SAN FRANCISCO TOUR
PSRMA will be sponsoring a Trolley Tour of San Francisco on September 6th with San Francisco Municipal Railway Car #1. The trip was described as a trolley coach tour in our brochure - Our apologies.This trip will be unique as Car #1 is permitted to run only two or three times a year by the Railway. There is only one other system on the North American Continent not using the newer PCC type cars and that is the New Orleans Public Service in New Orleans on the St. Charles line.
SFMRy may suspend trolley service over all or part of its lines next year to permit the final stages of construction of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System on Market street, the Twin Peaks Tunnel area. This maybe one of your last chances to ride the system as it is today.
There are five streetcar lines in San Francisco. All five lines start at the "East Bay Terminal", go up Fremont street two or three blocks to Market Street and head Southwest down Market Street. The "J" line turns south off Market Street and goes down the very hilly Church Street to 30th utilizing some private right-of-way. This is the only line that does not go through a tunnel.
San Francisco Municipal Railway Car No. 1
The date for PSRMA's Trolley Tour of San Francisco is drawing closer and closer. Featured in this issue of REPORT is an excellent photograph showing the San Francisco Municipal Railway's Coach #1 and a PCC type coach. Both of these coaches will be featured on our tour.
In the photo Car #1 is heading westbound and could take any of the western portions of lines "K", "L" and "M". Our trip will be doing just the same. PCC car #1014 is pointing into the Twin Peaks Tunnel and can go to the Eastern portions of "K","L" and "M" and the entire "J" and "N" lines. PSRMA's excursion will be doing just the same with a similar double-ended PCC car such as 1006 or 1015. Wouldn't you like to go? Send your $6.50 per ticket check made out to PSRMA to George Geyer, 2928 Fir Street, San Diego, CA 92102, (714) 234-0555.
OFFICERS FOR 1971 VACANCIES NOMINATED
At the July 19th General Meeting Officers for 1971 were nominated.They are as follows: PRESIDENT - George Geyer, H. Chalners Kerr, Jr.; VICE-PRESIDENT - Dan Marnell, Dave Parkinson; TREASURER - Jim Lyeria, Bill Richards; SECRETARY - Karen Hathaway; BOARD-MEMBER-AT-LARGE - Bob DiGiorgio, Vern Cook; REVIEW COMMITTEE - Wally Barber, Terry Durkln, Bob Hastings, Dave Hobson, Stan Kerr, Raoul Morales, Eric Sanders and Jerry Windle.
The election of these officers will be held during the last General Meeting of the current year, October 18th. Each Regular member in "good standing" attending the meeting will receive a ballot.Those Regular members who will be unable to attend the meeting must contact the Secretary,Karen Hathaway,and request an absentee ballot. Deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is September 15th. The ballots must be received by the Secretary no later than Sunday, October l8th.
Absentee ballots must be returned unsigned within a separate envelope inside a larger envelope. The voter's name must appear on the outer envelope so that his eligibility can be verified. At the election, ballots will be distributed to voting members only by a member of the election committee. The current list of the Director of Personnel and Records will be used to check voting eligibility.
With great things in the future for PSRMA your vote can be very important in our future.Consider the candidates and their qualifications carefully then cast your ballot for the "best man for the job"... WE NEED HIM!!!!
The "K", "L" and "M" lines continue down Market Street until the East Portal of the Twin Peaks Tunnel where they go underground for two miles to the West Portal. The "K" line goes on West Portal Ave., Junipero Serra, Ocean to Phelan (City College Terminal). The "M" line also continues on West Portal Ave., then 19th Ave., Randolph, Orizaba, Broad to Plymouth. The "L" line goes from the tunnel to Ulloa, 15th Ave., Taraval, 46th Ave., Vicente, 47th Ave., Wawona to 46th Ave., (SF Zoo). The "L" line terminus is one block from the beach.
The "K" line branches off from Market at Duboce, goes through the Sunset Tunnel and thence Carl, Arguello, Irving, 9th Ave., Judah to Great Highway. The "N" line terminus is at the beach (Pacific Ocean).
Persons taking the tour will undoubtedly want to observe, photograph, and ride one of the three famous cable car lines. They are the Powell, Powell-Hyde and California lines. The California Street line was shut down on July 18 of this year, for six months for repairs. The two Powell lines go from Powell and Market northbound, cross the East-West California line (which goes to Chinatown), and thence to Fisherman's Wharf. The cable cars are propelled by a 9 mph cable in the street between the two tracks. The cable cars are not only famous for the area through which they traverse but their rariry in that they are the only one's left in the Western Hemisphere.
Also of interest to the transit fan or observer in San Francisco is that there are 14 trolley bus lines in San Francisco. Trolley coaches are propelled by electric motors which obtain their power from two trolley wires strung along each side of the street of the route. Trolley coaches are a mixed breed of a streetcar (trolley car) and a bus. The trolley coach has the acceleration of a streetcar and the mobility in traffic of a bus. Of course it and the streetcar have the advantage along with the cable cars of being smog free. San Francisco also has many diesel busses along various routes. One source noted that San Francisco has a greater proportion of its populace riding public transit that any other city in the United States save New York.
Further information can be obtained by writing the San Francisco Municipal Railway for a map at 949 Presidio Ave., San Francisco, CA 94115.