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camlutece.bsky.social
Your friendly neighborhood Bay Area trolley guy! Amateur transit historian and Western Railway Museum tour guide.
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Whereas today's Muni Metro is criticised heavily, its predecessor was MUCH slower. Sharing Market Street with ped/auto traffic, the "Roar of the Four" was eternally backed up during rush hour. It's no surprise calls for a subway began as early as 1912! c. 1947 (Bill Robb photo)

submitted 12 hours ago • 2 comments

Before electricity made its debut, steam trains would rattle down Berkeley's Shattuck Ave! Instated in 1875, Central Pacific locomotives operated Local trains between Berryman (Vine St) and the Oakland Pier. Often raining soot/ash over the city, residents were glad to see them go in 1911. c. 1898

submitted 13 days ago • 2 comments

Rockridge feels like a time capsule. Best BART station ever.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

The proliferation of hobble skirts, which hindered mobility, induced the creation of "Stepless" streetcars in 1912! Fresno Traction was among those who used these low floor cars, which were called "Dragons" for their immense size; their Achilles' Heel. (Wayne Roberts photo)

submitted 19 days ago • 1 comment

I love the 30R so much

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Taking on morning commuters, a rush-hour Interurban Electric Ry train sits as the centre of local activity (and motorist ire) in Northbrae, Berkeley. With 20-min headways, Shattuck Ave was the IER's 2nd highest-performing line, carrying ~8,800 commuters on weekdays. c. 1940

submitted 20 days ago • 1 comment

Under the slender gaze of the Bay Bridge, the Sacramento Northern "Meteor" swings into Track #6 of SF's Transbay Terminal, the final leg of its trip. Having left Chico at 12:15 PM, the Meteor's 5:58 PM arrival in SF marks the end of a long 187-mile interurban journey. c. 1940

submitted 21 days ago • 1 comment

Craving this right now.

submitted 46 days ago • 0 comments

We are so back.

submitted 47 days ago • 0 comments

Hard to be stressed with views like this. Gotta love volunteerin'

submitted 48 days ago • 2 comments

Peak land use in front of the Napa's First Presbyterian Church. Freedom, amiright?

submitted 85 days ago • 0 comments

You mean to tell me that there's a VIA Rail backcountry line that uses ONLY Budd RDCs? All I'm saying is we could use a little more DMU regional rail lines everywhere. (Stephen Gardiner photo).

submitted 87 days ago • 8 comments

For San Rafael commuters, a trip aboard the Northwestern Pacific's interurbans often took 27-minutes via San Anselmo. Desiring a shorter journey, many took the "Cut-Off", an express ride that shaved 6-miles and 8-minutes by cutting through the marshes by Greenbrae. c. 3/16/1939

submitted 88 days ago • 1 comment

San Francisco's 1954 Proposition B was a referendum that sought to eliminate the city ordinance for two-man (motorman and conductor) streetcar crews. Advocates argued that Prop B would cut costs and modernise Muni. Opponents argued that it would worsen traffic and safety. It ultimately passed.

submitted 89 days ago • 0 comments

After voters approved Proposition B in 1954, Muni was finally free to do away with their old "Iron Monsters." To accommodate the new PCCs, a wye was built at the end of the "J (Church)" line in 1957 to permit them to turn-around. No doubt, construction marked the coming of the end for #161, below.

submitted 90 days ago • 1 comment

I rode SMART for the first time yesterday! It was a great, albeit slow at times, ride from Larkspur to Petaluma (my favourite town). However, there's nothing quite like gliding through the marshes aboard a train. My train both ways was packed. Nice to see people riding!

submitted 91 days ago • 1 comment

No better way to close a stressful week.

submitted 98 days ago • 1 comment

Hooked onto the cable, Market St Ry #623 wheels' whines as it clicks over a crossover, ready to climb Fillmore Hill. As the harmony of streetcar and cable technology, the Fillmore Counterbalance can be considered a uniquely-SF operation. Unless there were other examples elsewhere? c. 1938

submitted 112 days ago • 3 comments

Racing a freight train down the valley...

submitted 141 days ago • 0 comments

With the Bay Bridge looming behind it, the NWP ferry "Eureka" slows as it nears the Ferry Bldg, churning a milky wake behind it.| Though the Golden Gate Bridge opened a year prior, NWP ferries continued plowing the bay waters until 1941; killed by faster cross-bridge auto trips. c. 1938

submitted 145 days ago • 1 comment

I didn't know Wheels' instituted a "2R (East Dublin)" route... Jokes aside, ridership is picking up on the #2, despite its lengthy route and poor scheduling. I would love to see it separated into two bi-directional routes one day, like the #4! Better than nothing I guess...

submitted 150 days ago • 0 comments