0September 26, 2016:

 

            I got up at 8:30 am and had breakfast. I got dressed and headed to the BART station. I photographed a hydrogen fuel cell AC Transit bus leaving the station.

 

 

            I caught a BART train one stop to Embarcadero and walked to Market Street. I photographed PCCs #1080 and #1070.

 

 

 

            I then photographed a pickup truck pulling an old fire engine on a trailer.

 

 

            I then photographed some more streetcars and a bus on the “E” and “F” lines.

 

 

 

 

            The San Francisco Railway Museum is closed on Mondays. I decided to ride to Castro on the “F” line. PCC #1058 which is ex SEPTA and painted in Chicago colours arrived. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I kept an eye out for PCC #1074 going the other way, but we didn’t pass it. I saw pretty much the same PCCs I had seen the last two days.

 

            I rode #1058 to the end of the “F” line and got off and photographed the car.

 

 

            I also photographed a 30 foot Orion 7.

 

 

            I walked one stop and eventually boarded #1058 when it came. I photographed it.

 

 

            I got off a few stops later and photographed the car and filmed it pulling away.

 

 

            I walked a block and had lunch at a Taco Bell. After lunch, I walked back to the “F” line. The next streetcar was PCC #1071; the Twin Cities painted car. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            I rode downtown and got off at Powell Street. I photographed #1071.

 

 

 

            I then walked to where you can get the Powell Street Cable Car. There are three cable car lines in San Francisco. The Powell Street line turns its cars on a turntable. The other two lines use double ended cable cars. Before I got there, I photographed a snack bar that looked like a cable car.

 

 

            I photographed cable car #15 which is the youngest cable car in San Francisco. It was built a few years ago, but to the plans of the cable cars that run on the Powell Street line. It’s similar to how open car #327 at the Halton County Radial Railway museum was built in 1934 with the plans for the original 1893 car and an original truck left in storage.

 

 

 

            There was a long line to ride the Powell Street cable cars. I had to wait for several cars.  I filmed some on the turntable which is manually operated. I took some photos.

 

 

 

 

 

            Eventually, I got to the front of the line. I would be riding on cable car #13 which is painted in a green livery. I photographed the car as it was moved to the turntable.

 

 

 

            I boarded #13 and we soon departed. I photographed a couple other cable cars as we passed.

 

 

 

 

            We went up a steep hill. San Francisco is hilly which is one of the reasons the cable cars are still around as they are good for steep hills.

 

            I got off at Lombard Street. I filmed #13 pulling away.

 

            I then walked a couple blocks to the familiar part of Lombard Street; where the street is really curvy for about a block and cars descend in “S” turns. I took some photos.

 

 

 

 

            After I was done on Lombard, I saw some Golden Gate Transit Orion 5s in the distance. I decided to try to ride one. A few months prior, TTS president Kevil Nicol suggested I ride a Golden Gate Transit Orion 5 across the Golden Gate Bridge. It seemed like a good idea. I had previously had ridden an ex Golden Gate Transit suburban fishbowl at the Seashore Trolley Museum; at the opposite end of the country back in 2012.

 

            I couldn’t really find any Golden Gate Transit stops and by the time I did, I missed an Orion 5. I eventually boarded a Muni NABI high floor bus. I photographed the bus before I got on.

 

 

            I rode the bus a few stops before I got off. I photographed the bus and filmed it pulling away.

 

 

            I didn’t have to wait long for a Golden Gate Transit Orion 5 to show up. Orion 5 #1508 showed up. I got on and paid a $5 fare and sat down. While the bus had center doors, the seating was more suburban style.

 

            As we approached the Golden Gate Bridge, I photographed it from the bus.

 

 

            As we drove across it, I filmed it from the bus. We passed through a tunnel before we reached the first stop. I got off and photographed #1508.

 

 

            I filmed #1508 pulling away. I then had to figure out where to get the return bus. It took me a few minutes before I found the stop, but I eventually did and got to it. I waited a few minutes for a bus back to San Francisco. A few highway coaches passed by other operators, but I waited for the next Golden Gate Transit bus back to San Francisco.

 

            When my bus arrived, it was another Orion 5; #1513. I photographed the bus.

 

 

            The fare was $0.50 more for the return trip, but I didn’t complain. I just wanted to get back to San Francisco. I rode back across the Golden Gate Bridge and photographed it once I was back in San Francisco.

 

 

            I rode downtown and eventually got off a couple blocks from Market Street. I filmed the bus pulling away.

 

            I went into a nearby Subway restaurant and got something to drink. I then walked to Market Street and caught a Muni Skoda built trolleybus back to the San Francisco Railway Museum. I got off and photographed the trolleybus.

 

 

            I wandered around the area before I decided to head back up to Castro on the “F” line. PCC #1057 which is ex SEPTA and painted in Cincinnati colours showed up first. I photographed the car before I got on.

 

 

            I rode to Castro and photographed #1057 again.

 

 

            I then photographed PCC #1053 which is painted for Brooklyn, New York which was lying over in front of #1057.

 

 

            I then photographed Muni 30 foot Orion 7 #8526 before I got on.

 

 

            The driver asked why I was taking photos and when I gave him an honest answer, he was cool with it. I rode #8526 around some hilly areas before I eventually got off near a BART station. I photographed #8526 and filmed it pulling away.

 

 

 

            I saw that there was a Muni light rail station nearby. I decided to ride Muni instead of BART because my pass didn’t cover BART.

 

            I boarded an “M” line train to Embarcadero and got off and photographed the train.

 

 

            I then photographed another light rail train.

 

 

            I headed to a nearby McDonald’s for dinner. While I was having dinner, a guy came in without a shirt on and covered in sores. He was trying to order but was difficult. Staff even told him to leave, but he eventually got what he ordered despite the fact he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I was kinda glad when he left.

 

            I decided to head to Oakland, but I didn’t get on BART. Instead, I got on a ferry to Oakland. The ferry made one stop between San Francisco and Oakland at Alameda. Before we got to the Alameda terminal, I photographed what looked like a runway. I know that Mythbusters filmed many myths at a runway in Alameda and this might have been it. I attempted to photograph the runway.

 

 

The Mythbusters were here?

 

            We soon got to Oakland. I got off and took some photos of the ferry and the USS Potomac.

 

 

 

            The Oakland Ferry terminal is by Jack London Square and a few blocks from where the Amtrak station is. At one point, I filmed an Amtrak California train as it passed. I went into a store looking for some milk, but they didn’t sell milk. When I left, I filmed a UP local freight as it passed.

 

            I walked a few blocks before I eventually took an AC Transit bus to a BART station. I then boarded a BART train and rode to West Oakland.

 

            I bought some milk and went back to the apartment. I went online and worked on this report some more. I eventually called it a night.

 

September 27, 2016:

 

            I got up and had breakfast. I got dressed and headed out. I photographed an AC Transit Van Hool bus at the West Oakland station.

 

 

            I then went onto BART and photographed a train when it arrived.

 

 

            I rode to Embarcadero station. I decided to ride one of the cable car lines that use double ended cable cars. I photographed the car I would ride.

 

 

            I rode a short distance before I got off and photographed the cable car again.

 

 

            I filmed the car pulling away. I then walked a couple blocks and caught NABI high floor articulated bus #6226 in Chinatown. I photographed the bus before I got on.

 

 

            The bus was crowded. I rode it back to Market Street where I got off and photographed it again.

 

 

            I filmed #6226 pulling away. I then went to catch a streetcar in the direction of Castro because I had seen a hobby store from the Golden Gate Transit Orion 5 I rode back into San Francisco the day before. 

 

            I photographed PCC #1063 going the other way before I boarded #1077 which is painted for Birmingham, Alabama. I photographed #1077 before I got on.

 

 

 

 

            I got off #1077 and boarded a bus on route 49 before I realized I was going the wrong way. I got off and waited for a bus to take me in the right direction. The route #47 also goes where I was going and a high floor NABI arrived on the #47 heading in my direction. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            The bus ride was long, but I eventually got there. I got off and photographed the bus.

 

 

            I filmed it pulling away. I went to the hobby store and found out it was no longer in business. I photographed a Golden Gate Transit Orion 5 as it passed.

 

 

            I eventually caught a Muni bus and rode it to the bay side, I was thinking of going to the beach, but the weather by the water was cool so it wasn’t good for swimming. I photographed a couple old ships in the harbor and what looked like an abandoned railway tunnel.

 

 

 

            I saw fog had come in over San Francisco Bay and was obscuring the Golden Gate Bridge. I took a picture of it as well as the famous Alcatraz prison.

 

 

 

            I started walking along the wharf. I stopped by what looked like a museum with some old steamship engines and photographed them.

 

 

            At one point, I stopped and bought lunch. I soon found myself at the end of the “E” and “F” lines. I saw former Milan Witt #1807 was heading out next on the “F” line. I photographed it before I got on.

 

 

            When I was planning my big trip to Europe last year, I thought about visiting Milan because they still have some Witts that run alongside modern trams. However, I decided against it.

 

            I rode #1807 down to the San Francisco Railway Museum. I got off and filmed #1807 pulling away. I went to the Museum to check to see if #1074 was running. It wasn’t I hung around and photographed various buses and streetcars hoping that #1074 would come out of the car house and go into service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            It didn’t look like #1074 was going to show up again! I decided to ride the “E” line to the end. Double ended PCC #1015 arrived. #1015 is painted in the Illinois Terminal livery. I photographed the car before I got on.

 

 

            I rode to the end of the line which is across the street from the Caltrain station. I got off and photographed #1015 again.

 

 

            I thought about going for a ride on Caltrain, but decided against it. I took some pictures by the station.

 

 

 

            I walked to the south side of the station to watch the next departure. While waiting, I photographed Muni PCC #1010 and a Breda light rail train in an advertising livery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

            When the Caltrain commuter train departed, I filmed it pulling out. I walked back to the Muni stop. I was hoping that I would be able to ride PCC #1010, but it departed. I did manage to take one more photo of it though.

 

 

            I also photographed a Samtrans articulated bus on the highway; stuck in traffic.

 

 

            I also saw Muni PCC #1058 on a training run. I photographed it.

 

 

            I eventually caught an “N” line train back to Embarcadero and got off. I photographed the train and filmed it leaving.

 

 

            I walked back to the Ferry dock. I decided I was once again going to take the ferry back to Oakland. I boarded the ferry and bought a ticket. We departed. I once again photographed the Alameda runway; this time in daylight.

 

 

            The ferry stopped in Alameda and then Oakland. After I got off, I photographed the ferry, the USS Potomac, and the lightship on display.

 

 

 

 

            I filmed a northbound Amtrak California train passing through. I then walked to the Oakland Amtrak station a few blocks away and photographed and filmed various Amtrak trains including the equipment from the train I filmed earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

            I eventually left and boarded an AC Transit bus. However, I wasn’t going back to the apartment. I decided to head out to see the 76 ball I saw when I first got to Oakland. I had bought a day pass and rode to the BART station, but transferred to AC Transit route #1 heading east. I photographed a mural on a building depicting an interurban train.

 

 

            When the bus came, I saw it was a Van Hool AG300 similar to what VIVA uses back home, except it had four sets of doors instead of 3 like on VIVA buses. I photographed the bus before I got on.

 

 

            The bus ride was long. I eventually got off and transferred to the route #73. I didn’t have a long wait, and after a few minutes, I saw the 76 gas station and got off I then photographed the 76 ball.

 

 

 

            This 76 ball was hung from inside the station, not on a pole like the one in Tucson. This ball also wasn’t rotating.

 

            I bought a chocolate bar and then left the gas station. I walked a few blocks and had dinner. I also attempted to photograph the BART line that serves the airport when the train passed.

 

 

            After dinner, I caught an AC Transit route #73 bus to the BART station. I figured it was too late to just take AC Transit back. I boarded a BART train and rode to West Oakland and got off I returned to the apartment. Before I left the station, I photographed an AC Transit Van Hool bus.

 

 

 

 

I began packing as I was leaving the next day. I went online and worked on this report some more. I eventually called it a night.

 

Click here for my last day in San Francisco and my trip on the Coast Starlight: