Streetcar Museum Comes To San Francisco

A new transportation museum celebrating the streetcar has opened in San Francisco, fittingly opposite the ferry building where they once took commuters from the East and North Bay ferries down Market Street.

2 minute read

October 11, 2006, 9:00 AM PDT

By Irvin Dawid


"Museums are places for learning, and the new Market Street Railway museum is the place to learn about the antique streetcars running regularly along the city's main arteries that are every bit as wonderful as their more exalted cable car brethren, even if tourists don't make nearly as much of a fuss about them."

"We're not competing with the cable cars,'' said Rick Laubscher, president of the Market Street Railway, perhaps a bit wistfully. "We're different.''

The railway, which opened the small museum over the weekend on Steuart Street across from the Ferry Building, is the nonprofit group of streetcar lovers that acquires old cars from around the world and donates them to San Francisco's Municipal Railway, which runs them along Market Street and the Embarcadero.

"With the cable cars, the ride is the purpose of the ride,'' Laubscher said. "With the streetcars, a ride is a way to get where you're going.''

"The antique streetcars, which began running in 1983 as a stopgap summer tourist attraction during the overhaul of the cable car system, has always lived in the shadow of its better-known rival. Their success persuaded Muni to make them permanent and train operators and mechanics to run and maintain them. The streetcars carry 20,000 passengers daily, about as many as the cable cars.

The F line is the only system in the world to operate antique cars from other cities, including a rare open-air streetcar from England that is a lot more fun to ride than a cable car -- except that, being an English vehicle, it seems to be in the repair shop more often than not."

Thanks to MTC-ABAG Library

Monday, October 9, 2006 in The San Francisco Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 30, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up on Canadian flag with Canada Parliament building blurred in background.

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?

As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

April 28, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The Five Most-Changed American Cities

A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

April 23, 2025 - GoodMigrations

A large Google data center building in the Netherlands.

Rethinking Computing: Researchers Tackle AI’s Energy Demands

USC researchers are reimagining how AI systems are trained and powered — through smarter algorithms, innovative hardware, and brain-inspired designs — to dramatically reduce computing’s energy footprint.

May 4 - USC News

Close-up of smartphone with Zoox logo and screen with blurred image of Zoox autonomous vehicle in background.

Amazon-Owned Robotaxis to Begin Testing in LA

Los Angeles will become the sixth city where Zoox is testing its autonomous vehicle technology.

May 4 - Smart Cities Dive

NYC MTA train on elevated rail with Manhattan skyline visible in background.

New York MTA Says No More Borrowing, Will Cut Costs Instead

The agency says it won’t take out any new loans to finance its planned improvements and is finding other ways to cut costs.

May 4 - Bloomberg CityLab

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO