Ring the bells: San Francisco marks 150 years of cable car history with summer celebration

San Francisco’s charming cable cars are turning 150 years old this year. To commemorate the city’s iconic symbol, public transit kicked off a six-month celebration this week — starting with Mayor London Breed riding the oldest car in the fleet on Tuesday.

Breed hopped on board Municipal Railway’s oldest surviving cable car, first built in 1883, for a nostalgic ride along California Street. ‘Big 19’ once ran in the original line of Andrew Hallidie, who is hailed as the father of the city’s cable car system.