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August 2020 Newsletter
Dear members and friends of Market Street Railway,

We should be kicking off Muni Heritage Weekend right now, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the permanent F-line.  But we can't, at least not by riding the wonderful vehicles themselves. Covid-19 has taken care of that. But we will have several exciting virtual events and contests in the next few months to celebrate the 25th, so stay in touch at www.streetcar.org. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has decimated Muni's overall service and ravaged its budget. The comeback will not be quick or easy, but we will continue to advocate for the return to service of the historic streetcars and cable cars as soon as it's safe for operators and riders, and there is adequate public demand. 

However, while the F-line and cable cars remain silent, some Muni rail service resumes tomorrow following a five month shutdown. On August 22, the Muni Metro Subway under Market Street will reopen, but three of its usual routes, the J, K, and L, will turn back at the portals, forcing riders to transfer to shuttle trains or a newly through-routed M and T line combination. Details are here. 

With the subway reopening and the resumption of several more Muni bus routes, SFMTA leadership is saying these are the last route restorations until the City's Covid-19 state of emergency ends, at least, maybe longer. That leaves the F-line streetcars in limbo, despite the fact that they have had far higher ridership than some of the restored lines, and way more than any other line that has not yet been restored. There is no Muni service at all along the Embarcadero north of the Ferry Building despite the Alcatraz Ferry, Pier 39, and other Wharf-area attractions reopening. We will be saying much more about this, including possible political motivations behind the SFMTA hold-out on resuming F-line service, in the next issue of our member magazine, Inside Track, due out in mid-September.

In the meantime, readers are encouraged to write SFMTA boss Jeff Tumlin to let him know how important the F-line streetcars are to helping both transportation and our economy. It's jeffrey.tumlin@sfmta.com.  



The streetcars (and cable cars) are still occasionally appearing on the streets in test and training mode. Above, Cincinnati "Bumblebee" Car 1057 makes the classic pose in front of our still closed 😷 San Francisco Railway Museum (Thanks, Robert Parks). Below, Powell Cable Car 3, gets some exercise during its renovation work. (The cable car maintainers have been catching up on painting and repairs during the shut town, and giving the cable machinery necessary periodic exercise too.) Oh, and check out the beautifully restored 1907 cable car control tower on the corner. Great story there. It's in the next Inside Track too. Thanks to Matt Lee for the photo.



Finally, here are the results from the survey we included in the last newsletter: 
  • 209 of you responded, about 20% of those who opened the newsletter with the survey. We’re told that’s a good response rate.
  • 71% of you are dues-paying members of our nonprofit; 29% are not (and we sure wish you’d join us! It's as little as $45/year or $5/month.)
  • 48% of you are most interested in the historic streetcars; 31% in the cable cars; 21% in vintage buses
  • Among historic streetcar types: 40% are most interested in the streamlined PCCs; 32% in the older San Francisco streetcars (like the yellow ‘Dinky’ 578 and Muni Car 1); 11% in the open-top English “boat trams”; 8% in other international streetcars (from places like Australia and Europe; and just 2% in the Milan “Peter Witt” trams (though we have to say this seems very much at odds with what we’ve heard from people through the decades)
  • 80% of you say all or almost all the content in these newsletters is new to you. Many of you who are not Market Street Railway members say you’d pay to continue receiving it (which we appreciate, but are not going to ask for at this time)
  • Demographically, 45% of those who responded live in the San Francisco Bay Area, 9% elsewhere in California; 31% elsewhere in the US; and 14% in other nations; most of you are Seniors. (So am I, and since we all want to keep the flame of historic transit burning, we’re trying hard to get younger fans more involved, so if you know someone in that category, please ask them to subscribe and join us.)
If you're not a current supporter of Market Street Railway, please consider either monthly or annual membership options, or a one-time donation. Check out the options here.  Thanks once again to the 71% of readers of this newsletter who are already Market Street Railway members.

Looking forward, 
Rick Laubscher
President, Market Street Railway

News from our Museum & Gift Shop

Although our brick-and-mortar location is still closed due to the pandemic, you can always visit us online at streetcar.org, where you can explore the historic vehicles in the fleet, see film footage of old San Francisco, enjoy oral histories, and learn about San Francisco’s complicated and fascinating transit history - all day, every day.

Our online gift shop offers many items that celebrate the vintage streetcars and the cable cars: apparel, mugs, magnets, books, DVDs, souvenirs and kids’ stuff. Proceeds from all purchases go directly to supporting our campaign to bring the F-line streetcars back into regular service.

Our new retro “Information Gladly Given” mask in Muni’s signature green & cream is bigger and better, and comes with adjustable ear loops. The lettering and colors are copied from the signs in the PCCs from the 1960s and 70s.
We have new Tees in stock! Check out our new line of crew neck tees celebrating individual streetcars of the historic fleet, starting with Boston, Chicago, and Australia. More to come!
Coming soon - Pins! Pins! Pins! Expect to see the full line of F-line streetcar lapel pins (sold over the counter in the museum) to be available in our online store soon. These are beautiful detailed renderings of our favorite vintage fleet done by Larry Hodson.   
Remember to use your 10% discount code if you are a Market Street Railway dues-paying member (msrdiscount10) or SFMTA employee (muni10). (Please do NOT use these codes if you're not in one of those groups. It's not fair to those who support us, and we do check. Thanks.)

While you're at the online store, don't forget this!



Get it while we still have them; we printed fewer than usual this year.
Every dollar you spend supports our work in keeping a delightful part of San Francisco’s past present in your future. Here's the online store link again.

Recent Posts from Streetcar.org

Subscribe here to have all our blog posts delivered straight to your inbox.

August 14, 2020

Jubilation - and riots - on Market 75 years ago

When President Harry Truman announced the Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945, ending World War II, celebrations erupted around the world. As the primary port of embarkation for US troops headed to the Pacific, San Francisco’s revelry was especially intense. — Read the full post


August 2, 2020

Unhappy 147th birthday, cable cars


In the wee hours of August 2, 1873, Andrew Hallidie gripped the first street cable car in history over a precipice on Clay Street.   — Read the full post

 

July 24, 2020

When the oldest streetcar was new


How old is the oldest electric streetcar in Muni’s historic fleet? So old that it regularly crossed paths with cable cars on Market Street.  — Read the full post

 

July 9, 2020

When will the cable cars and streetcars return?


The short answer is: we don’t know; it’s up to the virus and what we all do together to shorten its grip on our society. But Muni can be ready for that day, and we’re encouraging them to do so.— Read the full post

  

Photo of the month



They'll be back - We'd be kicking off Muni Heritage Weekend right now but for Covid-19. But we can still look back to the first eight events with pride, starting with Muni's centennial celebration, which we helped Muni put together, in 2012. Jeremy Whiteman is sharing his photos of each festival on our Facebook group, and on his Facebook page, Behind the Lens. Here, an all Muni lineup in the centennial year of 2012: 1950 Marmon-Herrington trolley coach 776, Muni's 1912 flagship Car 1, and newly restored 1948 double-end PCC 1006 meet up on Market Street in 2012. If you're not a Facebook user, you can see Jeremy's portfolio here, including folders for each Heritage Weekend. 

Thanks to Jeremy and all the photographers who've documented San Francisco's historic vehicles. We'll be announcing an all-time photo contest in our next issue, and we hope that conditions will allow a real Heritage Weekend sometime next spring. Stay tuned.  Oh, and check our website, streetcar.org, for some surprise video over the weekend.

Once again, we pay respect to all transit operators at this time of extra challenges, including those who have been operating and will again operate Muni’s cable cars and historic streetcars. Be careful out there!

Become a member today and get exclusive benefits like our quarterly newsletter, Inside Track, filled with information you won’t see anywhere else, a 10% discount on all gifts and memorabilia from the San Francisco Railway Museum, and other member perks. Or if you'd prefer to support our cause by donating, visit our donation page.

MSR is supported entirely by members and donors, and receives no financial support from Muni or the City of San Francisco. 

We depend on the generosity of volunteers to make things happen, and the more help we have, the more we are able to do. MSR offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, some requiring just energy and time, and some requiring advanced skills. We can provide training in some areas.

Visit our volunteer page, email us at volunteer@streetcar.org, or call (415) 956-0472 to learn more.

 

Interact with our Online Community
MSR Facebook Group
@sfmsr on Twitter
MSR Website
About Market Street Railway
 
We are an independent advocacy group with the mission of preserving historic transit in San Francisco. We operate the San Francisco Railway Museum and also serve as a nonprofit partner of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. SFMTA is the city agency that owns and operates San Francisco’s transit system, known as Muni, which includes the city’s historic streetcars and cable cars.

While we support Muni’s historic transit activities, we are not part of Muni and we receive no government money whatsoever.

Instead, we rely on membership dues and private donations to help keep San Francisco’s past present in the future by serving as an effective independent advocate for the famed historic streetcars that operate on the F-line and E-line, and the national landmark cable cars. These irreplaceable historic vehicles carry almost 50,000 riders per day.
 
Copyright © 2020 Market Street Railway, All rights reserved.


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