Bar construction

San Francisco cable cars are the most unique attractions of the great city San Francisco. They are the mobile landmark nationally known. Andrew Smith Hallidie designed the first cable car in 1873, on Clay Street, of San Francisco.

Hallidie’s father – an inventor had a patent for “wire rope” cable in Great Britain. Hallidie came to the U.S. during the Gold Rush. He used “wire rope” cable to haul ore from mines and in construction of suspension bridges.

Hallidie then formed the Clay Street Hill Railroad company, and began developing a cable line on Clay Street in 1873. The operation on city streets contract received great approval and was a historical success story.

Clay Street Hill Railroad was the only cable car company for 4 years. Then about 7 cable car companies came into existence. All these companies together had 53 miles of track laid down from the Ferry Building to the Presidio, to Golden Gate Park, to the Castro, to the Mission.

The Great Earthquake & Fire in 1906 destroyed the city.

The cable cars still comfortably traversed steep hills, so some lines were built again. But, the streetcars got improved, so these lines were in problem.

In 1947, the economical costs of operation of buses made Mayor Lapham to order, “The city must stop all cable cars as soon as possible.”

To save the San Francisco Cable Cars, Friedel Klussmann founded the Committee of Citizens’. They designed a public campaign to show that the value of cable cars was much greater than its cost of operation. They succeeded and newspapers covered the story and public response was fast and overwhelming. Celebrities rallied for San Francisco cable cars. Businesses realized tourists come to San Francisco to ride cable cars and not buses.

For more information on San Francisco Cable Car.

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