Three ex-SEPTA PCCs (1055, 1061, 1052) for F-Market service at Geneva Yard. Photo by David Pirmann, July 1996.

Overview

In the 1970s, Muni was planning for the day when all of its streetcar services would be placed in the Market Street Subway being constructed by BART, and Market Street would be rid of its tracks forever. Meanwhile, the possibility of creating a historic Embarcadero trolley line, to be operated by the Western Railway Museum, Muni, or some other entity on tracks of the State Belt Railway, began to gather momentum.

Muni Metro opened on February 18, 1980. On that day, streetcars of the N-Judah line dove underground, while the four remaining lines stayed with PCCs. The next conversion, in June 1980, added service to West Portal, and the J-Church was the last fully PCC-operated route until its conversion on June 17, 1981 to Muni Metro subway service. Weekend PCCs, however, soldiered on until September 19, 1982, when the last cars were retired, sold off, stored or scrapped. But the tracks remained in place.

Enter the Trolley Festival era. With the city's famed cable car system shut down on September 21, 1982 for a complete rebuilding, representatives of the city Chamber of Commerce and historic streetcar support group Market Street Railway developed plans for a substitute attraction for the summer of 1983, and hit upon an international-flavor Historic Trolley Festival, using the now-idle tracks on Market Street. With the help of Mayor (now U. S. Senator) Dianne Feinstein and then-Muni General Manager Harold H. Geissenheimer, a dyed-in-the-wool railfan, plans developed quickly. Using Muni's own flagship trolley, 1912-vintage A-Type 1 and some PCCs as a nucleus, cars from Oporto, Portugal, Portland, Oregon, Melbourne, Australia and Blackpool, England, as well as a retired 1923 2-man San Francisco car, were leased or donated for use. Another Muni trolley, B-Type 130 (1914), was re-converted from a wrecker to a passenger car, and the 1983 Trolley Festival sprang to life. The success of the Festival resulted in continued weekend operations into 1984 and another summer. A tram from Milan, Italy was added for 1984, and Hamburg tram 3557, which made it late in 1983, now would have a full season under its belt. The Festival was repeated four more summers, and in the meantime, federal and state funding was lined up to rebuild the Market Street tracks for a new permanent surface Market Street line. Following four separate trackwork contracts, the F-Line opened for service on September 1, 1995. Ridership shot up 43% over the trolley coach line the F replaced. A new fleet of 14 ex-Philadelphia PCCs, plus 3 double-enders from Muni's mothballed fleet, provided service, supplemented whenever possible with a vintage car.

In the latter days of the 1987 Trolley Festival, two 4-wheel trolleys, running with diesel generators in tow, were utilized for a demonstration service on State Belt Railway tracks to test the feasibility of an Embarcadero vintage trolley service. The two cars, running Fridays and Saturdays only, carried record loads, proving without a doubt that such a service was indeed viable. Then came the Oct. 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, which damaged the Embarcadero Freeway so severely that it had to be demolished. In its place came a new Embarcadero surface roadway with streetcar tracks in its median. As a result of the quake, the waterfront had opened up to San Franciscans again, and the revitalized Embarcadero was a new Grand Boulevard and a source of civic pride. Linking of the F-Line with the new tracks to Fisherman's Wharf occurred on March 4, 2000. 10 Milan cars joined the PCCs in regular service, and the 2-man vintage cars would now see everyday service.

Roster

The PCC Fleet

Number	Livery/Notes
PCC 1006	San Francisco double end "Torpedo" car. In 2012, went to Brookville Car for restoration.
PCC 1007	Philadelphia Suburban (Red Arrow), maroon & cream. Formerly in San Francisco MUNI 1995 livery of red & silver.
PCC 1008	San Francisco double end "Torpedo" car. In 2012, went to Brookville Car for restoration. In service. Muni green and cream wings livery.
PCC 1009	San Francisco double end "Torpedo" car. In 2012, went to Brookville Car for restoration. In service. Dallas Railway & Terminal cream, black, red and silver livery.
PCC 1010	San Francisco MUNI 1939 "Magic Carpet", blue & gold.
PCC 1015	Illinois Terminal, green & cream.
PCC 1040	1040 is the last PCC built in America by St. Louis Car. Co. In 2012, went to Brookville Car for restoration. In service.
PCC 1050	San Francisco MUNI 1951 "wings", green & cream. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2119.
PCC 1051	San Francisco MUNI 1963 simplified, green & cream. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2123.
PCC 1052	Los Angeles Railway 1937, two-tone yellow (orange & yellow). Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2110.
PCC 1053	Brooklyn 1946 City of New York, light green & silver. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2721.
PCC 1054	Philadelphia PTC 1940, silver & cream with blue trim. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2121. Although painted for one of its home city's liveries, this car never carried this paint scheme while in Philadelphia. Status: Out of service due to accident 11/16/2003 (rear-ended at high speed by Breda 1541 on San Jose Avenue); will be used for parts and will not return to service (see also #1060).
PCC 1055	Philadelphia PTC post-war, green & cream with red trim. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2122.
PCC 1056	Kansas City 1941 black & cream. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2113. Returned to service April 2007 after being inactive over 5 years due to wreck damage.
PCC 1057	Cincinnati, yellow with green trim. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2138.
PCC 1058	Chicago CTA 1952 green & cream. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2124.
PCC 1059	Boston Elevated Railway orange & cream. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2099.
PCC 1060	Philadelphia PTC 1940, silver & cream with blue trim. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2715. Formerly was Newark, NJ PSCT 1952 livery, gray & white with blue trim. Involved in accident 11/5/2002 (derailed at Steuart & Market, slammed into telephone pole); during its repair it was repainted into PTC silver and blue scheme formerly seen on car #1054; it reentered service on May 26, 2005. The Newark PSCT livery will be among those used on the newly-acquired Newark PCCs #1070-#1080.
PCC 1061	Los Angeles Pacific Electric 1940 red, orange & white. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2116.
PCC 1062	Louisville 1946 green, cream & black. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2101.
PCC 1063	Baltimore BTC yellow & gray. Rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2096.
PCC 1070	Newark PSCT gray and blue with red wheels and wing emblem (replacing repainted No. 1060). Delivered 7/30/2006. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #14; former Twin City #333.
PCC 1071	Twin City Rapid Transit original system, yellow, green. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #23; former Twin City #362.
PCC 1072	Mexico City green, cream, red. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #20; former Twin City #339.
PCC 1073	El Paso-Juarez red, green, white. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #22; former Twin City #361.
PCC 1074	Toronto maroon, black, cream. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #2; former Twin City #321.
PCC 1075	Cleveland orange, tan, brown, cream. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #17; former Twin City #336.
PCC 1076	Washington, DC DC Transit aqua, green, persimmon. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #12; former Twin City #331.
PCC 1077	Birmingham blue, scarlet, cream. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #21; former Twin City #360.
PCC 1078	San Diego pea green, brown, cream. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #19; former Twin City #338.
PCC 1079	Detroit red, cream, white. Delivered 9/7/2006. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #11; former Twin City #330.
PCC 1080	Los Angeles National City Lines Spanish yellow, green, white. Delivered 5/11/2006. Rehabilitated from New Jersey Transit Newark Subway PCC. Former Newark #9; former Twin City #328.

The Milan "Peter Witt" Fleet

Number	Notes
Milan 1807	Formerly numbered 1507.
Milan 1811	Formerly numbered 1911. Damaged 4/15/02 when it rear-ended a Breda at Church & 22nd Street. Rebuilt and returned to service in historic Milan yellow/white livery on August 18, 2004.
Milan 1814	Wore number 1814 in Milan also.
Milan 1815	Formerly numbered 1515.
Milan 1818	Recently repainted into Milan green livery.
Milan 1834	Currently used for operator training only.
Milan 1856	Formerly numbered 1556.
Milan 1859	Wore number 1859 in Milan also.
Milan 1888	Wrecked December 2003; will be rebuilt. Formerly numbered 1588.
Milan 1893	Formerly numbered 1793.
Milan 1895	Formerly numbered 1795.

MUNI/Market Street Railway Historic Fleet

Number	Notes
San Francisco MUNI A-Type 1	This class opened service in 1912 on the new Municipal Railway of San Francisco on Dec. 28, 1912, operating on lines A-Geary & 10th Avenue and B-Geary and Ocean Beach. Later, cars 1-43 worked lines C-Geary and California and F-Stockton, with two also running on line M-Ocean View in shuttle service. Car 1, built by local carbuilder W. L. Holman, escaped scrapping in 1951 and was restored by Muni to its original open-end appearance for Muni's 50th Anniversary in 1962. It has been in revenue service since 1982, and is considered the "flagship" of the Muni streetcar fleet.
San Francisco MUNI B-Type 130	Car 130, the only car on Muni property that was never "retired", arrived at Muni as part of a 125-car order from Jewett Car Company of Newark, Ohio in 1914. The last cars of this class were retired in 1958, but 130 became a work car. In 1983, Muni shop personnel restored 130 back to a passenger car, and it has worked all five Trolley Festivals and is, at 90 years old, now providing daily service on the F-Line. It has been dedicated to the memory of Herb Caen, the beloved columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.
San Francisco MUNI B-Type 162	Another B-Type returned to Muni on July 10, 2003 from the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, Calif. 162 was one of the last B-Types to be retired in 1958. Market Street Railway did much of the restoration of this car between July 2003 and September 2004, and it is now at Muni for the final restoration work. It will return to service in 2008.
San Francisco MUNI K-Type 178	The 25 K-Types, built locally by Bethlehem Steel (the old Union Iron Works) in 1923, operated 35 years, with the last ones retired in 1958. Car 171 went to the Orange Empire Railway Museum, and number 178 was saved by the Bay Area Electric Railway Assn. for its Western Railway Museum in Rio Vista Junction, CA. 178 was brought back to Muni in 1981 for a special fantrip by the BAERA, and hung around for revenue service on the J-Church line in 1982 and the 1983, 1984 and 1985 Trolley Festivals. It is now back at the Western Railway Museum.
Market St. Rwy. "Dinky" 578(S)	Built in 1895 for the first Market Street Railway Company, this 4-wheel cable car lookalike passed through ownership of United Railroads, the second Market Street Railway Company and finally Muni, which restored the car in 1956 to its 1895 appearance to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. It is still used on special occasions, and is the oldest streetcar currently in service on a U. S. transit agency.
Market St. Rwy "California Comfort Car" 798	This car, the only "California Comfort Car" in existence, was built by MSRy in its Elkton Shops in 1924. It was retired by Muni in 1946, and went to the Sierra Foothills town of Columbia, CA, where it became part of a dwelling. In 1984, the owner was threatening to destroy the car, and booster group MSR, with the help of some city departments, was able to extricate the car. In the early 1990s, partial restoration was carried out at Deuel Vocational Facility Prison in Tracy, CA, and now complete restoration is being done by MSR at the Mint Yard.

Other Historic Cars

Number	Notes
Veracruz, Mexico 001	This single-truck, single-end open trolley, built in the 1900s, came to San Francisco for the 1984 Trolley Festival, and stayed around in 1985. The mayor of Veracruz then demanded the car back for his re-election campaign. Unfortunately, he was defeated in his bid for another term as mayor, and the car has been on display, more or less, in Veracruz since.
Moscow/Orel, USSR 106	This car was donated by the Soviet Union to San Francisco with a ceremony on January 27, 1987, as the "Streetcar Named Desire For Peace". 106, built in 1912 (although some accounts date its construction to 1921), was originally a German-designed car which ran in Moscow until 1960, then Orel to 1978. It ran in the 1987 Trolley Festival, and then occasionally up to 1997. It is now undergoing restoration by F-Line support group Market Street Railway.
Oporto 122	122 is a single-truck car built by J. G. Brill for the Oporto tramway system. Many homebuilt copies were built by the Oporto system under license from Brill. It was leased from an Oregon streetcar broker for service in the 1983 Trolley Festival. 122 now operates for the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority in Dallas.
Hankai/Osaka 151	Stored serviceable at Pier 80
Oporto 189	189 is a sister car to 122. It was leased from Oregon streetcar broker Paul Class for the 1983 Trolley Festival, and was purchased by Muni in 1984. It has operated in every Trolley Festival, but then the need for a thorough restoration was much evident, and work was started, but since halted by Muni. 189 participated in the demonstration service in 1987 on The Embarcadero, proving the value of a waterfront trolley service.
Blackpool Boat Tram 228 (and 226)	These open trams, built by English Electric for the Blackpool, England tramway, still serve this seaside city's Promenade tram route. Car 226 came to the Western Railway Museum in the 1970s and was leased by Muni for the 1983 and 1984 Trolley Festivals. Muni meanwhile purchased its own "Boat", number 228, which had been in Philadelphia during the Bicentennial and was then returned to Blackpool and was available. Car 228 ran in the last 3 Festivals, and has been in revenue service ever since.
Johnstown 351	Car 351, built by St. Louis Car Co. in 1926 for Johnstown, PA, ran until the end of service in 1960. It was then purchased by a Sonoma County man who brought the car out to his property from Johnstown. Still intact, the car was sold to Market Street Railway in the late 1980s by his widow. Car 351 is awaiting restoration, and is at Mint Yard.
Melbourne W-2 496, 586, 648	Muni leased W-2 648 from the Western Railway Museum for the 1983 through 1986 Trolley Festivals. In 1987, it purchased its own W-2s, 496 and 586. 496, in better condition, was placed in service for the 1987 Festival, and has been in service ever since. 586 is awaiting restoration. All were built between 1927 and 1930.
Portland 503	This elegant 1903 Brill trolley, which ran on the famed Council Crest Line in Portland until 1949, was loaned from the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society museum for the 1983 and 1985 Trolley Festivals. It is now back at the OERHS museum in Brooks, OR.
Kobe/Hiroshima 578(J)	This was a typical Japanese-design tram dating to 1927 for Kobe, where it ran until 1971 and was sold to Hiroshima. It came to Muni in 1986, and operated in the 1986/1987 Trolley Festivals, and did some service afterward but has been out of service since the F-Line opened. It will return to service in 2006 once a hand brake is installed.
Brussels PCC 737 (ex-7037)	7037 was built in 1951 by La Brugeoise of Brugge, Belgium, using American PCC technology and components. These cars, and others constructed in 1958 and 1961 using parts from Kansas City and Johnstown, PA PCCs, revitalized Brussels' war-torn tramway system. Although most of this class has been retired, some still operate today in Brussels. Muni acquired 7037 in June 2004, when a deal with its intended purchaser, the Tucson, AZ heritage system, fell through. It underwent conversion to Muni standards, including a front folding door for ADA accessibility, and was renumbered 737. It entered service on June 4, 2005.
New Orleans 913	New Orleans 913 was purchased in August 2005 from the Orange Empire Railway Museum, where it had resided since its 1964 retirement. It will be rehabbed for service in San Francisco.
New Orleans 952	952 has an interesting history. Built in 1924 as part of a 73-car order from Perley Thomas, 952 was retired in 1964 when Canal Street service quit and 35 of its sister cars went to St. Charles, where they still run today. It was sold to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo hotel complex, which was a collection of retired railroad sleeping cars converted to hotel rooms, and ran as a shuttle around the grounds, but converted to standard gauge. When the New Orleans system was planning its Riverfront Streetcar line in 1987, car 952, and two other ex-New Orleans veterans, were brought back and rebuilt for this service, and 952 was renumbered 456. But in 1997, Riverfront was broad-gauged, and 952 and its two sisters were retired again and stored. In 1998, Mayor Willie Brown approached Mayor Mark Morial of New Orleans of the possibility of obtaining one of the streetcars for San Francisco's vintage fleet. A lease arrangement was worked out, and on Sept. 18, 1998, 952, restored to New Orleans olive green livery by NORTA, debuted in San Francisco service.
Hamburg 3557	This car is considered the "daddy" of the Trolley Festival. Built by Linke-Hoffman-Busch in 1954, it ran in Hamburg until that city's tram lines were abandoned in 1978. That year, the late Maurice Klebolt purchased 3557 and brought it to San Francisco, parading it around City Hall on a flatbed in the hopes that it could be used to develop a historic streetcar line. Bemused public officials didn't quite know what to do with this "gift", and the car sat for four years before undergoiing full restoration for the 1983 Trolley Festival. It operated in all five Festivals, and occasionally thereafter until1992. It is now in storage, needing a fresh restoration.
Milan Interurban 96	This powerful center-entrance interurban, built in 1930 as one of Milan's "OM" class interurban motors, was acquired by MSR and Muni in 1984. Although a partial restoration was undertaken by MSR, it was never completed, and the car only made a few trips on Muni, not in service. In 2003, the car was sold to the trolley museum in Issaquah, Washington.
Sacramento Northern Birney 62	Sacramento Northern rostered a small fleet of Birneys for its local streetcar services in Sacramento, Chico, and Yuba City/Marysville, CA; the latter proved to be SN's last passenger service, abandoned in 1948. Birney 62 was purchased by the Bay Area Electric Railroad Assn. and made two appearances in San Francisco. The first time was a special fantrip on January 21, 1951, when 62 operated over many of the remaining Muni lines, including the out-of-service, but still in place, trackage to the Ferry Building. The second instance was set up for the possibility of running the car in 1984 Trolley Festival service, and on May 19, 1984, 62 made one trip from Metro Yard to Transbay Terminal. The Birney's railroad profile wheels proved to be no match for Muni's girder rail, and the little car ran on its flanges most of the time, kicking up sparks all the way. The experiment was therefore a failure, and 62 returned home to the Western Railway Museum the next day.

Unrestored PCC Fleet

Number	Notes
PCC 1011	San Francisco double end "Torpedo" car. As of 2012, at Brookville Car undergoing restoration.
PCC 1023	Stored out of service at Marin Division depot
PCC 1026	Stored out of service at Marin Division depot
PCC 1027	Stored out of service at Marin Division depot
PCC 1028	Stored out of service at Marin Division depot
PCC 1031	Stored out of service at Marin Division depot
PCC 1033	Acquired from OERM in October 2002. Moved to Muni July 2003; stored out of service at Marin Division depot.
PCC 1034	Stored out of service at Marin Division depot.
PCC 1038	Stored out of service at Marin Division depot
PCC 1039	Acquired from OERM in October 2002. Moved to Muni July 2003; stored serviceable but out of service at Marin Division Depot.
PCC 1103	Ex-St. Louis "1100", Stored unserviceable at Pier 72
PCC 1115	Ex-St. Louis "1100", Stored unserviceable at Pier 72
PCC 1125	Ex-St. Louis "1100", Stored unserviceable at Pier 72
PCC 1128	See 1704.
PCC 1130	Ex-St. Louis "1100", Stored unserviceable at Pier 72
PCC 1139	Ex-St. Louis "1100", Stored unserviceable at Pier 72
PCC 1158	Ex-St. Louis "1100", Stored unserviceable at Pier 72
PCC 1168	Ex-St. Louis "1100", Stored unserviceable at Pier 72
PCC 1064	Partially rehabilitated from SEPTA PCC. Former SEPTA #2133. Partial restoration started but never completed. Currently stripped and stored.
PCC 1704	St. Louis, red and cream. Was undergoing restoration but work has stopped; stored out of service at Marin Division Depot. Former number 1128.
PCC 2147	Ex-SEPTA car stored at Pier 72
PCC 4008	EX-Pittsburgh PAT--Stored unserviceable at Marin Division Depot.
PCC 4009	EX-Pittsburgh PAT--Stored unserviceable at Marin Division Depot.

Photo Gallery

Five Random Images
Image 34929 (285k, 864x552) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Market/Grant	Image 67161 (200k, 864x648) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Embarcadero/Sansome	Image 93807 (291k, 930x618) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Market/7th	Image 102875 (319k, 930x618) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Market/Church/14th	Image 111012 (233k, 930x618) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Mission/Steuart