44.The San Francisco Cable Cars
One of the most historic, and significant landmarks
the United States is the San Francisco cable
system. It is the world's only, manually operated
car system. It is run by the San
Municipal Transportation Agency. The system dates back to
, when the California Street line first opened. In
, there are three lines currently operating in the
, and boasts a fleet of 12 cable cars.
used to be 23 lines in use throughout
city connecting the diverse communities that make up
Francisco. The open-air cars are a major tourist
, and are still used by San Francisco commuters
a daily basis.
The simple reason cable cars
first used in the city was because of
landscape. San Francisco is very hilly, which makes
impossible for municipal buses to scale. The solution
this problem was the cable car. These cars
literally pulled by cable, up and down the
hills of the city, making it easier for
to get from one end of the city
the other.
There are two types of cars
use today. Single-ended cars and double-ended cars. The
-ended cars have open-sided sections with seats that face
to the street. The rear section of these
is enclosed with seats facing the interior of
car. These cars seat 29 passengers. They travel
both directions by using a swivel-based turntable that
the car at the end of the line.
double-ended cars are a bit larger, and can
up to 68 passengers. It has 34 seats,
grips for an additional 34 standing passengers. The
feature of these cars is the pure fun
are to ride. People who ride the San
cable cars are stepping into part of California's
.
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