Ropes and Rails
tells the story of the San Francisco cable cars in a way that is interesting to general audiences as well as enthusiasts. The history of the cable car is shown briefly using diagrams, maps, and historic stills and film footage, then all three routes of the present system are shown. Along the way, we look behind the scenes in the carbarn, powerhouse, and underground cable tunnels to see how the cars are operated, maintained, and taken in and out of service, and how the cables are inspected and spliced.
The DVD contains an alternate audio mix.
45 minutes, almost all color
For more information about cable cars, including those in cities other than San Francisco, take a look at The Cable Car Home Page.
If you're in San Francisco to ride the cable cars, be sure to check out the San Francisco Cable Car Museum.