Cable Car Museum

The Cable Car Museum sits inside the historic Washington and Mason powerhouse, which functions as the beating heart of the city's entire cable car network. While you are here to see exhibits, you are standing in a facility that actively pulls the steel cables beneath San Francisco streets. Massive electric motors and spinning wheels, known as sheaves, drive the cables at a constant speed to move cars across the city. By peering over the balcony, you can watch this century-old technology in real-time operation. A visit here reveals the machinery that keeps the system moving rather than just displaying static remnants of the past.