Description
The San Francisco cable car system is still in existence as the world’s last manually operated one of its kind. It is an icon of the city of San Francisco and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The first successful cable-operated street-running train in San Francisco was the Clay Street Hill Railroad, inaugurated in 1873; 23 lines were established between then and 1890. Progress continued in the 20th century as cables, tracks, and rails were updated, replaced, or refurbished according to new technology. Under the 1982-1984 Cable Car System Rehabilitation Program, the system was closed for a major restoration project which involved the replacement of 69 city blocks’ worth of tracks and cable channels, restoration of 37 cable cars, rebuilding of the main powerhouse, etc. The offered souvenir is thought to have been fabricated in this period, though it might have dated to a prior restoration.
The San Francisco Cable Car system was designed essentially as a street train with one or more cars to carry passengers throughout parts of the San Francisco. The cars would travel with wheels on parallel track rails laid into the streets. A slot rail was embedded in the street in the center of the track rails and enclosed a continuously moving cable. The cars would travel by a process of gripping and releasing the cable. To start, the conductor would use a tool known as a grip to reach downward through the cabin floor and into the slot rail. As its name implies, the grip closed around the cable to tow the car forward. To stop, the conductor would release the grip and apply the brakes. The offered souvenir paperweight is comprised of both a piece of original cable and a piece of original rail that was formerly embedded in the street. For decorative purposes, as mounted as a paperweight, the short cable segment rests in an unrelated groove on top of the section of the rail although in a functioning streetcar, a long cable would have run in a larger open channel in the slot rail.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall oxidation associated with a relic iron.
References:
“How Cable Cars Work.” Cable Car Museum San Francisco. 2004-2022. cablecarmuseum.org/mechanical.html (10 October 2024).
Humbert, Jr., Philip G. “The Cable Street-Railway.” Scribner’s Magazine. Vol. 15, Issue 3, March 1894. Online at: www.cable-car-guy.com/html/ccscrib.html (10 October 2024).
“San Francisco cable car system.” Wikipedia. 17 September 2024. en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_Francisco_cable_car_system&oldid=1246132349. (11 October 2024).
