Nowhere In Particular (boat tram)

One of the conductors pretended to row…  I ran my errands in style today!

The Blackpool Streetcar (23 Sept 2024)

San Francisco has an antique streetcar collection (of course it does!), and the boat-shaped streetcar from England is SPECIAL. 

Slow, and special.  It only runs on Sundays and Mondays (currently).  I've been turned away from its final trip back to the barn (where the streetcars sleep), because it is a bit slow, and to prevent from slowing down the modern streetcars, the operators take it across town without making passenger stops.

But I saw it coming at the Ferry Building, and optimistically waited.  A group of tourists needed to get off, and so the operators let some of us random passengers board.  And stay on.  Not just to Castro Street, but all the way back to the barn at Balboa Park!!  

So I got to ride the boat all the way across town!  It has been years since I rode it, and this was SPECIAL.  

People WAVED to us.  (We waved back.). People took photos.  People smiled.  It was... charming.

I can't think of a more special form of public transit to take home on a gorgeous day.

Melbourne Streetcar (10 June 2024)

I broke off a conversation mid-sentence with a friend and announced that I needed to ride this streetcar.  :D  Yes, I am that person.  Yes, it is a charming wooden vehicle. 

Cream Cheese Brand Colors (28 May)

Yes, it is from Philly.  No, I'm sure it is no coincidence. 

Streetcar trio (1008, 1010, 1063)

As if I don't post enough photos of these ordinarily.  I did get to see streetcar #1 today, which was a special treat.

Blackpool boat tram in red trim

 Festive, always!

D.C. Transit (streetcar with palm trees)(1 Sept)

 Always a favorite livery. Hello, Bay Bridge in the background!

Streetcars on... the street (14 July)

 

Hovering streetcar (filter assortment)

Are they attractive because they have two eyes and a sort of brow?  There is something to the design that is charming, and I suspect it isn't just the rounded corners, the glossy shine, or the fact that the bell on the front is controlled with a little string that goes in near the side window.

Kansas City Public Service (19 May)

 An attractive streetcar livery, in my view.

Streetcar 1056 in service

Lookin' good, Kansas City!

I was pleasantly surprised to spot this on Market Street - I've never seen this streetcar out before! (Its page at streetcar.org says it is undergoing repairs.)

Streetcar glory

I left out Brooklyn and other streetcars that had tall vehicles in front of them, but you get the idea.  The streetcars were packed today, so I had no chance to ride on the boat tram, which was my entire plan.  It was just a silly plan to have on a day during Fleet Week (11 - 4ish) and with a baseball game (in the evening)!

1076 (DC Streetcar)

A long-time favorite.  

1062 (red and cream)

Birmingham livery looking good

The woman in the ad sure looks happy about it.

Chicago 1058

Nearly matched mint

beneath fisheye lights

More streetcar fandom

Streetcar fan account

The website streetcar.org belongs to the non-profit Market Street Railway, an advocacy group that encourages San Francisco and its transit agencies to collect (with MSR's assistance) and operate City's collection of antique streetcars, and expand their use. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, San Francisco's entire streetcar (and most of the related subway) network shut down, as the City operated on skeletal "core" services... until May 15th, when many routes were restored, and the historic streetcars returned!

I'm delighted, and have been out enjoying them.  (Those fish eye light fixtures inside really are cool!)