and Portland, OR. (Just naming off things I know about off the top of my head.)
Many years ago when my company moved me to SF my apartment was not far from a cable car route that would take me to my office (I can see my old office in your video). It seemed like the ideal and interesting way to commute. However I must have done it only half a dozen times. The frequency wasn’t great, the speed of the cable car with stops not that quick and the fare premium, even then, over other forms of transport significant. For me it was always just a way for tourists to see the city, but no doubt many would disagree with me. Thanks for your video. Its a very good representation of what the ride is like.
At $13 for all day for all MUNI transit plus cable cars? Yeah that's worth it. Off to Ghirardelli Chocolate Company! The day looked gorgeous! Hope you had a good trip. :D
Love the San Francisco cable cars especially the Powell/Market St - Fisherman’s Wharf journey. I’ve done that trip six times when visiting friends and family in the city. I’m heading back over to San Francisco in 2023 and will have another trip on that route. 😎👍🏻
Oh yeah, been there and done that, ride San Francisco's cable cars, I was surprised that it barely goes faster than a crawl. I've also rode my skateboard down Lombard Street, at first on a dare with friends who were doing the same, but not as dangerous as it looks. China Town is a real gem, nicer than the one in New York; love the food! Thanks for sharing the video, brings back good memories of Fleet Week.
As a San Francisco dweller, the cable car is outstanding and its beauty and charm as well as being an enjoyable mode of transportation existing to this day.
Just a short walk from the Hyde and Beach terminal is the Fisherman's Wharf terminal of the F and E heritage streetcar lines. Both operate through Fisherman's Wharf and then along Embarcadero as far as the Ferry Building. From there, the E continues along the Embarcadero, joining with the N line of the Muni Metro before terminating at the 4th and King Caltrain station while the F turns onto surface tracks on Market Street which it traverses as far as Castro. The F uses vintage PCC streetcars from Philadelphia, Newark and San Francisco along with vintage 1500 series trams from Milan while the E uses double-ended vintage PCC streetcars and older double-ended former Muni vehicles dating as far back as 1912. The E is still temporarily suspended, though Muni has yet to indicate when service will resume. The F, however, is very much running. Also, those cable car tracks you crossed while you were talking about the TransAmerica Pyramid belong to the California Street route. Those cable cars look very different from the Powell cars as they are double-ended and significantly larger. The California line tends to be much less crowded than the Powell lines as well.
Rode one of these today hanging off the side! Great fun. Then took the F streetcar back to Fisherman’s Wharf and the HI Hostel at Ft Mason….amazing location with killer views. Off to LA on the Coast Starlight tomorrow in a roomette from San Jose with Caltrain to get me to San Jose 😎 🇨🇦
San Francisco also has a line that uses PCC (President's conference committee they were designed by various transit companies in the US and Canada at the time) that are painted in the various colour schemes of the companies that ran them.
Great job Dylan. get over to the Isle of Man, they have Steam, Electric trains and Horse drawn trams. The place is absolutely gorgeous and fascinating too.
One thing to note about the cable cars: they have no electrical power except for a battery for the lights. They are unpowered. The process of stopping a cable car is some fancy handling of the brake and grip lever.
Just got to love those cable cars. Used them a lot when in San Fran. In a health and safety mad world, to be encouraged to hang onto the outside. Hope you took in the Cable Car Museum. Fascinating place and where the whole network is powered from!
Ahh! Memories of my first visit to San Francisco in July 1989 (a few months before the earthquake). I recognised several familiar spots along the way. Yes, I fell for the expensive tourist trap fare back then, but made up for it the following day by getting a Muni Day Pass and using it to the max. including a trip on the California Cable Route (double ended cars on that route). Now I wonder if Tad's Steak House is still in business. After a meal there, I fasted for 24 hours.
Great memories. Been on them in 2000 and 2014 to get boat over to Alcatraz. Rather than sit at back, i was hanging on to the poles on the front sides. Both visits the trams got stuck going up over Nob Hill and trucks had to come out to push us up the hill towards Hyde. Must be a jinx 😂 Great stuff 👏👏👏
Don't forget the Llandudno cable car up the Great Orme in North Wales. Plus Harlech has a road (Fford Penllech) that vies with the one in New Zealand as being the steepest in the world! It's certainly the steepest in the Northern Hemisphere! Great video as always.
Another great video! Been on the Cable cars several times, always a great ride. Can’t believe the boarding line didn’t have a couple of hundred people.
I live here and use it to visit friends on Nob Hill when I don't feel like walking. Also, Lombard Street is not even the crookedest street in San Francisco (that would be Vermont Street on Potrero Hill)
On Jackson Street there’s the Cable car power plant/museum, it’s really fascinating as they have a lot of old equipment, and old restored cars in there, and you can see how it’s operated and even a spot where you can see all the cables going out into the streets (there’s cables for 3 lines all running under the city.) Because of the steep grades, this was the only solution back then, overhead electric wouldn’t be able to handle it, and using a horse drawn streetcar would have been too cruel. I actually got out and walked down Lombard Street, then all the way up to the Coit Tower, then down the Filbert steps to the Embarcadero, where you can catch the historic electric trams (their fleet is amazing, they even have an open top tram from Blackpool for special runs (it looks like a boat on rails!)
If you ever get the chance to visit Pittsburgh, PA, give it a try. A super green and hilly city that rivals SF for terrain, it also has an interesting light rail system and two incline railways with amazing views. They're also both over 100 years old!
Great video….. but key observation from personal experience riding the cable car at night is a lot cooler…..far fewer queues to board….. much more likely of choice of seating and the night time lights look great. Final selling point is if you want to stop off at say a restaurant mid way you have a chance of boarding after your meal. During the daytime the cars are often full for entire journey
Have fond memories of my stay of a few days in SFO back in 2006: I was staying at the Powell Hotel, right next to the turntable (I wonder whether it's still there, back then it had a very reasonable price, though it was quite run down, but I didn't really care). Of course I loved the cable car and the day pass was quite cheap then. Well, next thing to do for you is to take the line F tram with its vintage trains and then BART and the metro to the Ocean Beach. Am I asking too much?
Knowing San Francisco is a super-expensive city to live in, paying $8 for a one way journey is a bargain for the distance traveled as compared to using a taxi or Uber. Beautiful day for filming,great view of the Bay, can't imagine how much the rent must be for the numerous apartments we passed by! Wish you could've filmed the F Line which used restored PCC trolleys--clearly the US transportation mask mandate was in effect when you visited--what hotel did you stay at?
Dylan, find George Hilton's "The Cable Car In America". It explains how the technology works and covers the multiple systems that existed in the US 135 years ago. Well worth the read!
This looked like a fun experience and one that I would definitely take if I was in the area! I do believe that $8 is expensive for a single, though as you say, the day pass at $13 is clearly the way to go. :)
Great video, you were so lucky with the weather! Lombard Street is fund to drive down, did it in a hired car many years ago. Not so much fun is stopping at red traffic lights on the incline, although automatic the D selection did not stop the car from rolling backwards, and with a foot operated parking brake it felt as if I needed 3 feet to negotiate the green lights!! For future videos you must try out the High Speed loop from London to Ashford then on to Folkestone, along the sea front track between tunnels by Samphire Hoe and on to Dover and back to St Pancras via Margate and Medway towns. (or reverse?). (Not sure how to ticket this though?). For trams, do try the trams in South London, and for novalty value the cable car in Docklands, London.
Wait, what did you do? You don't set the parking brake on a hill on an auto, you just press the brake. When you take off you just jam the gas. Most new cars have auto hill hold that holds the brake until you go forward, but if you don't and it's really steep, it's one of the few times you can use your left foot to hold the brake while you apply gas with the right.
@@straightpipediesel this was before cars had hill control (I have it on my present car) .. I used one foot to press the brake pedal and the other to release the parking brake, then gently depressed the accelerator so the car would move forwards as I lifted the other foot off the brake pedal. Car lurched and pedestrians ran away! This was before dashcams so nothing to show on youtube, all other cars I have driven have had a hand operated parking brake which I found to be so much easier to use than a foot operated device.
I may be speaking out of turn (as we 'Murricans say), but your significant other seems to be willing to follow you on your journeys, perhaps you should propose. It's amazing to find someone who appreciates and encourages your passion, don't let her get away.
Awesome! When I was little this tram inspired me to make a cable powered tram to move my toys around my room…. it sounds a lot better than it was haha As for other videos of of quirky systems closer to home the Glasgow subway or the Manx electric railway.
Hey, Dylan. I didn't know that you had been in San Francisco. I hope that you had a great time on your visit. I see that you posted this last Friday, when I had to work on a project, and couldn't see the video first-hand. Years ago, the Cable Cars ran at the same fare as the busses, and Muni Metro. It was several years ago that they became priced as a tourist attraction. That's probably because the routes that the Cable Cars take don't really fit the needs of most residents. They're special ... so, they got a "special" price. When I was growing up, only men were allowed to STAND on the outside steps at the front of the cars, holding onto the poles. I think that it was in the late '60s that women demanded equality, and it was granted. (I've never done it, and probably never will.) Thanks for a fun video.
Great video as always Dylan, i hope your girlfriend got the outdoor seat on the way back, The system is great to travel on, I hope you got to travel and do a video on the F Line on Market Street. Certainly like to see other tram reviews, to consider . The Coast Tram in Belgium, Blackpool, Helsinki, and of course Amsterdam. Your a good travel review video reviewer
Not a tram, but the hanging monorail over the river in Wuppertal, Germany is a must see. It’s a real transit system, not a tourist attraction. The valley is so narrow that the only space for the train is over the river.
Thanks a lot. This brought back fond memories. I think 2 rides should be compulsory for any first time visiter. One to complete the route to get an impression of San Fran, and one to get off at various places. The speed is ideal. My only drawback is that when I wanted to return from Fisherman’s Wharf, so did about all other visitors. 😳😂
Even if they're not the most efficient form of public transit, I feel like cable cars (or streetcars styled after them) are just so appealing that they could do a good job of getting public transit to more people who normally wouldn't consider it. Even if it's just short-distance transport from suburbs to nearby shopping centers or more efficient large scale public transit. They clearly have some appeal to people, if they're able to become a tourist attraction in places like San Francisco.
Whilst the tech is old, they aren't so inefficient for people getting about, though ... the 30 and 45 buses (similar route) are often uncomfortably jam-packed during the day as they pass through Chinatown (although they go through the tunnel on Stockton to avoid the steepest hills) and the E/F streetcars are similarly jam-packed and get caught up in traffic on Market Street and Embarcadero so can take ages. So it often be the best option, if it goes the way you're going
One of the issues is that the cable cars are not disabled/wheelchair accessible, and therefore do not qualify for most subsidies; hence the expensive tickets. The streetcar network is much more complex, with things like elevated boarding platforms. Another issue is the cable cars are poorly sheltered from the weather. It's barely acceptable in San Francisco where the climate is extremely mild and it never snows or freezes, it would not fly anywhere else. Even the heat in LA would cause major issues.
Dylan, I want to see you come to Toronto and ride our streetcars (and I also want to see you take the GO [Government of Ontario] Train to Niagara Falls.)
How is the cable wound? Is there like a winding engine? Does it work like a funicular with cars going up and cars going down counterbalancing each other? How does the braking work going downhill? 😧
On a large number of wheels and pulleys, driven in the power house. If you are able to visit San Francisco, you can see it in action at the Cable Car Museum, which is at the power house and is on the route. It's quite fascinating. The 'cable car museum' website also has diagrams of how it works.
When going at full speed downhill, the grip is fully applied so the cable car is locked to the speed of the cable. In relatively flat areas, the cable car has wheel tread brakes like a train. When that is insufficient, on steep hills, there is another lever that presses wood blocks onto the track. In an emergency, a third lever drives a steel wedge into the cable slot, which disables the cable car until mechanics come to recover it.
Dylan, you should try the Picasso train Thibault ( SImply Railway) had rode into. Wish I try that tram. It's a wonderful sightseeing cable car. 3:09 It's Mrs Travel Reports! 7:15 That cute car. 7:29 Yes, on GTA San Andreas I have an apartment at the right of the video. But the cable car is an immortal. Can't destroy in any way, but you can hop in for some fun. 8:41 Hello Dylan's girlfriend! 9:10 Finally hear her voice. Wonderful report.
It's ever so slightly downhill, so the driver can push it to start it off, then catch it up to apply the brakes in the boarding area after having reset the turntable for the next cable car.
Yes! The cable cars elevated to the world's great railways! Where they deserve to be...PS the operators are known to be of good humor, but there's an occasional cranky one.
Maybe it's just dumb me but I'm somewhat confused as to how this works. There's a cable between the tracks pulling the cars, right? Now ... when the car wants to stop, does the entire cable stop or does the car somehow disconnect from the cable which keeps running continousely? And how do intersections work?? Aren't the two cables in each other's way? Besides that: awesome video as always. If I ever make my way to the US, San Francisco is definitely on the list! 😊
The cable keeps moving, to get the car to move the "driver" moves a lever which locks on to the cable which moves the vehicle forwards, to stop the grip is released and the vehicle is braked to a halt. I think one of the other levers is a brake lever, I'm not sure, it was over 30 years ago when I was there!
@@imsbvs thanks ... I was figuring something like that. Sounds pretty difficult though to make smooth transitions between cable towing and free rolling...
@@michaausleipzig The grip doesn't have to be applied fully, when the cable car needs to go slow, the gripman can apply a lower level of pressure and the cable slips within the grip, like a clutch on a car.
And intersections: 4:46 is the only intersection in the world. One side has a cable as normal, the other direction has no traction as its cable dips under. The driver has to gain sufficient speed then release and retract the grip and coast through. That also happens in some other locations such as sharp corners. Kind of similar to third-rail electric trains at intersections.
Love the San Fran cable cars - when I last rode them, the operator called Lombard Street the second most crooked street in the US - after Wall Street. Great video, as ever, Dylan.
Thanks!
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They're basically rolling museums at this point, everything is bespoke including repairs to the cable system, which you can see at the depot/cable car barn stationed about halfway up the Powell line. That said, even if the single tickets are pretty expensive ($8 as mentioned, very much targeted at tourists), the cable cars are fully integrated into the transit network so you can ride them for "free" if you have a Muni monthly pass (currently $81). It's always a treat when you get to use them as normal public transportation - in the off hours, some nice operators will let you hail them in the middle of the street and they'll stop at whatever intersection.
When I was last on a cable car, a school girl, about 12, got on and was standing near the edge. On one of the steep hills, she dropped her satchel onto the street. A lady told the driver, who stopped the car and backed it down the hill so she could pick it up. He then had to back down to the level intersection to grip the cable and start up the hill again. I remember the driver being nearly on his back on the floor pulling the lever to grip the cable.
Back in the 70s (no, the cable cars were not brand new then!) on my first visit to San Francisco, I will always remember that when we passed Lombard Street the conductor told us it was the second crookedest street in the world. This naturally elicited the question, “what’s the crookedest?” The conductor’s answer was “Wall Street.” I feel so fortunate to have been there for what I’m sure was the only time any cable car conductor ever made that joke.
john: Since cable cars are used more by tourists then residents, the drivers are different from other Muni bus drivers, While other driven can be aloof if not downright cranky, the cable car drivers kind of function as entertainers, too.
Lol...
They're touristy, but I love the San Francisco cable cars. Late at night, there are fewer riders, and the city's lights add a magical touch, especially when they twinkle through the fog. Thanks for posting this!
Downtown SFO can be dangerous at night. Most cable car routes go into or near the Tenderloin district, an area rife with substance abuse and a large mentally ill population the city refuses to acknowledge with long-term recovery assistance. I do not recommend going into the area after dark.
Do you live there? I'm curious, does anyone there actually use them for public transport, or is that mostly the PCC streetcars?
@@romanrat5613 I don't live there but have been for work many times. I think the cable cars are used primarily by tourists. They weren't included in MUNI passes and cost more than the buses, streetcars, and subway (at least the last time I visited).
@@romanrat5613 They are used by people who work on the Pacific Stock Exchange on Grant Street, which is like the New York Stock Exchange.
@@luislaplume8261 that’s cool
My favourite way of getting around San Francisco - IME, it's often quicker than 30 or 45 bus and the E or F streetcar once you can actually board. Summer evening travel is particularly lovely, with the sounds and the burning smell and the bell. I miss visiting so much - hopefully not much longer before I can go again.
I used to live in San Francisco and had a relative who lived near the Cable Car Barn. Loved taking the cable car to visit her.
You had a most unusual cable car experience, a Covid-era version. Usually there is a line two deep all the way around the turnaround and up Powell Street at least to the Burger King entrance (visible ). The wait is 1-1/2 hours. There's also a million people running around here and there, tourists and locals. . The captive audience in line draws loud noise in the form of singers, break dancers and preachers with microphones. The car is stuffed full right away and people trying to get on ahead can forget it. You had the most ideal, peaceful cable car rides I've ever seen.
Visited a few years ago and we got a multi-day pass. We rode the cable cars and street cars during our visit. Very convenient and enjoyed the experience.
suprised to see noone standing on the running boards and hanging on the outside. That was the best bit for me!
Absolutely charming. I'm so glad that San Francisco saved their cable cars.
Also worth noting is the California St. Line, the one crossed over by the signal hut. That line is unique for having double ended cars, unlike the Powell St. Lines that use single enders. And if you're getting the MUNI day pass, you might also like their collection of vintage electric trams, including a few from as far away as Blackpool in the UK. These run mostly along the more level parts of the seafront including past the landmark Embarcadero ferry station.
Worked in SF from 1971 to 1993 and rode the cable car to work and back home 5 days a week. When I started the MUNI Pass was 36 dollars per month and was good for any public transit inside the city.
Speaking of steep rail tracks - maybe a trip to Slovakia to catch the rack railway (Ozubnicová železnica) Štrba - Štrbské Pleso going up the Tatra Mountains? ;) I've been there few years ago, the views are stunning!
The Museum (which this services passes, I think) is excellent and the working site of the drives for the cables.
Yes, I've visited this too, facinating to see the old technology at work.
The last city to have cable cars retired was Seattle in 1940. After that only San Francisco still has them.
I used to live on Leavenworth and Filbert (one block from the crooked street). The Hyde Street Line was my commute rail. It may be a quaint and fun ride for tourists, but it got quickly tiresome, especially in the summer afternoons when the tourists clogged up the Powell an Market station.
A great video, the San Francisco Cable Cars are a national treasure. So glad you are here in my state doing some videos. You're voice-over are spit on and so enjoyable. Enjoy your stay.
The cable cars are indeed amazing...generally, only tourists use them but it is a convenient, if not very fast, way to connect from the BART to the area of Fisherman's Wharf and the Alcatraz ferries. I agree, it is sort of 'must-do' if you're visiting San Francisco, one of my favorite US cities. It's so unique.
Nice visuals of the classic cable line, Dylan; great job.
The opening shots of the movie Bullit show the cable running in its conduit. San Francisco has more conventional trams plus a very extensive trolleybus system.
This was great, brought back memories of when I visited the city in 2019. Loved San Francisco so much.
In the late 90s, I had a Victorian Apartment @ corner of Jones & Jackson. The sound of the cables starting up awoke me in the morning. I’d walk a block to Jones & Washington @ 6:AM to ride a sparsely filled Cable Car down the hill to Market to be @ work in the office by 7:00AM. Work day done, I’d walk back up the hill to home… I miss those days!
Wonderful showcasing my beautiful city by the bay and the famous cable cars
When I lived in the city was three doors down from where this line crossed California Street. Back then the fares were much less so we residents rode them all the time. Brought back some memories.
The San Francisco Cable Cars are one of my favourite trams in the world, old but gold. Definitely worth a ride if i get there
Wonderful video. I like the idea of your doing more transit trip reports. I would like to see more reports on unique transit options, such as the monorails in Seattle and Las Vegas, and funiculars in LA, Amalfi, and Switzerland. Cable suspension cars in New York, London, and Portland, OR. (Just naming off things I know about off the top of my head.)
This brings back a lot of memories. I spent many weekends in San Francisco and road those cable cars also driving down Lombardi St. Was fun.
What an incredible life you live. I am envious and impressed in equal measure.....just can't understand why you don't have a million subscribers....
Many years ago when my company moved me to SF my apartment was not far from a cable car route that would take me to my office (I can see my old office in your video). It seemed like the ideal and interesting way to commute. However I must have done it only half a dozen times. The frequency wasn’t great, the speed of the cable car with stops not that quick and the fare premium, even then, over other forms of transport significant. For me it was always just a way for tourists to see the city, but no doubt many would disagree with me. Thanks for your video. Its a very good representation of what the ride is like.
At $13 for all day for all MUNI transit plus cable cars? Yeah that's worth it. Off to Ghirardelli Chocolate Company! The day looked gorgeous! Hope you had a good trip. :D
You should try the Hong Kong double decker trams. :)
Love the San Francisco cable cars especially the Powell/Market St - Fisherman’s Wharf journey. I’ve done that trip six times when visiting friends and family in the city. I’m heading back over to San Francisco in 2023 and will have another trip on that route. 😎👍🏻
Oh yeah, been there and done that, ride San Francisco's cable cars, I was surprised that it barely goes faster than a crawl. I've also rode my skateboard down Lombard Street, at first on a dare with friends who were doing the same, but not as dangerous as it looks. China Town is a real gem, nicer than the one in New York; love the food! Thanks for sharing the video, brings back good memories of Fleet Week.
As a San Francisco dweller, the cable car is outstanding and its beauty and charm as well as being an enjoyable mode of transportation existing to this day.
Just a short walk from the Hyde and Beach terminal is the Fisherman's Wharf terminal of the F and E heritage streetcar lines. Both operate through Fisherman's Wharf and then along Embarcadero as far as the Ferry Building. From there, the E continues along the Embarcadero, joining with the N line of the Muni Metro before terminating at the 4th and King Caltrain station while the F turns onto surface tracks on Market Street which it traverses as far as Castro. The F uses vintage PCC streetcars from Philadelphia, Newark and San Francisco along with vintage 1500 series trams from Milan while the E uses double-ended vintage PCC streetcars and older double-ended former Muni vehicles dating as far back as 1912. The E is still temporarily suspended, though Muni has yet to indicate when service will resume. The F, however, is very much running. Also, those cable car tracks you crossed while you were talking about the TransAmerica Pyramid belong to the California Street route. Those cable cars look very different from the Powell cars as they are double-ended and significantly larger. The California line tends to be much less crowded than the Powell lines as well.
Rode one of these today hanging off the side! Great fun. Then took the F streetcar back to Fisherman’s Wharf and the HI Hostel at Ft Mason….amazing location with killer views. Off to LA on the Coast Starlight tomorrow in a roomette from San Jose with Caltrain to get me to San Jose 😎 🇨🇦
San Francisco also has a line that uses PCC (President's conference committee they were designed by various transit companies in the US and Canada at the time) that are painted in the various colour schemes of the companies that ran them.
You should do a video on the cable car barn, where the works that propel the cables are. There is a museum there as well.
Great job Dylan. get over to the Isle of Man, they have Steam, Electric trains and Horse drawn trams. The place is absolutely gorgeous and fascinating too.
when i was a kid in SF, it was a legitimate way to get around The City with a few tourists ~ of course, this was in the early 1960s :)
One thing to note about the cable cars: they have no electrical power except for a battery for the lights. They are unpowered. The process of stopping a cable car is some fancy handling of the brake and grip lever.
Just got to love those cable cars. Used them a lot when in San Fran. In a health and safety mad world, to be encouraged to hang onto the outside. Hope you took in the Cable Car Museum. Fascinating place and where the whole network is powered from!
Ahh! Memories of my first visit to San Francisco in July 1989 (a few months before the earthquake). I recognised several familiar spots along the way. Yes, I fell for the expensive tourist trap fare back then, but made up for it the following day by getting a Muni Day Pass and using it to the max. including a trip on the California Cable Route (double ended cars on that route). Now I wonder if Tad's Steak House is still in business. After a meal there, I fasted for 24 hours.
Hi, enjoy all the tram reports. Finland’s Helsinki system is worth a look. They do special vintage tram days. Cheers.
Great memories. Been on them in 2000 and 2014 to get boat over to Alcatraz. Rather than sit at back, i was hanging on to the poles on the front sides. Both visits the trams got stuck going up over Nob Hill and trucks had to come out to push us up the hill towards Hyde. Must be a jinx 😂 Great stuff 👏👏👏
The cable cars have battery underneath the center of the car body for the marker lights and interior lights and the headlight.
Don't forget the Llandudno cable car up the Great Orme in North Wales. Plus Harlech has a road (Fford Penllech) that vies with the one in New Zealand as being the steepest in the world! It's certainly the steepest in the Northern Hemisphere! Great video as always.
Another great video! Been on the Cable cars several times, always a great ride. Can’t believe the boarding line didn’t have a couple of hundred people.
Went on those crazy things years ago the Museum/wheel house was very interesting as it shows you how it all works.
Thankyou Dylan, I lived in North California in the 80's. It started to lose its mystic by the time I left. This video takes me back to the fun times.
I live here and use it to visit friends on Nob Hill when I don't feel like walking. Also, Lombard Street is not even the crookedest street in San Francisco (that would be Vermont Street on Potrero Hill)
Great vid! Of the 3 routes, the California St 1 sees the fewest tourists & has double-ended cars...
On Jackson Street there’s the Cable car power plant/museum, it’s really fascinating as they have a lot of old equipment, and old restored cars in there, and you can see how it’s operated and even a spot where you can see all the cables going out into the streets (there’s cables for 3 lines all running under the city.) Because of the steep grades, this was the only solution back then, overhead electric wouldn’t be able to handle it, and using a horse drawn streetcar would have been too cruel. I actually got out and walked down Lombard Street, then all the way up to the Coit Tower, then down the Filbert steps to the Embarcadero, where you can catch the historic electric trams (their fleet is amazing, they even have an open top tram from Blackpool for special runs (it looks like a boat on rails!)
If you ever get the chance to visit Pittsburgh, PA, give it a try. A super green and hilly city that rivals SF for terrain, it also has an interesting light rail system and two incline railways with amazing views. They're also both over 100 years old!
09:13 We did sit there on the way back, one of the best feelings of my life ^-^
And wearing flowers in your hair! I'm surprised no one has mentioned that yet. That was a nice touch, very appropriate.
We rode up from California Street to Van Ness Avenue in 2014; impressed by the system
Can I suggest Manx Electric Railway & Snaefell Mountain Railway?
Those don't turn around. 2 fronts attached together. The mason line is better than Hyde in my opinion. So 1)Mason 2)Hyde 3)California
Great video….. but key observation from personal experience riding the cable car at night is a lot cooler…..far fewer queues to board….. much more likely of choice of seating and the night time lights look great. Final selling point is if you want to stop off at say a restaurant mid way you have a chance of boarding after your meal. During the daytime the cars are often full for entire journey
The San Francisco cable cars are always such incredible fun to ride and enjoy!!!
Have fond memories of my stay of a few days in SFO back in 2006: I was staying at the Powell Hotel, right next to the turntable (I wonder whether it's still there, back then it had a very reasonable price, though it was quite run down, but I didn't really care). Of course I loved the cable car and the day pass was quite cheap then. Well, next thing to do for you is to take the line F tram with its vintage trains and then BART and the metro to the Ocean Beach. Am I asking too much?
Fun fact: the brake shoes on these trams are wood! You can smell them on the down sections. They get changed every day. 16 wooden brake shoes/tram.
Knowing San Francisco is a super-expensive city to live in, paying $8 for a one way journey is a bargain for the distance traveled as compared to using a taxi or Uber. Beautiful day for filming,great view of the Bay, can't imagine how much the rent must be for the numerous apartments we passed by! Wish you could've filmed the F Line which used restored PCC trolleys--clearly the US transportation mask mandate was in effect when you visited--what hotel did you stay at?
Dylan, find George Hilton's "The Cable Car In America". It explains how the technology works and covers the multiple systems that existed in the US 135 years ago. Well worth the read!
This looked like a fun experience and one that I would definitely take if I was in the area! I do believe that $8 is expensive for a single, though as you say, the day pass at $13 is clearly the way to go. :)
Definitely - and remember it covers the MUNI metro for getting out to Ocean Beach or the Zoo (and the buses).
There is one in Dallas Texas when I was there for a visit. They had to turn it around on a Turntable
Great video, you were so lucky with the weather! Lombard Street is fund to drive down, did it in a hired car many years ago. Not so much fun is stopping at red traffic lights on the incline, although automatic the D selection did not stop the car from rolling backwards, and with a foot operated parking brake it felt as if I needed 3 feet to negotiate the green lights!! For future videos you must try out the High Speed loop from London to Ashford then on to Folkestone, along the sea front track between tunnels by Samphire Hoe and on to Dover and back to St Pancras via Margate and Medway towns. (or reverse?). (Not sure how to ticket this though?). For trams, do try the trams in South London, and for novalty value the cable car in Docklands, London.
Wait, what did you do? You don't set the parking brake on a hill on an auto, you just press the brake. When you take off you just jam the gas. Most new cars have auto hill hold that holds the brake until you go forward, but if you don't and it's really steep, it's one of the few times you can use your left foot to hold the brake while you apply gas with the right.
@@straightpipediesel this was before cars had hill control (I have it on my present car) .. I used one foot to press the brake pedal and the other to release the parking brake, then gently depressed the accelerator so the car would move forwards as I lifted the other foot off the brake pedal. Car lurched and pedestrians ran away! This was before dashcams so nothing to show on youtube, all other cars I have driven have had a hand operated parking brake which I found to be so much easier to use than a foot operated device.
@@imsbvs Like I said, when driving an auto you never use the parking brake when driving on hills, there's no reason to.
I may be speaking out of turn (as we 'Murricans say), but your significant other seems to be willing to follow you on your journeys, perhaps you should propose. It's amazing to find someone who appreciates and encourages your passion, don't let her get away.
He did once we got back home :) (I said yes)
Awesome! When I was little this tram inspired me to make a cable powered tram to move my toys around my room…. it sounds a lot better than it was haha
As for other videos of of quirky systems closer to home the Glasgow subway or the Manx electric railway.
Really great video, thank you! 😀
Excellent view of "The Rock". Atrip that's On my bucket list. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing Dylan. Cheers, Bob
Went back in 2015 I never made time to ride the Cable cars unfortunately. Alcatraz is definitely worth a visit tho
Next time go down to the town of Seaton and ride the heritage trams from Seaton to Colyton Seaton is in the UK near Lyme Regis
Brilliant report. I felt like I was there with you!
Hey, Dylan. I didn't know that you had been in San Francisco. I hope that you had a great time on your visit. I see that you posted this last Friday, when I had to work on a project, and couldn't see the video first-hand.
Years ago, the Cable Cars ran at the same fare as the busses, and Muni Metro. It was several years ago that they became priced as a tourist attraction. That's probably because the routes that the Cable Cars take don't really fit the needs of most residents. They're special ... so, they got a "special" price.
When I was growing up, only men were allowed to STAND on the outside steps at the front of the cars, holding onto the poles. I think that it was in the late '60s that women demanded equality, and it was granted. (I've never done it, and probably never will.) Thanks for a fun video.
Great video as always Dylan, i hope your girlfriend got the outdoor seat on the way back, The system is great to travel on, I hope you got to travel and do a video on the F Line on Market Street. Certainly like to see other tram reviews, to consider . The Coast Tram in Belgium, Blackpool, Helsinki, and of course Amsterdam. Your a good travel review video reviewer
We did get the outside seat on the way back :)
@@elijade99 Good stuff
Not a tram, but the hanging monorail over the river in Wuppertal, Germany is a must see. It’s a real transit system, not a tourist attraction. The valley is so narrow that the only space for the train is over the river.
Great video. Serpentine Rd in Rothesay is very crooked too!
Thanks a lot. This brought back fond memories. I think 2 rides should be compulsory for any first time visiter. One to complete the route to get an impression of San Fran, and one to get off at various places. The speed is ideal. My only drawback is that when I wanted to return from Fisherman’s Wharf, so did about all other visitors. 😳😂
Even if they're not the most efficient form of public transit, I feel like cable cars (or streetcars styled after them) are just so appealing that they could do a good job of getting public transit to more people who normally wouldn't consider it. Even if it's just short-distance transport from suburbs to nearby shopping centers or more efficient large scale public transit. They clearly have some appeal to people, if they're able to become a tourist attraction in places like San Francisco.
Whilst the tech is old, they aren't so inefficient for people getting about, though ... the 30 and 45 buses (similar route) are often uncomfortably jam-packed during the day as they pass through Chinatown (although they go through the tunnel on Stockton to avoid the steepest hills) and the E/F streetcars are similarly jam-packed and get caught up in traffic on Market Street and Embarcadero so can take ages. So it often be the best option, if it goes the way you're going
One of the issues is that the cable cars are not disabled/wheelchair accessible, and therefore do not qualify for most subsidies; hence the expensive tickets. The streetcar network is much more complex, with things like elevated boarding platforms. Another issue is the cable cars are poorly sheltered from the weather. It's barely acceptable in San Francisco where the climate is extremely mild and it never snows or freezes, it would not fly anywhere else. Even the heat in LA would cause major issues.
Nice video . Thanks
SUPERB. SO INTERESTING. THANK YOU
Been on that in 2008 and had a great time.
Did you get a chance to visit the cable car museum?
The California St cable cars are double ended. You are crossing it at 4.58.
Dylan, I want to see you come to Toronto and ride our streetcars (and I also want to see you take the GO [Government of Ontario] Train to Niagara Falls.)
What is a gradient of 21%? 1:?
How is the cable wound? Is there like a winding engine? Does it work like a funicular with cars going up and cars going down counterbalancing each other? How does the braking work going downhill? 😧
On a large number of wheels and pulleys, driven in the power house. If you are able to visit San Francisco, you can see it in action at the Cable Car Museum, which is at the power house and is on the route. It's quite fascinating. The 'cable car museum' website also has diagrams of how it works.
When going at full speed downhill, the grip is fully applied so the cable car is locked to the speed of the cable. In relatively flat areas, the cable car has wheel tread brakes like a train. When that is insufficient, on steep hills, there is another lever that presses wood blocks onto the track. In an emergency, a third lever drives a steel wedge into the cable slot, which disables the cable car until mechanics come to recover it.
You *have* to come to Australia and check out what we have to offer.
Dylan, you should try the Picasso train Thibault ( SImply Railway) had rode into. Wish I try that tram. It's a wonderful sightseeing cable car.
3:09 It's Mrs Travel Reports!
7:15 That cute car.
7:29 Yes, on GTA San Andreas I have an apartment at the right of the video. But the cable car is an immortal. Can't destroy in any way, but you can hop in for some fun.
8:41 Hello Dylan's girlfriend!
9:10 Finally hear her voice.
Wonderful report.
Haha as soon as I saw the tower I thought "It's the Big Pointy Building!"
@@djackmanson Have you picked a parachute there?
How is the car moved off of the table?
Muscle power.
It's ever so slightly downhill, so the driver can push it to start it off, then catch it up to apply the brakes in the boarding area after having reset the turntable for the next cable car.
What brilliant video I love it
Boa tarde Dylans bonito bomde show bonito são Francisco gostei 👍 Dylans
good tram video!!
outstanding!
When I was little. The cable was $1.50 lol.
Nice job. I wish you could have included when the tram has to change gears while on an incline. It can be a horrowing experience.
Great video
This was very nice.
Yes! The cable cars elevated to the world's great railways! Where they deserve to be...PS the operators are known to be of good humor, but there's an occasional cranky one.
Is the cable car a tourist thing, or is it mostly used by the locals?
Maybe it's just dumb me but I'm somewhat confused as to how this works. There's a cable between the tracks pulling the cars, right? Now ... when the car wants to stop, does the entire cable stop or does the car somehow disconnect from the cable which keeps running continousely? And how do intersections work?? Aren't the two cables in each other's way?
Besides that: awesome video as always. If I ever make my way to the US, San Francisco is definitely on the list! 😊
The cable keeps moving, to get the car to move the "driver" moves a lever which locks on to the cable which moves the vehicle forwards, to stop the grip is released and the vehicle is braked to a halt. I think one of the other levers is a brake lever, I'm not sure, it was over 30 years ago when I was there!
@@imsbvs thanks ... I was figuring something like that. Sounds pretty difficult though to make smooth transitions between cable towing and free rolling...
@@michaausleipzig The grip doesn't have to be applied fully, when the cable car needs to go slow, the gripman can apply a lower level of pressure and the cable slips within the grip, like a clutch on a car.
And intersections: 4:46 is the only intersection in the world. One side has a cable as normal, the other direction has no traction as its cable dips under. The driver has to gain sufficient speed then release and retract the grip and coast through. That also happens in some other locations such as sharp corners. Kind of similar to third-rail electric trains at intersections.