The City by the Bay's cable cars are more than just a San Francisco treat, they're the last such manually-operated trolleys in existence. And these massive engines are what keep them chugging up some of the City's steepest terrain.
The heart of the cable car system is the Powerhouse located at the corner of Washington and Mason Streets. Each of the trolley lines—California Street, the Powel-Hyde, Powel-Mason, and their common section—all emanate from this terminal hub. Each line is independently powered by a 510HP (380 kW) DC electric motor and include speed-reducing gears and three large, self-adjusting pulleys called sheaves. The gears work to normalize the cable's speed to 9.5MPH across all lines while the sheaves ensure the cables run through smoothly.
Read Full Article »
