Moving Museums: Muni’s Vintage Buses and Trains Have Another Weekend Out on the Town
Thousands showed out to Embarcadero Plaza to peruse the display of Muni’s historical fleet.
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) held its 14th annual Heritage Weekend on Sept. 19 and 20, celebrating San Francisco’s public transit system and its history.
The event provided the public an opportunity to ride streetcars and buses from all throughout Muni’s history, including its first ever vehicle, Car #1, and buses ranging from 1938 to 2003.
In addition to the wealth of vintage transit vehicles, the event, which was held at Embarcadero Plaza, featured a number of pop-ups. Muni had both an information booth and a merch store, while San Francisco Transit Riders, Western Railway Museum, and SF City Football Club all had tents of their own.
Market Street Railway (MSR), the nonprofit organization that assists Muni in the organization and production of this event, also had a place on the row of stands. Moreover, their physical location, the Market Street Railway Museum, sits directly across from Embarcadero Plaza, giving attendees the opportunity to browse the wares of the museum and learn more about San Francisco’s transit history from the walls adorned with gear, models and photos.
Siblings Aracely and Karina Lopez, made it to their first Heritage Weekend this year after not being able to in previous years due to work. “There’s an excitement about this very communal thing of taking [public] transit, appreciating this thing that’s been a part of this city for years and years and years,” said Aracely. “So it’s great, especially when SFMTA is having this budget crisis. This city obviously needs it. The city obviously loves it and its history. So can we get it together please?”
In a departure from previous years, the event was entirely void of trolley buses. This absence was due to mechanical issues with both of Muni’s historic trolley buses, the 76-year-old Marmon-Herrington and the 50-year-old Flyer E800, which have both been mainstays in years past.
“The most important thing is to make sure the heritage vehicles are checked out because they’re not very reliable,” said Fred Goodman, a docent for MSR, “[You have to] make sure that they don’t have any problems. One of the streetcars we’ve [re-introduced] was out of service for 12 years because of an accident, and this is the first year it’ll be back.”
The streetcar Goodman is referring to is Car #162, which made its return to Muni’s Heritage fleet after being put out of service in 2014 following a crash with a semitruck and the complete rebuilding of its wheelbase.
Car #162 was one of the last of Muni’s “Iron Monsters.” Built in 1914, this streetcar lasted all the way until 1958 before retiring for the first time and moving down to Riverside County, where it stayed for 45 years at the Orange Empire Railway Museum before being reacquired by MSR and Muni in 2003.
Muni bus #4154, affectionately — or inaffectionally, depending on who you ask — known as “The Gremlin,” was also out of commission. In its place was a Flyer D902, making its first appearance at Heritage Weekend in 2017. The latter buses were last seen in regular service in 2004, with this particular one entering retirement the year before, in 2003.
Some attendees weren’t just there to ride the antiquated buses and trains. Some were there for the pop-ups and merch. “The main thing that interested me was the opportunity to buy one of the special edition Clipper Cards for Transit Month,” said Kendra Toy, who was attending her second Heritage Weekend in as many years.
“For me, it’s been so much more fun this year because last year I went by myself, and then this year I went with friends, so that made it a lot more fun. I think getting to ride a different train made it fun,” Toy added.
