Cable car museum

I went to the Cable Car Museum last week..  The museum is actually more than a regular museum.  It's actually a fully operational powerhouse for the city's cable car system.

  The cable that runs beneath the city's streets runs through the powerhouse and around a series of "sheaves" that look like giant wheels.  There are 4 cables, one for each cable car line in the city.  A motor powers the sheave, which creates tension on the cable.  The cable then runs back out to the streets.  

The is an example of the grip, which is like a big handle that grabs or grips the cable from inside the cable car.  The operator inside the cable car is called the "grip man".  It requires a lot of physical strength to operate the grip, which grabs and releases the cable on its journey through the streets.

A diagram explaining how the grip works to control the speed and brakes on a cable car.

Cable cars of the past on display.

The glass ceiling of the Crocker Galleria.

Flowers for sale inside the Crocker Galleria.

View of Market Street from the rooftop garden of the Crocker Galleria.

The famous, luxurious Palace Hotel.

Traffic through the streets of the city.