Museum of the City of San Francisco
Home
Index
By Subject
By Year
Biographies
The Gift Shop
Related 
Museum Links
Biography of Andrew Hallidie, Cable Car Inventor

Clay St. Cable Car Ends its Run – 1891

Cable Car Lines of San Francisco, by Joe Thompson

Last Horse-drawn Streetcar Ends Journey – 1913

Market Street Railway – 1925

Castro St. Cable Service May Soon End – 1939

Buses to Replace Cable Cars – Tracks Removed – 1941

Friedel Klussmann’s Fight to Save the Cable Cars — 1947

Inauguration of the “F” Market-Castro Streetcar Line – 1995

Streetcars of the Municipal Railway – 1997


EUREKA VALLEY SERVICE ARGUED

Cahill Opposes Taking Over Lines of Market Street Railway


Objections to absorbing losing lines of the Market Street Railway Co. were reiterated by Utilities Mgr. E.G. Cahill today as Eureka Valley residents prepared to press for abandonment of the Castro-st cable line and substitution of Municipal Railway service.

Mr. Cahill advised Mayor Rossi that an investment of $80,000 would be required if Municipal Railway trolley buses were substituted for the cable cars. The Market Street Railway’s income from the line in March was less than $1000, he said.

“While I do not hold that service should be denied a district because it might not prove profitable, believing with you that the city is in the business of transportation for the best interests of all the people, nonetheless I do desire to draw your attention to the policy which the Public Utilities Commission has adopted with regard to future transportation,” Mr. Cahill wrote the mayor.

“We cannot take over the Market Street Railway Co. piecemeal. In other words, we cannot absorb the losing lines of the Market Street Railway Co., leaving the Market Street Railway Co. with the profitable lines, because to do so would mean that the Municipal Railway would probably be in the ‘red’ and have to be supported out of the taxpayers’ pockets.”

Mr. Cahill advised the mayor that he had suggested rerouting the Diamond-Eureka bus line to serve a portion of the Castro-st district. The 20 per cent grade on Castro-st hill is too steep for the buses to negotiate safely, the utilities manager said.

The mayor has suggested to the Eureka Valley residents they assist the Market Street Railway in obtaining Board of Supervisors’ approval in the surrendering of its franchise to operate on Castro-st. Mr. Cahill expressed the belief the supervisors would not permit discontinuance of service unless the Municipal Railway was prepared to offer adequate service. The city-owned system is loathe to do so, he reported.


San Francisco News
Friday, May 5, 1939

Return to the top of the page.