SF cable cars celebrate 150 years: Why brakes are still made out of wood

BRONZE BUILDING IN SAN FRANCISCO'S DOGPATCH NEIGHBORHOOD IS A WORKSHOP FULL OF HISTORY. WELCOME TO THE MTA CABLE CAR CARPENTRY SHOP. THIS IS WHERE CABLE CARS ARE BORN AND BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE. THEY'VE SURVIVED EARTHQUAKES. THEY'VE SURVIVED FIRES. THEY'VE SURVIVED DEPRESSION, YOU KNOW, AND THEY JUST KEEP TRUNDLING UP AND DOWN THE HILLS. EVERY PIECE BUILT BY HAND AND ASSEMBLED HERE. TRUTH IS, LIKE KEEPING THEM ON OUR TRACKS IS A LABOR OF LOVE. THESE MTA WORKERS ARE NOT ONLY CARPENTERS, BUT SOME MAY EVEN CALL THEM HISTORY FRIENDS. SO THIS CAR ARRIVED HERE ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO TO HONOR THEIR HISTORY. THIS YEAR, SAN FRANCISCO IS CELEBRATING 150 YEARS OF CABLE CARS OPENING THE DOORS OF THEIR CARPENTRY SHOP TO THE PUBLIC. WHEN WE GOT HERE, THE TOUR WAS SOLD OUT WITH 50 PEOPLE IN LINE. I DON'T THINK THEY LET ANYBODY IN. THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH FOR THREE MONTHS, AND THIS IS THE SECOND ONE. SO THERE'S ONE MORE TIME. I THINK IN AUGUST AND THAT'S GOING TO BE IT. WE SAT WITH THE YOUNGEST CABLE CAR ENTHUSIAST ON THE TOUR. I MEAN, DO YOU THINK THE CABLE CARS LOOK 150 YEARS OLD? THEY PRETTY MUCH LOOK LIKE THEY LOOK LIKE SIX DOOR CABLE CARS WERE THE FIRST REAL TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION IN THE HISTORY OF SAN FRANCISCO. MANY OTHERS FOLLOWED AFTER THAT, LIKE COMPUTERS. WE CHATTED WITH YOUNG KARINA, WHO WAS HAPPY ABOUT BOTH OF THESE INNOVATIONS. WHAT DID YOU THINK WHEN YOUR MOM TOLD YOU YOU GOT TICKETS TO COME TO THE TOUR? I FELT NEUTRAL BECAUSE THERE WAS LOTS AND LOTS OF CODING THINGS THAT I WAS GOING TO DO. BUT THEN IT'S FUN TO GET OUT AND TURN OFF THE SCREEN FOR A WHILE. THIS SHOP IS LIKE A TIME MACHINE, AND DESPITE THE CENTURY THAT HAS GONE BY, THE CABLE CAR BREAKS REMAIN THE SAME. THERE ARE THREE SETS OF BRAKES. THESE ARE VERY HIGH TECH. YOU CAN SEE THEY'RE THEY'RE WOOD AFTER ALL. EVERYONE WHO GETS TO SEE THEM GETTING RESTORED. APPLE CLOSE NEEDS TO DOCUMENT IT. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS TOUR? WELL,

Channel: ABC7 News Bay Area

Views: 3,340

Keywords: news, san francisco cable cars, sf cable cars 150 year anniversary, sfmta cable cars, cable car carpentry, san francisco cable cars brakes, how old are san francisco cable cars, cable cars wooden brakes, how long does a san francisco cable car last, what are san francisco cable car brakes made out of, how are cable cars made

Id: yyWl5IQgMqo

Length: 2min 23sec (143 seconds)

Published: Sun Jul 09 2023