San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway (SF&SM) was the first electric streetcar company in San Francisco, California
. The company was only in business for ten years, starting in 1892 until its merger into the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR).
in Richmond, Virginia
, and determined that an electric streetcar system running through their then-isolated portion of the city would be a good way to boost property values. In 1890, the San Francisco & San Mateo Railway Co. was incorporated
, and the railway opened for business on April 27, 1892. Two separate lines ran consecutively from the Ferry Building
at the foot of Market Street
to the Baden area of South San Francisco
, with a transfer required at 30th Street & San Jose Avenue. The line did not actually extend to the city of San Mateo
, which lays 13 miles (20.9 km) further to the south, although it did run through part of the County of San Mateo
.
The route chosen by the company was rather unfortunate. After leaving the Ferry Building, the line went to 30th Street via Harrison, 14th Street, Guerrero and San Jose Avenue. They were not able to traverse any of the major streets, as rival streetcar companies already had lines on them. Furthermore, beyond 30th Street, the area of the city was not yet fully settled. With an unpopular route that led to sparsely populated neighborhoods, the company could not generate much revenue despite having nearly 4,200,000 riders annually. This trend continued after the merger into URR well into the 1920s, when electric streetcars were at their most profitable.
The line also gained a reputation for being dangerous. Although the company had built a counterweight
system to slow cars on a Harrison Street hill between 2nd and 3rd, no such system was added to another hill on Chenery Street, which became the site of a number of runaway cars. Even an injury to a boy there on opening day did not spur the company to action. After a few such accidents, the company finally relaid the track and purchased cars with better brake
s.
By late 1892, the company opened a second line from the Mission District
to Douglass Street via 18th Street, hoping to cash in on the Golden Gate Park
traffic (the intersection of Douglass and 18th, however, is about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southeast of the park). They were able to extend this to within five city block
s of the park, but could go no further because the Market Street Railway Company
had their line on Frederick Street, which denied the SF&SM any further access.
The company did find one new source of revenue, however. The SF&SM served Holy Cross
, Mt. Olivet and Woodlawn cemeteries, all in Colma (via the cemeteries' own tracks). As a result, funeral traffic became a consistent source of income.
Unfortunately, this was not enough to cover the debt incurred from the line's initial construction as well as subsequent interest
payments, forcing the company into receivership
. The receiver subsequently was granted permission by the Market Street Railway to use a portion of their line and the SF&SM 18th & Park line finally opened in November 1894 (this eventually was converted to San Francisco's first trolleybus
service in 1935). New cars, the first in the city to have front windows, also arrived in summer of 1894, making it finally possible to go from the Ferry Building to Baden without a transfer.
and John D. Spreckels
. The investors paid off the debts and renamed the company to the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway. Almost immediately, the new ownership took action to upgrade the rails and added new cars to the line twice in 1898 and again in 1901. One of these cars from 1898, Car 0304, was still in service on the San Francisco Muni as late as 2000 (it has since been retired).
In 1901, the company was sold once more to the "Baltimore Syndicate", a group of East Coast investors looking to purchase a number of Bay Area
railways. In 1902, these companies all merged to form the URR. The URR then quickly built out the line to San Mateo. This line, the No. 40 which was rerouted to use some of the major streets (made possible thanks to the consolidation of the competing companies), became one of the URR's most profitable routes, and was in existence until 1949.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. The company was only in business for ten years, starting in 1892 until its merger into the United Railroads of San Francisco (URR).
Initial founding
Brothers Isaac and Fabian Joost were real-estate developers in the neighborhood of Sunnyside. They saw the success of Frank Julian Sprague's Richmond Union Passenger RailwayRichmond Union Passenger Railway
The Richmond Union Passenger Railway, in Richmond, Virginia, was the first practical electric trolley system, and set the pattern for most subsequent electric trolley systems around the world. It is an IEEE milestone in engineering....
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and determined that an electric streetcar system running through their then-isolated portion of the city would be a good way to boost property values. In 1890, the San Francisco & San Mateo Railway Co. was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
, and the railway opened for business on April 27, 1892. Two separate lines ran consecutively from the Ferry Building
Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
at the foot of Market Street
Market Street (San Francisco)
Market Street is an important thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in...
to the Baden area of South San Francisco
South San Francisco, California
South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, with a transfer required at 30th Street & San Jose Avenue. The line did not actually extend to the city of San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
, which lays 13 miles (20.9 km) further to the south, although it did run through part of the County of San Mateo
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
.
The route chosen by the company was rather unfortunate. After leaving the Ferry Building, the line went to 30th Street via Harrison, 14th Street, Guerrero and San Jose Avenue. They were not able to traverse any of the major streets, as rival streetcar companies already had lines on them. Furthermore, beyond 30th Street, the area of the city was not yet fully settled. With an unpopular route that led to sparsely populated neighborhoods, the company could not generate much revenue despite having nearly 4,200,000 riders annually. This trend continued after the merger into URR well into the 1920s, when electric streetcars were at their most profitable.
The line also gained a reputation for being dangerous. Although the company had built a counterweight
Counterweight
A counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.-Uses:A counterweight is often used in traction lifts , cranes and funfair rides...
system to slow cars on a Harrison Street hill between 2nd and 3rd, no such system was added to another hill on Chenery Street, which became the site of a number of runaway cars. Even an injury to a boy there on opening day did not spur the company to action. After a few such accidents, the company finally relaid the track and purchased cars with better brake
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
s.
By late 1892, the company opened a second line from the Mission District
Mission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
to Douglass Street via 18th Street, hoping to cash in on the Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
traffic (the intersection of Douglass and 18th, however, is about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southeast of the park). They were able to extend this to within five city block
City block
A city block, urban block or simply block is a central element of urban planning and urban design. A city block is the smallest area that is surrounded by streets. City blocks are the space for buildings within the street pattern of a city, they form the basic unit of a city's urban fabric...
s of the park, but could go no further because the Market Street Railway Company
Market Street Railway Company
The Market Street Railway Company was a commercial streetcar and bus operator in San Francisco. The company was named after the famous Market Street of that city, which formed the core of its transportation network...
had their line on Frederick Street, which denied the SF&SM any further access.
The company did find one new source of revenue, however. The SF&SM served Holy Cross
Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma, California is an American Roman Catholic cemetery operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Established in 1887 on of a former potato farm, it is the oldest and largest cemetery established in Colma to serve the needs of San Francisco...
, Mt. Olivet and Woodlawn cemeteries, all in Colma (via the cemeteries' own tracks). As a result, funeral traffic became a consistent source of income.
Unfortunately, this was not enough to cover the debt incurred from the line's initial construction as well as subsequent interest
Interest
Interest is a fee paid by a borrower of assets to the owner as a form of compensation for the use of the assets. It is most commonly the price paid for the use of borrowed money, or money earned by deposited funds....
payments, forcing the company into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
. The receiver subsequently was granted permission by the Market Street Railway to use a portion of their line and the SF&SM 18th & Park line finally opened in November 1894 (this eventually was converted to San Francisco's first trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
service in 1935). New cars, the first in the city to have front windows, also arrived in summer of 1894, making it finally possible to go from the Ferry Building to Baden without a transfer.
Sale to new owners
Still, the receiver was unable to generate much of a profit and on April 11, 1896, the company was sold to a group of prominent San Franciscans, headed by brothers AdolphAdolph B. Spreckels
Adolph Bernard Spreckels was a California businessman who ran Spreckels Sugar Company and who donated the California Palace of the Legion of Honor art museum to the city of San Francisco in 1924. His wife Alma was called the "great grandmother of San Francisco".-Biography:His father was Claus...
and John D. Spreckels
John D. Spreckels
John Diedrich Spreckels , the son of German-American industrialist Claus Spreckels, founded a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
. The investors paid off the debts and renamed the company to the San Francisco and San Mateo Electric Railway. Almost immediately, the new ownership took action to upgrade the rails and added new cars to the line twice in 1898 and again in 1901. One of these cars from 1898, Car 0304, was still in service on the San Francisco Muni as late as 2000 (it has since been retired).
In 1901, the company was sold once more to the "Baltimore Syndicate", a group of East Coast investors looking to purchase a number of Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
railways. In 1902, these companies all merged to form the URR. The URR then quickly built out the line to San Mateo. This line, the No. 40 which was rerouted to use some of the major streets (made possible thanks to the consolidation of the competing companies), became one of the URR's most profitable routes, and was in existence until 1949.