San Francisco Cable Car Museum

If you're majoring in electrical or mechanical engineering , then this is a good spot to visit. It's a definite go to spot when you want to enhance your knowledge on how the cable car system functions.

It's will be very interesting for you, if you want to know how the cable cars looks like underneath the wheels and how they drive. Also you can watch the workers how they splice the cables .

The museum is small but very cool to see old school cars and informative about the history, challenges, and changes of the whole system!! BEST PART - it's free!!!

Simple, free but also high quality museum with both a look at the active cable car operations and history of this unique form of transit.

Free admission . Amazing historical look at the much loved cable cars . Some great photo restoration in here too. Definitely worth a visit to appreciate what goes into the uphill battles.

Very interesting to see the inner workings of a functioning cable car system and learn about its history. Free admission helps too.

Free museum ! Go downstairs to see the actual gears that power the trolley cars. Then hop on the Hyde line one block north for views of Lombard Street on the way to Fisherman's Wharf. Trolley costs $6

It's a small museum exhibit with free admission on the history of the cable car . You can even see the cables that pull the cables for each of the three lines !

Excellent museum , you got to see the first cable car back in 1873, many historical pictures and as well the engines and winding wheels who pulls the cables . Amazing and all this for free !

It is free of charge and has all the history of the nostalgic cable cars and you can see the connection in the ground floor! A bit small but rich in content!

Very interesting. For free admission it is a must do if traveling to SF and taking cable cars .

It's amazing to get to see the mechanical aspects and history behind San Francisco's storied Cable Cars !

Historic building and houses the cables that run the whole system today, models of old cars and history. Free.

free museum that shows how the cable cars work . interesting and historical. made my ride on a cable car much more memorable once i knew what made it go!

Very interesting if you want to learn a lot about the cable car history in less than an hour!

This is the place to be to learn everything about the cable car system . If you have an interest in engineering and its history, you'll love this place!

It's great to be able to see operational aspects of the system rather than just static displays, though those are well done as well !

It's US National Heritage. Cannot be sold or privatized by he government, that's why it's free. (And the reason why an employee may feel up to explaining you the workings of the system ;-D)

Did you know that San Francisco has last permanently operating, manually operated cable car system in the world? Check out our Science in the City video to learn more about SF's cable cars ! Read more

SF Weekly’s Best Of 2011 Winner – Editorial Pick – BEST MUSEUM TO SPEND YOUR LUNCH BREAKSThe mesmerizing highlights of the museum are the gargantuan "winding wheels " that pull the eponymous cables .. Read more

Museum closes at 5pm (at least in March). If you are lucky, you may get invited into the barn by an employee, who shows and explains you how the cable , wheels and system works.

Free admission , open 7 days / week, see the machines that pull the cable car cables

Really great place to stop and learn about cable car history

Amazing museum about the still-running historic transportation system of San Francisco.

Live view of machine in motion, and for free! Small place, but still worth it.

Best free thing to see in San Francisco!

Free museum . Fascinating to see how the cable cars work , see the motors and cables under the streets, etc. really cool.

Free! And worth 30 minutes of your time if you're curious about the cable car scene in SF

It's free! Very quick and informative. Walk in and check it out! Also they have bathrooms

This is the cable mechanism which moves the cable cars thru the streets and up & down the hills of San Francisco.

Great pictures, interesting to see the history of these amazing cable cars !

A must to understand (and actually see) how the cable car works . Really interesting!

It's so strange. But interesting. All the cable cars are powered from here. The gift shop is most bizarrely cash only .

Worth it because it's free, and has a lot of interesting city history.

If you've ever ridden a cable car in SF (and if not, why not??) and wondered how it all works you really must come here and see the 500HP motors in action for yourself; awesome place - and free!! Read more

Documents the history of the cable cars and you can see the current system in action.

Well its free! Pretty interesting, but not much there. I loved the info video they played that was made in like 1979

Very interesting from a mechanical and from a historical point of view !

This small museum is free and definitely worth a bit of time.

jump off at Mason and see the free cable car museum ! Leave about an hour to enjoy.

In 1869, Andrew Hallidie witnessed a horrible accident as a horse drawn streetcar slid backwards down a steep slippery San Francisco street. 4 years later, he introduced the city to its 1st cable car

Small museum but get to learn some very interesting facts about the SFO cable car

It's free! Learn about SF's history and see the cables in action.

Watch the hilariously dated movie from the 1970s that plays in the corner of the gift shop , explaining how the cable car works . Read more

Lovely little fascinating place and free!

I really love this place, the CORE of the Cable Car since... almost always.

Great History. Short sweet and to the point.

It's free. Pretty interesting museum . The heavy equipment is pretty impressive.

one of the coolest places in sf that no one has ever been to. i like to take all my visitors here to learn about the unique transit of our city . and smells great!

5 people injured and taken to the hospital today because of the cable car and now I've wasted my time and money... Not happy with first cable car experience.