San Francisco Cable Car inside look

This video project is for the hardware and technology buffs. It shows the ingenuity and simplicity of the design of the all-mechanical San Francisco Cable Car system.
I love machines. I love trains. I love cable cars ... and I love SFO. I hope you'll like this work.

[@ARSZLB]

pretty cool that even in this day and age of safety and technology, not only can you still ride something like this, but they even let you hang off the side just like the old days. awesome

[@Davett53]

LOVE it!........We visited SF in the late 1980s,....and took the cable cars as much as possible. I loved every thing about it. Thank you.

[@jamesdupuis4821]

I give my respect to the people who work on the street cable cars for all the hard work they do

[@maggie0285]

I love this stuff because to me it show us a simpler way of life. This puts me in a good mood.

[@TheKurtsPlaceChannel]

Very nice video. Thanks for posting this.

[@franciscotauxo4979]

I have ridden the SFO's Cable Car many times between 1974 and 1975 when I lived in that spectacular city for a year. I was no more than a teen then, but I figured out how everything should work. However, after 40 years this is the first time someone shows me I was right. Thank you very much! Thank you for the most interesting views of the ingenious yet simple mechanical system. Greetings from Rio de Janeiro. Tauxo-Francisco Domingues.

[@donaldbartram6315]

I only know how they work from the tranimen showing me when I was out there riding..

[@hdibart]

Nice production !

[@IanMcLeanWoody]

Thanks for the video. Excellent!

[@michaelhudecek2778]

That is a crazy looking system.

[@quintoflyer]

great video

[@thihal123]

A very physical job!

[@NobHillBorn]

The left red lever is the Emergency brake. It drops a metal wedge into the slot that stops the car instantly. (It is the brake of last resort and has heavy consequences.)

[@ARSZLB]

that sounds...violent. lol

[@luismartinato5702]

Wow how do You knoe that?

[@psa722]

Also called the slot brake. I have been on one of the cars when the slot brake was pulled, and the car seemed to keep going.

[@AeroPR]

Awesome vid

[@cliffp.8396]

Fascinating and ingenious machine, thanks for sharing it with us.

[@johansoderberg9579]

At my visit in 1976 they always kept the grip on the cable in downhill. The grip was better adjusted then and the cars had no problem take up speed from standstill even in the steepest gradients. Some smoke revealed that the grip mechanism included wood blocks. I think also the brake was based on wood blocks.

[@kiwitrainguy]

They used to use (maybe they still do) Tree Sap as a gripping medium. Maybe it was burning sap you could smell.

[@gerardpardon4280]

Thanks you for thé vidéo .

[@robroy5573]

The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system. An icon of San Francisco, the cable car system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway. Of the twenty-three lines established between 1873 and 1890, three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street. While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of their 7 million annual passengers are tourists. They are among the most significant tourist attractions in the city, along with Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman's Wharf. The cable cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[@lemonkeforpresident8412]

Wow never knew

[@kiwitrainguy]

Most of the lines were not reinstated after the earthquake in 1906. The people operating the cars are known as "Grip Men". I rode the cable car from Fisherman's Wharf to Market Street in 1987.

[@Weeping-Angel]

I remember the other day, I was trying to recall how the Muni buses used to look like. I forgot they used to be almost completely white😮

[@ricksadler797]

Nice 👍

[@pierreveluzat]

Superbe mécanique

[@anikettubaiindian1995]

Amazing Skytrain

[@tvnshack]

Awesome! what a treat! Thanks! I come every year to SFO the week after 4th of July, for a professional salon at Moscone Center ... if my company agrees to pay for it. Very strategically I stay at the Drake Hotel, on Powell. My company has a major plant in Milan. I love to see the Milan streetcars running in the streets of SFO. You're very lucky !

[@lemonkeforpresident8412]

I love SF

[@tvnshack]

It's an emergency brake lever: It's a 18 inches wedge forced into the slot. It's like dropping an anchor in the pavement. It's hard.

[@tvnshack]

:-) Next time I fly to SFO, for sure !!!

[@klump1953]

very nice to see and injou cable car in frisco Peter

[@Socratic469]

Thanks for the video. So I get that the far forward left red lever is the emergency brake and the grip is the lever in the middle and the peddle he puts all his weight on is the wheel brake but what does the right lever do, he is adjusting it quite often - is it part of the grip allowing the entire grip artifice to move up and down. Also when the grip goes down Am i correct in saying that this pushes the die onto the cable with enough force to cause it to catch the cable (hence those teeth and block on the grip lever arch to lock the grip down with enough force)

[@tvnshack]

Hello. It's a complex mechanical clamp system for what it's called "the grip". I would recommend you to Google on this string "san francisco cable car grip".

[@Socratic469]

Thanks. From what i read it appears that the left lever lowers the grip and the right lever lowers the wooden block brakes onto the rail

[@RRansomSmith]

Right lever is track brake

[@tomjones7967]

I didnt know they had video cameras in 1909

[@Crazy_Alex_7667]

So when it slows down does it detach from the cable then coast and how does it speed up smpptjly

[@tvnshack]

Simply by pinching again the cable.

[@technoober2538]

He looks like a UPS driver lol.

[@crepaulcog5849]

Hi ! I had a question about how cable cars start. Does the driver insert a key to start the engine ? I would very much appreciate it if you could give me an answer.

[@tvnshack]

The "driver" just pinches the cable that runs underneath the street up until the "grip" grips it firmly. THERE IS NO ENGINE in each cable car. The cars are pulled by a long cable to runs in a loop along the streets.

[@crepaulcog5849]

@@tvnshack Ah I see ! Thank you very much for your answer.

[@galleryofrogues]

@@tvnshack sort of a roller coaster type system in a way

[@Eegunjobi1966]

I drive the streetcars bro, get in touch. I can take you for tour

[@luismartinato5702]

Why are the seats looking to te street and not to the front?

[@tvnshack]

Because riders hop in and out of the cars easier that way.

[@Busboss1811]

Rice a roni the San Francisco treat.

[@luismartinato5702]

I don't understand what the mechanism is What makes the tram move? is it with electricity that they work?

[@tvnshack]

A "grip" in the car pinches a cable that runs in a slot in the street, in an endless loop. No moving parts in the cars, but the wheels and the levers to reach and pinch the cable. Google a bit and you'll find schematics.

[@luismartinato5702]

@@tvnshack ok ....yes it's so dificult to understand...I Will Google it

[@luismartinato5702]

@@tvnshack But in order to move backwards and turn around You need several loops at diferent positions, and not just at one single point! If not, how d'you turn a round?

[@tvnshack]

@@luismartinato5702 No turn around, nor backing. Just grab the cable and move forward. I case of issue, a truck comes to tow the car. Check their web site.

[@luismartinato5702]

@@tvnshack but You Say the cable is moved by a loop where is the loop that moves the cable? Is just one loop o there are more than one? I Guess You need a Lot of loops at several places...

[@baronlocal8569]

1:56 no regenerative brake !? 1:42 how work here ? 2:10 interesting picture in right

[@tvnshack]

What do you mean by "regenerative brake" ? The car is pulled by a cable. There is no engine in the car.

[@bingola45]

Downbound cars gripping the rope assist climbing cars by gravity. The energy saved is barely significant; most of the power is used in moving the rope.

[@Catscratch447]

I can try to answer the questions pretty well, considering that I don't think that you got a response to the second question. First one: There is no engine, nor battery (at least, used to power the car), so regenerative brake doesn't exist or is needed. For the cable car junction (Which is Powell Line under the California Line, otherwise meaning that one cable is over the other, practically.): The approaching car (that is, the car with it's cable under the other) grips the line to gain a bit of speed, and as it passes into the junction, quickly releases the cable and pulls the mechanism away, so it doesn't impact the upper cable, and is able to basically "coast" over top the junction. They don't need to move very far to bypass the junction, and are assisted over the tracks by a small lip in the road that then allows them to grip the cable once past the junction, and then continue along it's way. If you need a video to explain it, there actually is one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iajYfoilobJpqMk

[@smhaack63]

Nice video, entertaining and very educational. I totally understand how they work now. I was wondering how many miles per gallon they get and if they can be taken off-road.

[@RRansomSmith]

S Ga what gallons? They don't run on gas.

[@hughjass434]

LMAO And to the other douchebag who commented, you’re a piece of dumb shit

[@albear972]

Wow, what a pain to drive one of those.

[@halnwheels]

It's my guess you don't drive a car with a manual transmission. I'd also guess that if you asked the grip (operator) what he thought, he'd tell you he has the best job in the world!

[@Eegunjobi1966]

Ok, just give me a few days notice in advance and you can ride with me on the Historic Streetcars-San Francisco has the largest amount in the world ! 12 from Milan, Italy, 1 from Begium, Melborne, Australia. One from Toronto, and Liverpoole, England

[@user-bd9rp3dw3x]

Круто примерно понятно !!!😮

[@Joseph00201]

Объясни))

[@iannickCZ]

How many ppl fall off the tram per year? Is not forbidden?

[@bingola45]

Yes, falling off is strictly forbidden!

[@bonnetroblox]

it's a huge fine for anyone who falls off

[@pizzasubs]

Never knew that there is some sort of pedal that he steps on, I am guessing that he has to press down on that so that he can move the levers, am I right???? Now this is something I just thought of, IF they wanted to, could they actually hook up another Cable car to one so that more passengers could ride all at once?

[@tvnshack]

The levers have locks that are released by the hand when the engineer grab them. The foot pedal is one of the breaks. It's detailed in the video. As for tying up two cars : This is not how cable cars were designed. There is no need for that. As they run among the traffic, their length must fit those of other vehicles.

[@RRansomSmith]

Nope. That's a wheel brake. Presses a shoe against the wheel. Right lever is track brake that brings it to a normal stop and holds it. Middle is grip that clamps the cable to pull the car along. Left is EMG brake that brings car to a dead stop in emergencies.

[@RRansomSmith]

And no, they don't run multiple unit.

[@sfmike711]

Rick Traveler Smith: Prior to the Great Quake & Fire, some of the companies might have run trains. The dummy (car with the grip) would pull two or three cars (no-grip). Check this site: www(dot)cable-car-guy(dot)com/html/ccsfssr(dot)html (I used "dot" since I'm not sure if KZbin allows listing other sites) and scroll down until you see a bunch of small pictures on the left hand side. The second one of that grouping is of the Sutter Street line and, supposedly, the only picture showing a dummy pulling two cars. Click on the picture to get a larger image. The Sutter Street line was converted to electric traction after the Quake. As for multiple units, hitching one cable car to another wasn't done (though, theoretically, it should be possible). But ... during the PPIE of 1915 there was a multiple unit set-up running on the Fillmore Street Hill, from Broadway to the fairgrounds. For a couple of blocks, the United Railroads ran a counterbalance which connected with the #22 streetcar at Fillmore and Broadway. After reaching the bottom of the hill, the car would detach from the cable and continue on flatter ground using the traditional trolley pole. During the PPIE, URR ran two-car trains to help carry fair-goers. Check this site: www(dot)streetcar(dot)org/fair_please_streetcars_to_the/ and scroll down until you see two pictures on the left showing the two small, cable car sized streetcars coupled together. Even though this line was a counterbalance, it's usually included in the listings of cable cars of San Francisco. The same thing is done for the Telegraph Hill Cable RR. It was a short-lived counterbalance but is also generally considered a cable car. If you check this site: www(dot)cable-car-guy(dot)com/html/ccsf.html#haebshaer (don't worry about the blue, it's part of the address) you'll find more information about, as well as some photos of, the Telegraph Hill RR and the Fillmore counterbalance. That page also gives more information about the various cable companies which operated in San Francisco. Use the index to find these two sections listed under "San Francisco Miscellany". As an aside, after the Quake, the URR tried hitching old (and now no longer needed) Market Street cable cars behind electric streetcars in order to increase passenger load. The experiment failed because the cables cars were so much lighter than streetcars and they usually derailed while being towed behind the more powerful electric car. If you'd like to see what the City was like just a few days before the Quake, go to KZbin and search for "A Trip Down Market Street" to find a link to a 12 minute movie. It was made by mounting a camera to the front of a Market Street cable car and it filmed the journey down Market Street from 8th Street to the Ferry Building, onto the double-track turntable, and spinning around to start the outbound trip. You'll also find a link to the 60 Minutes piece about that film. Both the actual movie as well as the 60 Minutes piece are fascinating. Watch both. Sorry about the lengthy post but I hope you find this information useful. Peace!

[@hughjass434]

No that’s dumb.

[@zerofox7347]

No seat! 🥺

[@Eegunjobi1966]

Oh, and, of course 10 from good ok' USA

[@HaramiSalami420]

i dont really get it. have the cable cars electric engines that drive them? or how does it work?

[@tvnshack]

I recommend you check the SFO Cable Car museum web page for detailed explanations.

[@jimsonbrown9768]

Florian L. : the cars grip or release the constantly moving cable under the street. No engines.

[@tramwayjohn]

Remember, the cables were STEAM HAULED when the cable cars were first invented. Prior to that, the cars were HORSE DRAWN, and some horses DIED of a heart attack, hauling those trams up the hill!

[@kiwitrainguy]

There are winding engines located somewhere (don't ask me where as I'm not that familiar with the San Francisco system). As John mentions they used to be steam powered and I imagine it is done with electric motors now. No motors to power the wheels in the cars at all.

[@MultiMattman68]

Watching the video and having rode on the cable cars in the past, the workings of the cable cars seem so archaic and primitive. Maybe it's time for a makeover

[@Satters]

no makeover needed, older and simple mechanisms work reliably, and last longer than modern flimsy stuff

[@kiwitrainguy]

Satters - Quite right, no computer chips or issues with Software. If you needed to apply the emergency brake you don't need some computer asking you to enter your password only for it to come back and say "Your Password is incorrect, a new Password has been emailed to you".

[@kimifan06]

Well yeah, that's the point. A makeover would ruin this.

[@mrmotorcycle9459]

Feeling pretty stupid for thinking they'd be like electric trams instead of a cable.... I guess the clue was in the name...

[@musicisitall]

A more modern design would be better (remote controlled ?)

[@computeraddic675]

They are for tourists who look in amazement on this relect from the past.No modern tramway should still use this in our days!!! Ridiculous!The comparison to a modern tramcar of for instance Amsterdam is shocking!

[@billtimmons7071]

Correct spelling is also a relic from the past apparently.

[@charlesdell2864]

Looks confusing

[@applesweeter]

I rided on them before when visiting USA.

[@paulbrown1585]

Me too, I'm from Texas and I rided on them also !

[@shirobokovandrei1975]

Очень интересно,но ни хуя не понятно...

[@VeraPastaEthiopia]

why can't the driver sit ?? it looks a tiresome job

[@kimifan06]

They get plenty of break time in between runs! Like, a lot.

[@zerofox7347]

It's probably one of the best jobs in town now haha!

[@hankvantulder66]

IN EUROPE WE CALL THIS AN ELECTRIC TRAM.

[@bingola45]

Do you? Why?

[@slome815]

No we don't. These are unpowered carriages that grip a moving cable in the central slot.

[@jennifer86010]

No seat belts. Passengers can hang off the car's sides. Extremely steep hills with no ability to quickly stop. Safety standards of 1850. People hop on not realizing their vulnerability of "ride at your own risk". They never talk about the liability and lawsuits because it's all so quaint and fun.

[@christopherlovelock9104]

@jennifer86010 - Much like roller-coasters, - only there not so 'quaint'. On top of that they're the only 'US Historic Monument' that moves.

[@timfischer]

You must be fun at parties.

[@christopherlovelock9104]

@@timfischer Very popular - Thank-you.

[@timfischer]

@@christopherlovelock9104 Haha not you, I meant @jennifer86010