San Francisco Cable Car Museum

The San Francisco Cable Car Museum is a public museum and working power house in the Nob Hill neighborhood that preserves and interprets the city’s historic cable car system. It houses historic cable cars, artifacts and the actual winding machinery that drives the cable lines.

Exhibits include preserved cable cars on display, archival photos and models, and the operating winding wheels, motors and sheaves that keep the city’s cables moving. Visitors can watch the cables running through the mill room and see the mechanical components that power the system.

The museum documents the origins and operation of San Francisco’s 19th-century cable car network and preserves retired cars and equipment for public education. It also serves as the functional engine room for parts of the system.

Located at the Washington-Mason cable car barn and powerhouse in Nob Hill, the museum sits near the Powell cable car turnarounds and is within walking distance of downtown tourist areas.

• Admission: Admission is free and the museum is open daily; it displays historic cars and operating winding machinery that drive the city's cable system.

What to See #

• Powerhouse: The museum gallery overlooks the mill room and drive sheaves so visitors can watch the motors and cable drums that power San Francisco's operating cable car lines.