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Now thru Labor Day the Museum is open and operating Wednesdays thru Sundays from 10:30am - 5:00pm. We will also be open on Labor Day itself, Monday September 6.

MUNI PCC Streetcar #1016 Debuted on Saturday July 10!

Fresh out of the restoration shop at the Western Railway Museum, historic MUNI streetcar #1016 made its inaugural run at the Museum on Saturday July 10, 2010.

San Francisco Municipal Railway PCC Streetcar #1016 is a rare artifact. It is the first car in the last streetcar order San Francisco's Municipal Railway placed with the St. Louis Car Company in 1951. It was purchased by the Bay Area Electric Railroad Association in October 1982 when it came out of service, and has been preserved at the Western Railway Museum ever since.

A team of volunteers led by Museum board member David Buechler spent 4 years restoring the MUNI #1016 to its "as-built" condition. When originally purchased by MUNI, it cost just $34,940. The Museum's restoration project cost nearly as much: over $30,500 in parts and materials, with all of the labor being donated by volunteers. To make the car operable again, volunteers restored the roof, flooring, interior light fixtures, and seats; refurbished the body; painted the interior and exterior of the car; and replaced all eight wheels.

In 1929, the presidents of many electric railway companies from around the country met to try to design a new style of streetcar that could fend off competition from buses and automobiles. The result was the "PCC streetcar" which first appeared in the mid-1930's, with a sleek streamlined exterior, slim profile, and rounded front.

The past... meets the present

Supporters gather for a morning reception	the inaugural ride

Visitors to the Western Railway Museum can experience a PCC streetcar in its original state. Although PCC streetcars can be seen running today on the F-line in San Francisco, those have undergone significant alterations to meet the needs of a modern transit system. MUNI #1016 is one of the few streetcars that has not been significantly modified and retains its as-built characteristics, including the fixtures required by a two-person crew.