F-Market and Wharves 25 -- September 1, 2020

 

The Municipal Railway's F-Line started operating 25 years ago today, on 01-September-1995, with a parade down Market Street. The line ran from Castro to the East Bay Terminal. with help of railfan group Market Street Railway, Muni had acquired several streetcars that were surplus to Philadelphia's needs, and some double-ended cars that had run on Muni. The cars were painted in various historic liveries from Muni and other companies that operated PCCs. 

Muni has used other vintage streetcars from San Francisco and elsewhere on the F-Line. 

In 1998 Muni acquired 11 Peter Witt cars from Milano. Muni started to build a loop for the F-Line at the end of Market Street. 

In 1999 Muni planned to reduce service on the F-line, which had become one of Muni's most popular routes. Mayor Willie Brown shot down that idea. 

In 2000, the F-Line was extended down Market Street and along the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. I first rode on the extension in March. 

In January 2016, the F-line only ran along Market because lower Market was blocked by the Superbowl Village. 

The photo shows car 1010, built for Muni in 1948 by the Saint Louis Car Company, which is painted in Muni's pre-World War II Blue and Gold colors. This is a tribute to Muni's first modern streetcars, called the Magic Carpets because they gave such a smooth ride. The 1939 Magic Carpets were not considered true PCCs because they used different control systems and trucks, but they were nice cars. The post-war 1010 and its companions are considered Muni's first true PCCs. I took the photo in 16-August-2014.