Stop & Examine
If you‘re going to San Francisco…
Siemens flew RAIL Assistant Editor Richard Clinnick to America’s West Coast for three days last month, for a whistle-stop tour of its facility in Sacramento and then a visit to a light rail depot in San Francisco. An article will follow in a future issue of
RAIL, but as an appetiser Richard wanted to share a couple of observations from the trip with Stop & Examine readers.
“First off, I just had to travel on one of San Francisco’s famous cable cars. For $ 7 each way (£ 5.60) you can travel from the city to Riverside Wharf, travelling up and down some incredibly steep hills, hanging off the side of the heritage vehicles in a way that would appal health and safety in the UK.
“To put it in perspective, when passing, if your arms are not tucked in you will get hurt. And this happens in a state where there are more than 200,000 lawyers!
“San Francisco’s Municipal transport system is being upgraded using Siemens’ trams, but there is a heritage fleet of PCC trolleys in daily use on selected routes. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if light rail systems in the UK adopted this approach?
“It attracts attention, the transport system has a website devoted to the vehicles, and I am sure they raise additional money. They also look a lot of fun. There is even a website where you can view where they are ( http:// www.streetcar.org/ live/)
“And, finally, there was an eye- catching advert adorning the side of a tram on March 15. The depot staff seemed amused when questioned by Europeans on marijuana adverts on the side of the tram, but because it’s legal in California for medicinal purposes there is nothing wrong with it.
“Besides, as one staff member said: ‘It’s San Francisco, anything goes here…’!” One of the PCC Streetcars, No. 1010. The car is painted in a tribute to the ‘Magic Carpets’, which were the first five modern-design streetcars used in San Francisco. The PCCs debuted in America in 1936, but San Francisco couldn’t afford them so the city had five built without patented items. The vehicles (1001-1005) arrived in 1939 in this livery. Their nickname came from the fact they looked like they were hovering. Built in 1948, 1010 is one of the batch ordered after the Second World War by St Louis Car Company. Only one ‘Magic Carpet’ survives, in use at Rio Vista Junction in Solano County.