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Cable Car Museum
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
1201 Mason Street
(at Washington St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 474-1887
1201 Mason Street
(at Washington St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 474-1887
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
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66 reviews for Cable Car Museum
FREE MUSEUM to the public. The pulleys and trolley system is explained at this museum.
If you happen to be on the cable car line, stop in here.
I always try to take my out-of-town friends here-
It really bugs me how everyone talks about the "trolleys" around SF, so I correct them - "Cable Cars!" and tell them, "Educate yourself!"
So I bring them here - it's FREE and close to dim sum in Chinatown!
Definitely check out the downstairs part - it's small, but really awesome!
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This museum is really cool and I would give it 5 stars except for the fact that it is really hard to breath inside. It smells like grease and dust. Once you get over that fact, you will appreciate the interesting information, pictures and artifacts. The fact that you can see the huge motors and cables moving really makes the museum come alive. It is great for all ages.
For more information about FREE museums in the Bay Area check out this link:
http://www.examiner.co...
Came here many times as a kid . Basically , what you will learn in this museum is how the cable car works and the history behind the cable car . You will also get to see how the cable car works . I think the museum is just to make tourists want to take the cable car . Personally , I think this museum is kinda boring . But hey , it's free .. doesn't hurt to check it out if you have some free time on your hands and haven't checked it out yet . Just note that it's really hard to breathe inside the museum ..
A fun way to spend 20 minutes if you are visiting the city. The huge cables are loud and smell funky, but its all part of the charm.
You can take a look back at San Francisco in the books they have at the gift shop. I also picked up a great SF ornament at Christmas time. The whole shop is not large, but the prices are not too expensive and the atmosphere is interesting.
A little over a year ago, I moved into a shitty lower Nob Hill apartment that I thought was glorious. I shamelessly abused Taylor street in my weekly frolics all the way to the water. And on one of my first frolics, I found the Cable Car Museum.
I was intrigued, informed, and enthralled the way a 5-year old might be by ropes and wheels, despite the fact that I had yet to ride a cable car. I watched those majestic wheels for perhaps an hour. Those powerful pylons, that glorious history, that citywide camaraderie to save what had become part of SF's heart and soul! And free of charge! Yes, sir. This was why I moved to San Francisco. "You have arrived," the Cable Car Museum told me. And I believed it.
A year later and I pass the site of my first epiphany considerably less often, mostly in the company of first-timers. This place holds a fondness in my heart, unrivaled by the budgets and notoriety of the De Young, SF MOMA, Academy of Sciences (though those are all well and good). But I feel a certain comfort in just knowing that it exists; that it remains so that people like me, living in shitty apartments and frolicking through all of the City's least interesting neighborhoods, realize that they have arrived.
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Went there today for the first time ever. They had the oldest cable car in the world there from the 1800s. I got to ring the bell for the cable car. This place is a real working cable car cable pulling station. These huge wheels spin and it's really a trip.
On top of that it's free. If you are riding the cable car it will drop you right off in front of this building. No admission charge! If you love SF and you love cable cars you should go.
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The cable car museum is a little out of the way but well worth a visit. You can get to it on the cable cars or some turs stop here.
There is a lot of history with San Francisco's cable cars, which is fascinating to read about. You can also see the mechanism which drives the cables under the streets, which the cars latch onto. There's also a great gift shop.
I think San Fran equals cable cars and this adds to the experience.
This is a great, simple museum, and I love to take people (especially kids) here
to see how the cable cars work.
One of the more unique and least-visited parts of San Francisco. This "museum" is the actual powerhouse for the Cable Cars that traverse our fair city. One can learn about the complex artisanship of cable splicing, watch the sheaves under the street relaying the cable for the lines, and of course observe the giant electric engines themselves powering the California, Hyde, Powell and Mason Street cable loops.
Oh, and did I mention is free?
Informative and just down right cool! You have to see how the cable cars operate with the huge engines that pull the cables. It's slightly mind boggling how they have been running continuously since 1984!
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Jump on the Trolley and head over to this quaint little museum.
The best part is that its actually the working 'engine' of the cable cars that run through parts of SF. You can see the giant wheels pulling the cables, and read about how they work. There's also a bit of info on the effects the big earthquake and fires had on the evolution of this transit system.
We happily poked around for a half hour or so, hit the gift shop for the obligatory shot glasses for my roommates, then hopped right back on the trolley to ride to the Aquarium.
On a side note; if you jump on the Trolley, make sure you get on and off a few stops before the beginning or end. It seems that's when the conductors are most likely to collect for the rides. Out of our three trips on the cable Cars, we only paid once. (if you don't want to cheat the system, you can also get an $11 ride all day pass).
After I brought my father here, I couldn't tell him crazy stories about the cable car anymore - dammit! And before you go thinking I'm mean or something for telling my father wild tales of the cable car being pulled by draft horses in underground caverns so they wouldn't leave too much poop on the streets, you have to understand my childhood.
I can't put my finger on a specific story right now but just to give you an idea - do you remember Calvin & Hobbes? Remember how Calvin's dad would always tell him some nonsensical answer to one his questions and Calvin would believe it until he got to school and all the kids laughed at him? My dad was the inspiration for that, I would swear to it. If I had a question- he had an answer...it just wasn't necessarily a *true* answer.
So I come by it naturally.
However, the Cable Car Museum blew all that out of the water. Not only does it have all kinds of fascinating memorabilia and plaques to read and history to see, it has this fascinating room where you can watch all the cables coming in and out of the powerhouse.
Not a horse in sight.
The Museum is not just for fink fathers though - it's a free all-ages place to take anyone who's ever been intrigued by those mobile little pieces of history. If you have not been - go. Go now.
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The San Francisco Cable Car Museum is a free museum detailing cable car history along with current operations and maintenance. This museum is right off the Hyde and Mason cable car lines in Nob Hill. The building and display area are relatively small but full of interesting pictures and history. For the mechanically inclined, you can see how the cable cars are operated. Once you find out maybe you wouldn't get back on one. (check out the braking system- do you smell something burning).
Anyway you can finish this point of interest in an hour or so. It is a nice quick stop on your way or before braving the circus that is union square and Fisherman's wharf.
Who knew? That cable cars were interesting and that this little gem of a museum even existed. It's not going to blow your mind, but seeing how the cars originated, what San Francisco looked like back then and after the fire, the size of the cables and how they wear down through use, it was all very interesting and very worth my time. What surprised me most about it was that rather than just serve as a rinky-dink ode to the past and a nostalgic transportation system, it was educational about the city.
It was a relaxing way to start a day of sightseeing and the fact that it was totally central in the city means more people can take advantage of the free resource. It was also interesting to see how small a space is used to run the few remaining cars and how the whole system works, even for someone who's never ridden one (I know, how could I not get the cheesy photo op in, right?).
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This is not just a museum, this is also the Hub Station for the Cable Cars. I wanted to write a little blurb about these little nifty cars, but didn't really find the right place to post my little blurb. (Checked Muni, couldn't find info, and checked SFTA, only found pricing info). So it was logical to me, anyway, to use the CCM as a point of reference.
My Blurb.
I always thought of the Cable Cars as being more nostalgic than useful. I would watch the cars pass me by full of folks whom I always assumed to be tourist; and I never ever considered taking a Cable Car to get to points of destination.
Well, my opinion has changed 180. I've moved jobs and find myself spending more time downtown... In the past, I have been forced to take the California 1. This planned route I believe was created by the evil empire so as to punish those who dwell in areas considered more desirable parts of SF. In a nutshell, the California 1 is horrible for those who live past Polk St. The busses are usually full of people packed in like canned sardines. Most often these busses will pass up those who are waiting at the bus stops. When I get to the corner of my block and see a cluster of folks, I always no it's a bad day for Muni transit and it's better to walk over to California Street and catch a Cable car.
Okay, off my point here.
Now that I'm downtown I find I have more transit options, however the one I find most pleasant is the Cable Car line. I find the passengers to be 50/50 (50% local & 50% tourist), and in all, people are courteous, there's usually a seat available, and unlike the Muni California 1 busses, they do not pack people in like a can of sardines. Another thing that makes the Cable Car enjoyable is the tourist, dare I say it. Everyone riding these cars is in a good mood and very excited to ride the world-famous cars, and their mood usually transcends on to the others of the 50 percentile. Its interesting to hear the conversations between the conductors and the travelers. I also notice locals are usually generous in giving suggestions or helping with directions to these excited travelers.
Over all, it's a great experience and one that I now realize I have been missing out. It has also reminded me that SF is not just a place I call home, but a beautiful metropolitan city of world travel destination. I take the cable car as often as possible now. ;^)
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I found this FREE museum welcome entertainment as I thought I knew how the system worked. It was fun to get this confirmed by seeing it in action.
Lots of historical information available on how the cable cars started. Lots of information on how the system continues to work. Pretty neat to see as an engineer and I think its neat to see if you aren't too.
Besides its free and you can see it all in like 20 minutes.
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This museum isn't just for show, they are there to educate and restore old trolly cars from all over (not just original models from San Francisco). Once these trains are functional, they give them to the MUNI system and become the cars we ride today on the F-Line.
The shop has some great educational material. Or you can cheat (like I do) and talk to the staff. They are full of information and very passionate about the efforts.
A hidden treasure in the city. Cool for kids, and adults too.
Hard to believe it is free ... although if you hop off the cable car and pay to get on again, it is an extra $5.
I had a great time here. I liked that is was free! I also like that there were plenty of things to read.
I suppose it would have gotten five stars if there was an option for a tour with hardhats and all through the area where people are actually working.
As resident of an apartment right the Hyde line and a block away from the California line, San Francisco's famous cable car resonances are ingrained in my daily sonic eco-system. So much so, that when the cable car lines stop momentarily, it usually takes me a second to realize, what is "off" or "wrong". Finally a couple of weekends ago, I was able to stop by and check out the museum.
I love everything here, from the smell (yeah, I'm multisensory like that) to the various informative exhibits to the helpful "talking" displays to the HUGEARSE gears with oldskool signage, lettering dating back to Philly 1892!!
Check it out: 2006 - 1892 = 114 years. Do you think the Muni bus you rode today is going to be around in 2120 for touristas from Germany, Korea or Argentina to check out ? Funny right? Whadabout that ipod or even the casa in which you live ??
I think that as the aesthetices of industrial design lean increasingly towards "Planned Obsolescence", it is majorly groovy and comforting to see and appreciate the design & engineering from a bygone era and understand the inner workings of the only functional cable-car system in the world! And it is FREE!!! 5 Stars!! Fast!
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A bargin! I would say this is a must - stop for kids and adults alike. Very fun to watch the wheels and learn about the cable cars.
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I'm a huge dork when it comes to cable cars. How they work completely fascinates me and the museum is the place to bring your family and friends so they can geek out too. They're such an important part of San Francisco's history...not to mention they get me home after I've been schlepping around Union Square. Sure, the tourists act a little goofy once in a while but it sure is a nice way to get around.
Where else could you spend $45/month on transportation and have access to moving landmarks like these??
I told you I was a dork.
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Although this is high on the list of tourist stops, it is still a must-see part of San Francisco's history. You can see the actual machinery running the cable cars and learn how all those wheels and cables operate. It's really fascinating, even to someone like me who isn't particularly mechanically inclined.
Big wheels keep on turning..... etc.
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This is pretty cool, and educational. I definite must stop for the out of towners. It is pretty to the point, no frills. The best part is the downstairs view of the cables. . . I wish it had more light.
I agree with Gourmet G, a good PR firm, and possibly even a benefit event to raise some cash, and these guys could put the finishing touches on what is already a great place.
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This is not your typical museum. Sure they've got old photographs, artifacts, and fully-restored cable cars on display, as well as a nice souvenir shop, but it's so much more than that. You're taken into the heart of the beast: the smell of motor oil in the air, the roar of generators and turning gears, and the actual cables spinning directly in front of your face. Lots to discover about the inner-workings of the cable-car system and how it played a role in SF history. So much (FREE) fun and a perfect place for those Mr. and Ms. Fix-It types who go ga-ga over how things work. I highly recommend this museum to everyone, locals and tourists alike--it'll leave you with an even deeper appreciation for this fair city!
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So fun to learn about the history of San Francisco and how the cable cars work.
Best to match with a day in Chinatown & end with and evening in North Beach.
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A must for a visitor and local alike. Here one can learn about the early days of San Francisco, the distruction on the 1906 earthquake, and start to really appreciate the cable cars and yearn for the old days when there were 20 lines instead of 4.
The museum is free.
I still remember vividly when I came here as a child. When I first came to the SF Cable Car museum on a school tour, I started getting fascinated with old machinery and how large and bulky they were. Cable Cars, being one of the "natural" symbols of San Francisco, had a history I never knew.
I returned a few months ago while I was in Chinatown for a few hours, and decided to walk around. And I still had that wide-eyed child's feeling as I paced around this fascinating exhibit that is part of San Francisco History.
I like this - very cool breakdown of the technology and history of cable cars. Worth a trip.
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Things don't get much cooler than this. Seriously Old School. We are talking 1800s technology displayed where oddly they sell retired 1940s to 1960s era San Francisco street signs as well.
Your tax dollars are at work here in the best way. The CC Barn and Museum does not make a profit, yet this is where anyone coming to town learns how this unique attraction actually functions.
Short on time? No problem, you can be in and out in 20 minutes, but do not forget to go downstairs to see how things work beneath the streets. Better yet, when done, grab a coffee across the street at the Gallery Cafe!
How many New Yorkers have never been to the Statue of Liberty? Probably as many as the number of San Franciscans who have never visited this small but very educational museum. It's one of the places I always take company from out-of-town, and often one of the places they enjoy the most. A fun learning experience and never crowded, even though it's free. They need a good PR firm to increase the hype, because too many people don't even know it's here.
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A HIDDEN GEM!
We live here and stumbled upon this many times... finally decided to go in. It was super neat to see how the cars work and check out the memorabilia. Definitely worth a stop when you're in the area. Unique, not like just another random museum you could go to in any other big city.
Do go here if you like cable cars, have children, or are interested in public transportation. Don't go here if you are prone to migraines, hate the smell of autoshops, or have a short attention span. I'm sorry i'm not as sentimental as the other reviewers but big wheels never did it for me. Granted, it was very cool for the 7 minutes pre-migraine.
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Although I live in this city ... I have never stopped by the cable car museum before even with the free admission. I came here a few days ago with my students on a mini field trip, they were ecstatic to see how the cable car works. You get to see the cable that keep the trolleys running. You can see photos of how the old cable cars looked and a short film/documentary on cable cars. Be sure to stop at the gift shop for your cable car souvenir.
As a disclaimer, I only went because I ride by it every day on the cable car and I had nothing better to do that day. With that said, it wasn't that bad. I was always curious how the tourist traps that are the cable cars worked and this place answered all my questions. Did I mention it's FREE? I spent about 20 minutes there and felt satisfied by the things I learned. It's not the MOMA or anything but you should at least step inside and learn a little bit about these SF landmarks that are the cable cars.
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I happened upon this small museum by chance when I first moved here... The huge wheels that turn the cables that move the cars were really cool and its neat to see the mechanical side of something that most probably take for granted.
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hey, it's free...it's a little noisy and smells of machine oil.
feel how heavy a piece of the cable is on the counter of the gift shop and check out the old street signs for sale....great ol'skool pictures too!
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This place is super. If you have friends from out of town who happen to be engineers (you poor son of a #*$%!), then take them to this place and they will be amused for quite some time. Neat little museum.
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All the cables that run the cable cars, are run by the drives here in the museum. Feel the pride when you read about how the trams were saved from being scrapped, and fully refurbished in the 80's.
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