Andrew Hallidie witnessed a horse-drawn streetcar accident on a steep San Francisco hill in 1869 - the horses slipped, the car rolled backward, the animals were dragged to death. Hallidie, whose family manufactured wire rope, envisioned a better system: cars gripped to a continuously moving cable beneath the street. The cable, powered by stationary engines in a central powerhouse, could pull cars up any grade. The first cable car ran on Clay Street in August 1873, ascending a 17% grade impossible for horses. The technology spread: by 1890, cable cars operated in 28 American cities and several foreign ones. San Francisco's hills made them essential; the city became synonymous with the system.

The cable moves constantly at 9.5 mph beneath the streets. Gripmen control the cars by clamping or releasing the cable using a lever that requires strength and timing. Conductors manage passengers and the rear braking system. Turntables at line ends rotate the cars for return trips - the manual pushing is now a tourist attraction itself. The three remaining lines - Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason, and California Street - cover 17 miles of track. The cables are replaced every few months; the cars are maintained in a historic barn that doubles as a museum. The operation hasn't fundamentally changed since the 1890s.

Cable cars nearly died after the 1906 earthquake. Electrified streetcars were cheaper and more flexible; most cable lines were converted. By 1947, only a few lines remained, and the city planned elimination. A citizen campaign, led by Friedel Klussmann, organized resistance. The vote went to referendum; preservation won. The cable car system was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 - the first mobile landmark. A major reconstruction in 1982-84 rebuilt the entire infrastructure while preserving the historic character. The cars that should have been museum pieces remain working transit, carrying 7 million riders annually.

Riding a cable car is sensory overload: the clang of the bell, the gripman's calls, the lurch as the car grabs the cable, the view opening as hills crest. Hanging from the running boards while the city tilts around you is a San Francisco essential. The Powell lines serve tourists primarily, climbing from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf; the California line carries more commuters along its east-west route. Lines form at Powell and Market; the wait is part of the experience. Riding in winter fog or summer sunshine, the experience remains the same as it was in 1900 - living history that moves.

San Francisco's cable cars operate three lines from roughly 6 AM to midnight. Fares are charged; Muni passes provide discounts. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines begin at Powell and Market streets, where turntable operation draws crowds. The California Street line runs through the Financial District. Wait times at Powell terminal can exceed an hour during peak season; boarding at intermediate stops is faster. The Cable Car Museum, at Mason and Washington, is free and features the working powerhouse where cables are driven. Special events like August's Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest celebrate the tradition. The experience of riding living history through San Francisco's impossible topography justifies every tourist cliché.