San Francisco cable cars – Tom Ingall

On 12th March Tom Ingall gave us the remarkable story of San Francisco’s cable cars – 150 years of ‘climbing to the stars’. His talk comprised a look at the history and operation of these incredible survivors. Tom related how they began and the disastrous events caused by the earthquake of 1906 which nearly destroyed them all together. They survived and prospered until the early 1950s when the local Mayor decided they should close but was re-buffed by public opinion and they continued to operate although on a much reduced scale. A fascinating and well researched tale of what is now the only remaining street cable car system in the world which still operate almost as they did on opening day,