The San Francisco Chronicle has an article on Muni No. 162’s return to active service. This is a 1914 streetcar, manufactured by Jewett Co. It was taken out of service in the 1950s, went to OERM, where it sat waiting for volunteers to work on it. It apparently never got worked on (that happens with volunteers), was deaccessioned for whatever reason, and went back to San Francisco. In 2004, the nonprofit Market Street Railway raised $70,000 to buy the old car back. Muni stripped the car, rebuilt, painted and polished. Old oak seats were rebuilt and varnished. Brass “match striker” fixtures that passengers used to light matches in the smoking section were installed. Old signs were reinstalled. Some modernities were added: the old headlights were replaced with halogen, and the car got an electronic gizmo that connects with the signal system and throws switches, as well as (literally) some new bells and whistles to attract the attention of the iPod generation.
It’s always nice to see old cars come back into service. This one is almost 100 years old. Try doing that with today’s buses or more modern rail vehicles!
