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Cable Cars, San Francisco

Cable cars passing each other - San Francisco
Cable cars passing each other
by dln6874
Cable Cars tips and advice posted by real travelers and San Francisco locals.
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Cable Cars: San Francisco Cable Cars.
  • Tip Rating:
    • Waalewiener
  • Updated By Waalewiener on September 17, 2004
  • San Francisco Page by Waalewiener
    • Hansi at the Cable car. - San Francisco
    Hansi at the Cable car.
    by Waalewiener
    In this picture you see the Powell & Hyde
    Cable Car.There are two lines ,one is the Powell & Hyde ,and the other the Powell & Mason Cable car
    The Powell /Mason line begins at Powell & Market streets runs North to Bay street via Powell ,Jackson.Columbes & Bay streets.
    This line was built in 1888.
    The Powell /Hyde line begins at Powell & Market streets and runs Nort and West to Hyde and Beach streetsvia Powell ,Jackson,& Hyde streets.
    This line was created in 1957.

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    Cable Cars: The famous San Francisco Cable Cars.
  • Tip Rating:
    • Waalewiener
  • Updated By Waalewiener on September 17, 2004
  • San Francisco Page by Waalewiener
    • Cable Car Powell & Mason - San Francisco
    Cable Car Powell & Mason
    by Waalewiener
    The Cable Cars ,in San Francisco are a unique thing and they are the only railway in the street where the cars are not powered on their own .
    Under the rails there is a large cable that is powered and moved by a central powerhouse and this cable underneath continuous moves and the Cable Car then is '' Gripping '' on to this Cable.
    Then a '' Gripman '' controls the movement and the speed of the Cable Car which I will show later in another picture.
    It is all wonderful to watch this and amazing how this'' Gripman '' then controls his Cable Car.Very very interesting to see all this
    DO NOT MISS a CABLE CAR ride when in San Francisco.
    In this picture the Cable Car is at the '' Turnaround at Powell & Market street the route goes down to '' Fishermans Wharf ''
    It goes back up ,then gets turned around .

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    Cable Cars: riceroni, a San Francisco treat
  • Tip Rating:
    • richiecdisc
  • Updated By richiecdisc on November 13, 2005
  • San Francisco Page by richiecdisc
    • how can you resist, even for $5.00 - San Francisco
    how can you resist, even for
    $5.00
    by richiecdisc
    Though San Francisco is a pleasure to walk around, there is an extensive mass transit system for those lacking the fitness to do it all on foot or for the longer hauls that would take too much time. BART is more or less a commuter train that runs to the suburbs and conveniently to the SF International Airport. This twenty minute run costs just $4.95 one way and runs three times an hour in peak hours. You can get tickets at automated machines before you board. You can also get out to Berkeley for a couple bucks. MUNI is a more extensive system of buses and trams that really get you into the meat of the city. It costs just $1.50 and you get a transfer for between 90 minutes and three hours depending on the generosity of the driver. The cable cars have become a bit of a tourist trap unfortunately. They are an amazing piece of time warp travel and everyone that visits has to ride one once. You can also visit the Cable Car Museum for free and it’s well worth your time. To ride one, it cost $5.00 per segment! If you think you’ll use them even just twice, buy the day pass for $10.00 and enjoy. There are numerous mass transit passes but unfortunately none of the affordable ones include the Cable Cars so I didn’t find them worthwhile. If you’re going to walk most places, which is easy enough to do, it’s better to just buy a bus ticket for when you need it as that is how you’ll get to the more remote areas of the city.

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  • Website: http://www.sfcablecar.com/
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    Cable Cars: There are three Cable Car Routes
  • Tip Rating:
    • atufft
  • Updated By atufft on January 28, 2008
  • San Francisco Page by atufft
    • Powell-Hyde & Powell-Mason Cable Cars near Museum - San Francisco
    Powell-Hyde &
    Powell-Mason Cable Cars
    near Museum
    by atufft
    There has been some confusion about the number of Cable Car lines still running, so check out the link below for a map and explanations about the routes. This is the system in short. The larger two brake double open-ended California line runs from the Financial District to Van Ness. This line is more likely to have local commuters with whom one can chat, but the views are fewer and there aren't any hair raising turns. The other two lines run up Powell toward Fisherman's Wharf. Most tourists will want the Powell-Hyde Street line because that takes one right to the cable car turn around at the Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory. But, both lines have some excellent rises, descents, and great hair raising turns. On weekends, it's often easier to walk around the city and then use the cable car as a return to the foot of Powell, often for free. Unless the car is standing room only, it's pretty easy to climb on anywhere along the route. I find the downhill and curves the best part of the ride anyway, but for those only visiting once in a generation, take a complete ride. These cars are truely unique antique transportation. When visiting the Cable Car Museum, be sure to go down the steps and watch the pulleys moving the cables under the street. Many visitors to the museum don't go down the stairwell.

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  • Theme: Subway/Metro
  • Website: http://www.sfcablecar.com/routes.html
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    Cable Cars: San Francisco Cable Cars.
  • Tip Rating:
    • Waalewiener
  • Updated By Waalewiener on September 18, 2004
  • San Francisco Page by Waalewiener
    • The '' Gripman ''operator of the Cable Car. - San Francisco
    The '' Gripman ''operator of
    the Cable Car.
    by Waalewiener
    This gentleman is called the '' Gripman ''This person is responsible for the passengers in the Cable Car.He oversees how many get on and also of course controls the stop and go of the Cable Car using these long handles that go underneath the Cable Car .
    I do not know excactly how ,I do know that is was noisy and very tough job to do.
    I was amazing to see how steep the streets were up and down.

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    Cable Cars: San Francisco Cable Cars.
  • Tip Rating:
    • Waalewiener
  • Updated By Waalewiener on September 17, 2004
  • San Francisco Page by Waalewiener
    • People on Cable Car. - San Francisco
    People on Cable Car.
    by Waalewiener
    In this picture you see a Powell & Hyde Cable Car and you can see how the people ride in these Cable Cars ,they fill them to the Rim there of course are seats but when the sets are filled then you fins a spot on the running boards seems odd and a bit unsafe ,but people love it (including Hansi ) .
    The '' Gripman '' is in charge and he decides how many people get on board .
    Reallly COOLLL stuff.

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    Cable Cars: SAN FRANCISCO CABLE CARS
  • Tip Rating:
    • LoriPori
  • Updated By LoriPori on January 8, 2005
  • San Francisco Page by LoriPori
    • Hans & Cable Car - San Francisco
    Hans & Cable Car
    by LoriPori
    Cable Car transportation in San Franciso are both fun and inexpensive.The cost is $3.00 per person one way and $6.00 per person return. I paid for our return tickets ahead of time so as not to have to wait in line again on the way back. While I got in line for the tickets, Hans got in line for the cable cars, which were quite long on the day we went. the tickets were on a collector series card telling about the history of the cable car which you can keep as a souvenir. The conducter simply takes the part of the ticket which says $3.00. All in all it was a fun way to get around San Francisco.

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    Cable Cars: Cable Car
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    • wish-nu
  • By wish-nu on January 21, 2006
  • San Francisco Page by wish-nu
    • Cable Cars - San Francisco
    by wish-nu
    very unique to get around SanFran, the Cable Cars and they are powered by cables who run under the tracks, I suppose thats where they got their name from.
    you have to ride them its fun and beats walking and running the streets up and down. and not only the tourist rides them, the locals do so too and an oppertunity to get the know them.
    learn more about them on their website

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  • Theme: Train
  • Website: http://www.sfcablecar.com/
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    Cable Cars: Two different tracks for cable cars
  • Tip Rating:
    • painterdave
  • Updated By painterdave on March 16, 2006
  • San Francisco Page by painterdave
    • Cable Cars - San Francisco
    by painterdave,
    1 more photos
    Most people who come to San Francisco do not know that there are two different cable car systems. One, the usual tourist known one, starts at Union Square, which is in the center of downtown. The second starts at California and Market Street. I take all my out of town friends to the second one as it is always least crowded. Also this second cable car, connects with the tourist know one, Powell street at the top of the hill. Therefore, you can get off at the top, and change to the other one and go down to Fishermans' Wharf.
    Also, at the top of the hill you can get off and visit Chinatown. Best part of that is that you are walking downhill.
    A BIG TIP: At the beginning--when you are getting ready for the cable car to come for boarders, stand at the point where you will be at the front of the car. That way you can stand or sit on the outside for a better view and for camera shots.
    Most of the people who ride the Cable Cars are tourists. Locals don't bother with the expense. They use the bus system, which is pretty good, except it is not a cable car.
    While on the car, ask the brakeman about the cable car museum. This museum is free and is along the route of the Powell Car. It is near Chinatown. So you can take a quick look and go have some authentic Chinese cuisine.

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    Cable Cars: CABLE CARS!
  • Tip Rating:
    • shivan
  • By shivan on September 18, 2004
  • San Francisco Page by shivan
    • turning the car - San Francisco
    turning the car
    by shivan
    Actually a moving landmark in san Francisco, Cable Cars, living relics of the early 1900's, are in the imaginary of many people come to this town.
    It appears obvious that a trip on them cannot be missed BUT beware!
    The main problem here is the ridiculous wait of about one hour I had in Ghirardelli Square to get this.
    A looong looong queue, and the officers are very slow in moving those cars.

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