Comments on: We still build moving landmarks. ding, ding

We still build moving landmarks. ding, ding

toxic — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:05:44 -0800

Building a landmark. Nearly 135 years after first rolling up Clay Street, San Francisco's famous cable cars are still using an elegant, yet antiquated system of understreet cables and two types of unpowered cars to move delighted tourists and patient locals across the city every day. But most riders don't realize that five specialized craftsmen in a shop in an industrial part of town make up the the last cable car factory in the world, still building cars by hand, from plans reverse-engineered from a car disassembled in 1982. [via]

By: panamax

panamax — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:20:42 -0800

welcome to the future, where we will be reverse-engineering 747s etc.

By: Skorgu

Skorgu — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 12:29:58 -0800

You know it never occurred to me that that's what the "cable" in cable cars meant? Very, very cool, thank you!

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:00:47 -0800

Q: Does the cable car go up the hill, or down the hill? A: It goes ding-ding, ding-ding! /old SF joke

By: Venadium

Venadium — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 13:44:57 -0800

Skorgu, I had no idea either.. I wasn't really expecting the cars to be unpowered, but I guess I never really put too much thought into wondering how they moved around. I just knew that they did.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:00:33 -0800

IMG

By: digaman

digaman — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:32:45 -0800

Fascinating, thanks!

By: LobsterMitten

LobsterMitten — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:09:16 -0800

cooooool.

By: Devils Rancher

Devils Rancher — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:16:05 -0800

As a kid, I used to love standing astride the slot and watching the cable cruising by underneath. The thing I loved the most was that "Whoa we're going down a steeeeeep hill!" thing for a moment, before the cable actually slowed the car down. The last time I was in SF though, the tourists were so thick there was no point even trying to get on one. Yes, they were just transportation, once.

By: davros42

davros42 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:45:10 -0800

Absolutely amazing, they were my favorite part of my trip to San Francisco. More cities should have cable cars.

By: The Light Fantastic

The Light Fantastic — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:09:10 -0800

Charming, but dangerous!

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 17:31:34 -0800

The last time I was in SF though, the tourists were so thick there was no point even trying to get on one. Yes, they were just transportation, once. I don't know why tourists pack Powell and Market and stand in lines like they're at Disneyland. You can catch the line anywhere along the way. Or better yet, ride the California line which is incredible and is rarely packed. I briefly commuted on the California line when I lived near Polk and California. Its super expensive on a tourist fare but they're included as part of the Muni Fast Pass so, yes, they are used by commuters - just not at Powell and Market.

By: subaruwrx

subaruwrx — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:14:41 -0800

Ah the cable cars. When I lived on Hyde and California, I used to commute downtown on the California line. When I would stop to think about, it, I was pretty amazed that I got to work the same way people 100 years ago did and it was a little breath taking.

By: lapolla

lapolla — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:44:06 -0800

i'd avoided the cable cars for years, thinking they were tourist traps. but they really are delightful, and now i take 'em whenever i can. of course yeah - having a muni pass makes it affordable. you have to be prepared to have your photo taken if you ride one though. people on every corner, snapshotting. the line everyone stands in line to catch - at the powell turnaround - is difficult to board anywhere along the route because if there's a line waiting at either end, it just gets too crowded and the operators won't let more people onboard. but the california line is awesome. working downtown last year, the california cable car line actually got me home faster than the regular 1-california busline. and the cable-car museum is really fun, and free! it's awesome to see the giant wheels turning the cables. i highly recommend a visit, if yr in town.

Comments on: We still build moving landmarks. *ding, ding*

We still build moving landmarks. *ding, ding*