You NEED to visit this museum in San Francisco

[@mtwilda]

Now you've got to take the Capital Corridor up to Sacramento and visit the California State Railroad Museum.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d love to

[@Yvonne-Bella]

​@Thom-TRA Now's a perfect time too. They have the Polar Express rolling through

[@SaltBayGull]

Some friends of mine are restoring an old steam locomotive that's headed there when they're done. It was a commuter train for the first part of its life in the north bay, then wound up finishing out its days in northern CA as a lumber locomotive. After its service life was over, it was essentially a sculpture for years, rusting and corroding, so they've got a lot of work to do.

[@People_of_the_Mouse]

Your life is entirely dependent on the Grip’s ability to do their job; especially when gliding over where two lines cross. And the ‘break’ is actually just a 2x4 jammed down. It’s the most thrilling transportation in the world when you are hanging on the outside.

[@Thom-TRA]

Hopefully they get good time off so they’re well-rested!

[@richWitz]

So true I visited and rode the San Francisco treat. Recalling hanging on for dear life as my ass passed within inches next to parked cars. It was fun though.

[@mmrw]

You could say the same about riding any train though, no? Although not so much about the riding outside part…

[@dianethulin1700]

Yes it takes a lot of strength to be a gripman. Only a few women have been one with most aspiring applicants washing out. Only a small percentage make it

[@cxarli]

The smell of that smoldering pine block as it heats up is heady. And pray you’re never on a car that needs to use the slot brake.

[@dianethulin1700]

Nice!! A real hidden gem in San Francisco indeed! I always stop in when passing by. Fun to see my old building! I used to wake up to the cable car ringing the bell at my intersection; 6:00 a.m. every time. Yes you can hear the buzz under the street. Some people don’t like the noise living on the CC line but I liked it Something else about the workshop is that they also build new cable cars from the ground up. New ones are completely hand crafted with it taking about five years to complete

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow! Do you know how old the newest ones are?

[@dianethulin1700]

@@Thom-TRA I don’t. I know they refurbished one of the oldest ones a couple of years ago. About eight years ago they had a few new ones out there. That’s a good question 🤔 If you ever make it out to the Cliff House and Lands End it’s a nice area to hang out. I’m especially intrigued that the Lands End hiking trail used to be a cable car route with how treacherous the trail is with the Pacific Ocean bringing the fog and wind

[@dianethulin1700]

@ I was investigating a little but was not able to find out how old the newest one is. I think about 5-8 years ago?? I did find out I was wrong about a couple of things The cable cars are built by a team of carpenters in the Muni North Yard; not the Cable Car Barn. Also it takes 18 months/ not five years. Yikes! I was wildly off about that!

[@thatguyjay42]

@@dianethulin1700 They are built at the Woods facility for SFMTA. you can use the address of 1040 Minnesota St to see the entry on google street view.

[@ezpoppy55]

In the mid-70s I attended San Francisco Art Institute on Russian Hill. To get from my $150/mo one bedroom apartment on Haight St near Divisadero, I’d hop on a Muni bus (using my $11/mo Fast Pass) to get downtown. There I had three good choices to get to school: take the electric bus up Stockton, walk thru Chinatown on Stockton, or jump on the cable car. Two lines ran near SFAI, and I’d simply jump off at Chestnut St, walk a couple blocks, and I’d be at school. All 3 options had their attractions. And of course, I’d get home by reversing the process, choosing one of the three. I never got tired of riding the cable cars! Thanks for updating your video. I’m going to have to get back to SF and ride the cable car again!

[@Thom-TRA]

Okay you’re making me _really_ jealous by listing those prices! 😂

[@ezpoppy55]

@ I kinda find it hard to believe those were the prices back then. Of course that was nearly 50 years ago (gulp!). Maybe in 50 years from now, today’s prices might seem equally cheap 🤭. Love your channel, by the way. 👍🏼

[@bobsykes]

I love this one so much! That city was my home for 14 years. I lived down by the Embarcadero near where the baseball park is, and frequently rode the California Street Cable Car line up to Polk or Van Ness. Your video was like being there again! I really, really like how you show the beauty of the city today. Much, even most of San Francisco is a wonderful place to be.

[@Thom-TRA]

Wow, what an awesome place to live!!

[@dianethulin1700]

I can’t tell you how many times I rode the cable car home from ballgames

[@Akit317]

You got lucky on your visit, when the cable cars aren't too busy. The California line is more of a locals line than visitor, although visitors love it too because it isn't as busy at the other two lines.

[@Thom-TRA]

The lines at fisherman’s wharf were really long so i walked up the hill and tried to look more like a local 😂

[@00Zy99]

The California Cable is the least "touristy" and most "commuter" oriented route of the three. It's still the sort of place where people know each other by name and worry about each other, where the car stops right outside somebody's house if they know you, where the grip gets donuts and coffee from their regulars. Very much a traditional, intimate, small town operation from the 19th Century trotting happily along into the 21st Century right next to Silicon Valley, climbing from the glittering glass skyscrapers of downtown all the way "to the stars" (as the traditional saying goes).

[@peterfrey6062]

Thanks Thom for the look at the museum. You looked like you really were having fun.

[@Thom-TRA]

I had a blast

[@hermanhuang9048]

You've redeemed yourself! Did you get a chance to also visit the San Francisco Railway Museum?

[@Thom-TRA]

Nope, I’ll have to come back yet again!

[@bjmurray1842]

Well done, you. The California line is the best, and least touristic.

[@dianethulin1700]

You would think so. There was a tourist operation that would dump an entire bus load of tourists to take the California line at Van Ness and leaving me to take the next car home with groceries and few times

[@mwiz100]

I'm so glad you got to check out the museum. It's such a cool spot!

[@Thom-TRA]

I’m so glad too!

[@tamiamidrmn]

The powerhouse is so cool! Thanks for sharing it - definitely something I’d probably never see or know about otherwise. 🙂

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s kind of hidden, you have to know to go!

[@jazrobean1]

Thanks ESPECIALLY for THIS one - - there are not MANY places I want to go at age 80 - - BUT - - -THIS video makes me WANT TO GO HERE and see this. Hug your Sweety! Keep up the good work.

[@Thom-TRA]

If you are able to, it’s very worth it?

[@PaulCashman]

Yep. Never mind SanFran's other alleged attractions; I'm such a train and tech geek that THAT museum is where I'd go first.

[@Thom-TRA]

Definitely!

[@dianethulin1700]

Also plan to visit the bus museum in Fremont

[@Nerdy_dude]

I love San Francisco

[@Thom-TRA]

Me too!

[@haj8579]

As I guess, one of advantage of this technology is that it emits relatively little fine dust. If it is a road vehicle, you cannot avoid emission of dust from friction between the tires and the road.

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

There is a very large amount of dust from the wooden track brakes as well as the grip shoes

[@ryan225360]

My partner absolutely loved the cable cars. I have a chunk of cable in my office! The museum was AWESOME. 10/10 best form of public transit in the US

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s cool you have a piece of cable!

[@trainglen22]

Definitely a worthwhile museum to check out. Along with the cable cars going through the city.

[@Thom-TRA]

@@trainglen22 I like how they did it in the actual cable house and not somewhere else

[@davidburrow5895]

If you ever get a chance to go there, there's also an interesting cable car museum in Wellington, New Zealand.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d love to go down there

[@jamesrea329]

It’s not as cool as the Cable Car museum, but I’m sure you would enjoy the small MUNI museum. It’s around the corner from the Ferry building, also a fun place to visit.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah, I debated going but then realized I didn’t have enough time

[@jamesrea329]

@@Thom-TRA Not the end of the world, but it's a nice stop if you are in that part of the city. The Ferry building itself is one of my favorite places in SF, and definitely has railroad history attached to it. Both are steps from the Market line (one stop apart). Unfortunately, I haven't been to SF in a decade or so.

[@dianethulin1700]

Just went there for the first time on Wednesday ( since they have been closed when I have tried before) It was okay but nothing compares to the CC Museum. It could make a good stop in combination to visiting the Ferry Building and walk along the Embarcadero. Not really a destination on its own

[@sfmike711]

At 3:52, the dummy car #8 was the very first car to run in passenger service on August 2, 1873. By the way, you mentioned a few times that the museum is free. Yes, it is, but please put a generous donation into the box. The museum gets no money from the City for its operation. The City donates the space for the museum's use so any donations help the non-profit which runs the museum.

[@KameraChimera]

Im so glad you took our recommendations! I cant believe it's been a year since the last trip!

[@michaelsullivan3581]

Thank you Thom! I grin like that too, when I am riding the cable cars! And I agree, the cable powering mechanism is quite mesmerizing! Happy travels!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you! Hope for many fun rides for you!

[@ck4426]

What an awesome museum where you can actually see the cables in motion!!! And it’s free!!! How awesome!!!

[@Thom-TRA]

Hope you can make it down there someday!

[@ck4426]

@ unfortunately we made one of the same “mistakes” you made when we were there. We rode a cable car, but we did not go to the museum. 🥲 I would definitely like to correct my mistake someday!

[@dianethulin1700]

@@ck4426 Also when riding the cable car try to sit in the back. It’s fun to look downhill as the cc ascends the steep hills

[@ck4426]

@@dianethulin1700 we did just that! There was no other option when we got on. And it turned out we too really enjoyed that vantage point!

[@GlobalTransitGuidebook]

Thom, I would highly suggest visiting San Francisco for MUNI Heritage Weekend if you havent done so previously. I attended this year's event - which happened to occur side-by-side with the Caltrain electrification service launch - & had an absolute blast!

[@johnfriel-uj2zs]

Cable Cars Technology Was Ahead Of It's Time😊 Outstanding Video As Usual 🇺🇸 Thanks Thom😊 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

[@d8meister]

Yet another informative video with great commentary and footage

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks for watching!

[@mikecarrington4297]

Great job Thom. I loved it

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you so much!

[@michaelformaini7053]

Back last century (1989) was my first visit to San Francisco and the Cable Cars and Museum were on top of my list of things to do. Back then, my visit was during the summer season and it was almost impossible to reboard a Mason or Hyde Route tram after visiting the museum. You did the right thing in riding the California Route after your visit. I've been off the air for a while due to my PC being hacked, so great to catch up with the backlog, Cheers from Michael downunder in Melbourne.🙂

[@Thom-TRA]

Hope everything is alright with your computer!

[@dennisd3]

Very green technology

[@Thom-TRA]

Truly low emission haha

[@jimmckenzie9324]

Thanks!

[@Thom-TRA]

Thank you!!!

[@ggreg2258]

Itis, indeed, fascinating! Rode the cable car when I was in SF about 10 yrs. ago. Loved it. Didn't know about the museum back then or would have definitely visited. Thanks.

[@Thom-TRA]

Hopefully next time!

[@chief1b]

That's KOOL! I have been to SF four times and I did not know about the museum. My favorite line is Powell and Hyde. Did you forget your box of RIce a Roni? . LOL. Great show TY. One last thing. I found out that In Baltimore, Md they had a cable car system in the day. Darn! Cheers!. PS I love the Muni System and BART. Too bad the old BART trains sets are gone,

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah! DC had one too!

[@davidaldinger113]

@@Thom-TRAI believe the last city to abandon its cable car system was Seattle.

[@AlistairKiwi]

Wow, I lived here in San Francisco Bay Area & never been to that museum. Looks like a must. Next time you're here, check out the Maritime Museum in S.F.

[@Thom-TRA]

Will do!

[@trained_4_life]

Great video Thom. My greatest regret in life is not going to SF from the UK to visit the cable cars. Too old now lol. Still travel to the Isle of Man to visit the Manx Electric Railway which operates 3ft gauge trams built 1893 to 1906. Their capital Douglas once had a cable car system like SF but it closed in the mid 1920s.

[@Thom-TRA]

I’d really like to visit the Isle of Man someday

[@sdsd4139]

The Great Orme Tramway is pretty close!

[@guyfaux3978]

At one time, quite a while back I believe, the Market streetcars and California cable cars shared a loop at the Ferry Building, being they had the same gauge. Obviously the cable car couldn't go anywhere if the switch points were lined up wrong, nor could the streetcars. It just looked funny, I suppose, for a cable car to be running under the wires with no antenna.

[@sfmike711]

The United RR (and later on Market St Rwy) along with the Municipal Railway shared a 3-track loop at the Ferry Building. Cal Street never ran on Market Street. By the way, the two systems used different gauges. By the way, the connection with the overhead is by means of a trolley pole, not an antenna. The Sacramento-Clay line swung around from in-bound Clay Street into out-bound Sacramento Street, sharing only one rail for a very short distance on the outer-most Ferry loop.

[@johndixon-l1c]

The Cable Car Museum is great. Too bad that they don't open the third floor as part of the tour. Thank you for the video!!

[@Thom-TRA]

I wish, that would be cool to see!

[@teecefamilykent]

Brilliant video sir.

[@Thom-TRA]

Many thanks!

[@KB3M]

FYI there's a NYC Subway Museum in Brooklyn.

[@Thom-TRA]

That’s true

[@alk61695]

Wow, I made the same mistake you did when I visited San Francisco. I did not visit the museum, Next time I am out there, I am going to make a visit.

[@Thom-TRA]

There is always forgiveness and a chance for redemption

[@alk61695]

@@Thom-TRA Ha! I hope so.

[@mikezimmermann89]

You will LOVE it! I lived the first 26 years of my life in SF and rode the Cable Cars when going to school. I’ve visited the museum many times and have ALWAYS enjoyed it. I’m getting the itch to visit again right now! The fact that the museum is free kinda makes up for the price of a Cable Car “ticket”. Cable Care fare used to be the same as the regular Muni fare… 10 cents (then 15 cents, then a quarter) when I was a kid. Yep, I’m THAT old!

[@joshuadominictoling5310]

Do you like riding Caltrain with new electric EMUs? You can ride on BART Train Underground.

[@Thom-TRA]

Yeah it was a good experience

[@joshuadominictoling5310]

@Going to DTLA Union Station.

[@dianethulin1700]

@@joshuadominictoling5310love, love, Love Union Station! Also walk over to Angels Flight

[@joshuadominictoling5310]

@@Thom-TRAMetrolink uses Electrification, Rotem Cab, and F125 Locomotives.

[@AverageFellow16]

You should make a video on Little Rock’s trolley system, it’s laughably bad.

[@Thom-TRA]

I did a very long time ago

[@Thommygun-qv7um]

The cable car is great, but what impressed me most was the old tramlines (as a european I won't call them streetcars!) of which I learned from your videos about it! The Muni Metro is cool as well, even if can't figure out why the US seems to be afraid of longer articulated tramway set. They rather couple two shorther ones together. Thom, do you have an answer for that?

[@Thom-TRA]

Probably just because long empty trains in the US get a lot of ridicule and political scrutiny

[@michaelsullivan3581]

It's for flexibility. They just buy 2 unit articulated cars and double them up if volume demands it. Never seen them string three units together. Could be partly that maximum platform length prohibits longer train sets. Or it could be the amount of juice available prohibits three trainsets from drawing off the same section of overhead... They also add and subtract trains as the demand goes up and down, as well.

[@paulcastillo1310]

Great video on sf

[@Thom-TRA]

Thanks!

[@paulcastillo1310]

@@Thom-TRA your welcome

[@rosetown_]

Are you going to travel up north to Marin County / Sonoma County to see the SMART train service?

[@Thom-TRA]

I thought about it but didn’t have time to

[@KameraChimera]

It's another must see. It reminds me of countryside trains in Japan, so I think you enjoy SMART.

[@rikkichunn8856]

Thom, delightful video as usual! Please, don't beat yourself up about never having seen the Cable Car Museum before. Remember, there is so little time free for a busy person like you. And so much to do, especially in a city like San Francisco. Let me give you some more examples: 1. Have you seen the Muni Museum, located (last time I checked) one streetcar stop off the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building? 2. Have you gone up to Twin Peaks on a clear day? 3. Have you gone to the top of Coit Tower? Have you been inside the museum at the base? 4. On your ride on the California Street Cable Car, I noticed your camera getting a crush on Grace Cathedral, the big gray church at the top of Nob Hill. Have you had a look inside? Well worth the visit! 5. Have you ridden the ferry over to Sausalito and poked around that quaint little town? 6. Have you been over to Alcatraz and taken the tour of the historic prison? 7. Have you walked up Castro Street? Hint: Go with Lindsey, and hold onto her hand all the way. Just kidding! You'll be safe, I promise. 8. Have you ridden the J Church St. metro to the Portuguese restaurant for a meal? 9. Have you stayed at my favorite hotel, the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway at California and Van Ness? The location is perfect, there are awesome views, and the staff is very friendly! 10. Have you found breakfast in San Francisco? A bigger challenge than it sounds! 11. Have you followed the old interurban route from Sausalito up Miller Avenue into Mill Valley? (There's a bus route.) The old station is still there at Miller and Throckmorton. Then visit the incredible public library a block away. And hike the historic Dipsey Trail as it winds its way up and over to Muir Woods National Monument, home to incredible Coast Redwoods. I know you've done some of these, perhaps not all. You have a whole lifetime to do them. Unlike Macy's Department Store and Alioto's Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf, they're not going anywhere. So relax and enjoy!

[@dianethulin1700]

Breakfast has to be The Pork Store on Haight Street. Tads Grill when Downtown

[@Thom-TRA]

I guess I’ll just book my next flight…

[@rikkichunn8856]

@@Thom-TRA I'll meet you there (I wish!)

[@lachezar2002]

Hey there Trains are awesome? Could you do the next video about the Metra Southeast Service?

[@Thom-TRA]

I don’t think I’ll ever do a video about metra again to be honest with you

[@JamaalGermaine]

Smart train is awesome to in San Rafael

[@JamaalGermaine]

I love smart trains

[@michaelb9629]

I like how the cable cars work and everything they use to make them run. I was getting to learn that more now.

[@Thom-TRA]

It’s fun to learn about!

[@lylelanley18]

Visited it in 2014 and it is indeed amazing. But… it’s still not a monorail!! 😉

[@Thom-TRA]

Mono-cable, close enough?

[@lylelanley18]

@@Thom-TRA I'll take it!! I like the way you think, sir.

[@lawrencewild2523]

If you visited these Can I also assume you've visited the following museums. The DC Streetcar museum, the Baltimore Streetcar museum, the B&O railroad museum in Ellicott City (as well of course as the one in Baltimore), and if you've visited Steamtown in Scranton PA did you also see the Electric City Museum right next to it? Also if you get a chance the Transit museum in NYC is also worth a visit. An of course if you're in Strasburg to visit to the Strasburg Scenic railway make sure to visit the PA railroad museum and the National Toy Train museum.

[@londonwhaley8690]

I enjoyed that video👍👍

[@ourv9603]

Was your mistake that you accepted a ride from an older kindly gentleman who turned out to be an old gay? Welcome to SF. !

[@Thom-TRA]

Um no

[@JamaalGermaine]

Sacrt is awesome light rail

[@Thom-TRA]

I need to ride it someday

[@adamguymon7096]

I know this is an odd request but it would be nice if you made a video on what it is like to ride a bus from the east to west of Canada like riding Greyhoune from east to west in the USA?

[@sdsd4139]

Just for fun, they should have a day where they push the cable car system to the limit. Make them go 50mph and see what happens

[@Thom-TRA]

Chaos and destruction lol

[@dianethulin1700]

Why??? I think you have played too many video games. They do have a cable car race they play between innings at Giants games. You can cheer on your cable car to win the race along with 45,000 other fans

[@sdsd4139]

@@dianethulin1700 Not a gamer haha. I know my comment was kind of absurd but it was inspired by the B-roll shots where cars were driving behind the cable car and were slowed down by it. It made me think about how local San Franciscans, who are extremely highly compensated and who really value their time, can’t afford to get around at 9.5mph. It will always be a better strategy for locals to take a Waymo than a cable car, if the cable cars are this slow.

[@dianethulin1700]

@ excuse me but what’s your hurry when you’re passing beautiful scenery like they have in San Francisco? #1- Not all San Franciscans are rich #2- they do take Waymos; see it all the time #3- the filmed Metro in my former building on Bush Street almost 30 years ago. They had a cable car crash scene that took place on Jones Street where they painted the street to look like cc tracks. Tourists used to wait by the painted tracks thinking it was the cc stop. I don’t appreciate showing cc smashed up in movies #4- I then moved to California Street for 18 years. I frequently took the cable car to grocery store, ballgames, ferry building, taking my son to school. It went fast enough for the locals 😊

[@pauldavis1943]

'Doh! I was there a month ago and didn't stop at this museum 😕

[@Trainsaregreat365]

Fun fact there's a brisbane in san Francisco

[@sfmike711]

Fun fact: Brisbane, California is an incorporated city immediately south of the City. It is not in San Francisco. Sorry to tell you this.

[@dupdrewww]

Hey I’m there rn

[@Thom-TRA]

Have fun!

[@MassbyTrain]

The cable cars smell like smoked salmon

[@Thom-TRA]

Hmm, interesting…

[@dianethulin1700]

No they don’t

[@mikezimmermann89]

I’m not sure they smell EXACTLY like smoked salmon, but it’s close! That’s a great quip! It goes on my list of things I love about my home town… it had me laughing for a full minute.

[@wolfgangmcq]

I think you're smelling more smoke than salmon: they use pine blocks as track brakes, and the friction makes the wood heat up and singe, especially down hills.

[@shigemorif1066]

Makes me want to visit SF again…hopefully once the crime situation gets a bit better.

[@Thom-TRA]

I can tell you the crime situation is vastly overblown by the media. You’re much less safe in a state like Louisiana or Tennessee.

[@shigemorif1066]

@ Good to hear from someone who has been there recently!

[@ezpoppy55]

@@Thom-TRA Thank you, Thom, for putting some reality out there on this myth. There are certain groups here in the US who just love to trounce SF. I go regularly and every time, I have a wonderful experience. (BTW, my favorite way to go to SF is the ferry - no rails involved, but still an enjoyable means of transportation!)

[@ClassyWhale]

Orp orp orp orp orp orp orp orp 🦭